Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Manzini

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzini: $354 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Manzini

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Manzini

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $354 in Manzini.

Dubai $2,854
Manzini $354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $515 in Manzini.

Dubai $4,321
Manzini $515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $677 in Manzini.

Dubai $5,788
Manzini $677

Living in Dubai is roughly 707% more expensive than in Manzini, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Manzini is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.29 SZL 21.19

40.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.96 SZL 15.84

63.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.79 SZL 29.52

39.11%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.18 SZL 19.51

177.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$7.49 SZL 124

69.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$2.96 SZL 48.83

229.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$1.85 SZL 30.51

612.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.33 SZL 21.91

96.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.59 SZL 9.73

227.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$0.83 SZL 13.65

131.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.51 SZL 8.48

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.58 SZL 9.60

101.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.47 SZL 7.73

114.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.45 SZL 7.36

235.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.70 SZL 11.47

-11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$3.13 SZL 51.7

86.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$3.20 SZL 52.8

404.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.63 SZL 10.39

320.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$0.78 SZL 12.80

278.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.60 SZL 9.89

173.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.32 SZL 21.79

-25.00%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$17.1K SZL 282.0K

59.97%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$15.7K SZL 259.3K

43.29%

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

$250 AED 920

$72.4 SZL 1,193

245.90%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$12.23 SZL 202

343.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$29.97 SZL 494

206.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$3.68 SZL 60.6

335.60%

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

$843 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$170 SZL 2,801

1300.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$105 SZL 1,734

1331.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$367 SZL 6,054

1108.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$274 SZL 4,517

998.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$404 SZL 6,657

739.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-54.60%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Manzini: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Manzini

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Manzini

–

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Manzini

–

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Manzini

–

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Manzini

–

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Manzini

–

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Manzini

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $170 in Manzini. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 739% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇿 Manzini

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

110,508

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Manzini 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Manzini

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 Manzini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manzini is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 707% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 739% 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: $2,380 in Dubai versus $170 in Manzini. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 150% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,854 per month in Dubai versus $354 in Manzini – a 707% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $354 in Manzini versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manzini but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Manzini the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Manzini 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 Manzini 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 Manzini gentler on the wallet – expenses run 707% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.