Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Malatya

For one person, living is cheaper in Malatya: $690 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Malatya
Learn more

Malatya Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Malatya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Malatya

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 Malatya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $690 in Malatya.

Dubai $2,896
Malatya $690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,039 in Malatya.

Dubai $4,384
Malatya $1,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,389 in Malatya.

Dubai $5,872
Malatya $1,389

Living in Dubai is roughly 320% more expensive than in Malatya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Malatya is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$4.67 ₺231

171.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$25.82 ₺1,278

216.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$6.96 ₺345

34.20%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.64 ₺81.1

259.15%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.92 ₺45.75

83.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.29 ₺14.35

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.30 ₺114

493.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.49 ₺173

286.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.80 ₺39.72

130.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.78 ₺38.78

92.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$2.68 ₺133

-4.10%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.77 ₺87.4

87.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$7.94 ₺393

58.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.41 ₺119

300.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$16.71 ₺827

-23.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.59 ₺78.8

63.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.53 ₺75.8

24.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.84 ₺41.57

127.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.76 ₺37.60

80.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.44 ₺21.62

156.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.34 ₺17.02

197.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.53 ₺26.06

171.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.45 ₺22.26

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.99 ₺98.6

195.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$11.97 ₺592

34.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.98 ₺97.8

37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.25 ₺112

36.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.27 ₺13.26

492.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$0.89 ₺44.07

264.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$0.45 ₺22.51

57.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.35 ₺66.8

-27.41%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$37.8K ₺1.9M

-27.61%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$36.8K ₺1.8M

-40.07%

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

$249 AED 913

$30.31 ₺1,501

719.86%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$9.97 ₺494

445.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$14.28 ₺707

540.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$34.88 ₺1,727

196.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$5.29 ₺262

207.94%

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

$844 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$15.28 ₺756

338.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$71.1 ₺3,520

-18.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$50.7 ₺2,512

101.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$30.33 ₺1,502

225.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$317 ₺15.7K

654.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$217 ₺10.7K

606.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$430 ₺21.3K

968.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$296 ₺14.7K

892.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$921 ₺45.6K

275.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-89.44%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Malatya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Malatya

$217 31.5% 85.8% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Malatya

$55 7.9% 86.2% $340

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Malatya

$101 14.7% 66.8% $204

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Malatya

$192 27.8% 34.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Malatya

$75 10.9% 48.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Malatya

$45 6.6% 66.6% $91

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Malatya

$4.2 * 0.6% 95.3% $85

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $317 in Malatya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 276% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $26.00 in Malatya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $192 per month, with Malatya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇷 Malatya

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

781,305

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Malatya 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Malatya

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 Malatya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malatya is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 320% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 276% higher in Dubai, 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $317 in Malatya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Malatya – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $82.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $690 in Malatya versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malatya but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Malatya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Malatya is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Malatya are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Malatya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 320% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.