Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Mahdia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $562 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
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Mahdia Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Mahdia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubai and in Mahdia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $562 in Mahdia.

Dubai $2,889
Mahdia $562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $891 in Mahdia.

Dubai $4,444
Mahdia $891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,219 in Mahdia.

Dubai $5,999
Mahdia $1,219

Living in Dubai is roughly 414% more expensive than in Mahdia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Mahdia is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$2.58 TND 7.67

401.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$20.37 TND 60.5

308.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$4.72 TND 14.02

98.09%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$0.92 TND 2.72

539.13%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.62 TND 1.83

153.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.17 TND 0.50

452.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$0.97 TND 2.89

1285.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$1.52 TND 4.52

792.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.46 TND 1.37

304.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.43 TND 1.29

262.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$1.51 TND 4.47

74.83%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.57 TND 4.67

124.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$11.82 TND 35.08

9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$5.24 TND 15.55

89.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$14.59 TND 43.29

-11.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$2.83 TND 8.39

-9.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$2.91 TND 8.64

-29.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.38 TND 4.09

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.78 TND 2.30

97.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.64 TND 1.91

82.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.31 TND 0.93

229.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.43 TND 1.28

265.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.34 TND 1.02

97.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$3.45 TND 10.24

82.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$3.40 TND 10.08

375.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.61 TND 4.79

60.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$1.36 TND 4.05

112.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.31 TND 0.93

351.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$13.25 TND 39.34

522.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.29 TND 0.85

1034.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.26 TND 0.77

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.81 TND 2.41

23.46%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$40.3K TND 119.5K

-34.68%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$39.6K TND 117.6K

-44.37%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$239 AED 877

$55.0 TND 163

334.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$56.9 AED 209

$7.23 TND 21.45

686.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$19.91 TND 59.1

371.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$20.73 TND 61.5

338.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$7.37 TND 21.87

529.31%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$6.75 TND 20.04

140.59%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$934 AED 3,429

$109 TND 324

756.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,011 TND 3,002

1968.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$38.63 TND 115

82.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$33.18 TND 98.5

84.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$79.0 TND 234

30.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$23.25 TND 69.0

399.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$130 TND 385

1816.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$101 TND 299

1406.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$296 TND 878

1669.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$173 TND 513

1650.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$670 TND 1,989

941.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$204 TND 607

2068.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$231 TND 686

1437.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

10.33

-55.76%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mahdia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Mahdia

$101 17.9% 93.4% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Mahdia

$82 14.6% 78.9% $308

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Mahdia

$57 10.1% 81.4% $250

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Mahdia

$194 34.5% 34.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Mahdia

$78 13.9% 50.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Mahdia

$34 6.1% 72.2% $89

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Mahdia

$16 2.9% 83% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $130 in Mahdia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $20 in Mahdia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $194 per month, with Mahdia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

79,545

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 TND = 0.337 USD

1 TND = 0.3 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.97 TND (1 TND = 0.337 USD). 1 EUR = 3.33 TND (1 TND = 0.3 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Mahdia 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Mahdia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dubai vs Mahdia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahdia is about 81% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 15 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,487 in Dubai versus $130 in Mahdia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mahdia runs roughly 84% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $109 in Mahdia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $562 in Mahdia versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahdia but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mahdia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Mahdia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mahdia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.