Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Mdina

For one person, living is cheaper in Mdina: $2,080 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Mdina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $2,080 in Mdina.

Dubai $2,896
Mdina $2,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $3,064 in Mdina.

Dubai $4,384
Mdina $3,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $4,048 in Mdina.

Dubai $5,872
Mdina $4,048

Living in Dubai is roughly 39% more expensive than in Mdina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Mdina 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$19.17 €17.05

-33.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$85.3 €75.9

-4.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$13.38 €11.90

-30.19%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.78 €2.47

111.87%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$3.15 €2.80

-46.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$2.18 €1.94

-64.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$4.42 €3.93

209.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$5.06 €4.50

166.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.33 €1.18

38.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.36 €1.21

10.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$4.31 €3.83

-40.37%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$4.25 €3.78

-21.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$8.34 €7.42

51.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$10.26 €9.13

-5.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$18.48 €16.44

-30.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$4.05 €3.60

-35.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.78 €2.48

-31.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$3.63 €3.23

-47.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$3.38 €3.01

-59.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$2.43 €2.16

-53.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$2.04 €1.82

-50.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$2.27 €2.02

-36.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$1.34 €1.19

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$6.82 €6.06

-13.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$8.23 €7.32

96.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.78 €1.58

52.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.36 €2.10

30.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$2.55 €2.27

-37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$5.45 €4.85

-40.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$2.21 €1.96

-67.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$26.64 €23.70

-70.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.47 €1.31

-33.33%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$37.6K €33.4K

-27.14%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$38.9K €34.6K

-43.34%

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

$249 AED 913

$104 €92.5

139.08%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$25.81 €22.96

110.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$42.04 €37.39

117.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$70.5 €62.7

46.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$9.90 €8.80

64.55%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$370 €329

128.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$11.0K €9,820

65.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$87.3 €77.6

-23.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$40.22 €35.78

44.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$98.4 €87.5

3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$79.1 €70.4

24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,170 €1,040

104.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$1,045 €930

46.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,554 €1,383

195.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,544 €1,374

90.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$3,557 €3,164

98.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$3,055 €2,717

38.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$1,467 €1,305

135.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

2.9

56.55%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mdina: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Mdina

$1K 50.3% 31.8% $487

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Mdina

$172 8.3% 56.4% $223

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Mdina

$280 13.5% 8.1% $25

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Mdina

$328 15.8% 12.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Mdina

$137 6.6% 6.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Mdina

$90 4.3% 33.6% $46

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Mdina

$27 * 1.3% 70% $62

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 $1,170 in Mdina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 136% 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 $85.0 in Mdina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $328 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇲🇹 Mdina

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

193

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Mdina 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Mdina

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 Mdina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mdina is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 136% 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 $1,170 in Mdina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $2,080 in Mdina – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mdina but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mdina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mdina 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 Mdina 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 Mdina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.