Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Medina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,364 in Medina.

Dubai $2,854
Medina $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,816 in Medina.

Dubai $4,321
Medina $1,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,268 in Medina.

Dubai $5,788
Medina $2,268

Living in Dubai is roughly 109% more expensive than in Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Medina 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$5.53 SAR 20.75

135.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$32.09 SAR 120

153.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$8.20 SAR 30.78

13.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.70 SAR 10.15

121.11%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.76 SAR 2.84

114.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.25 SAR 0.95

224.00%

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

$1.49 SAR 5.61

21.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.92 SAR 3.44

70.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.32 SAR 8.70

7.33%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$2.09 SAR 7.84

56.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$5.44 SAR 20.44

132.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$7.03 SAR 26.39

38.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$12.49 SAR 46.90

5.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.42 SAR 9.10

7.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.98 SAR 7.42

-2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.29 SAR 8.60

-16.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.55 SAR 5.83

-12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.37 SAR 5.14

-26.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.93 SAR 3.49

62.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.71 SAR 2.68

-12.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$7.54 SAR 28.32

-22.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$1.05 SAR 3.94

56.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$36.80 SAR 138

100.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$1.36 SAR 5.12

133.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-57.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$5.71 SAR 21.44

39.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.64 SAR 2.41

54.69%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

-34.53%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

9.15%

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

$250 AED 920

$149 SAR 558

68.47%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$27.41 SAR 103

97.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$90.7 SAR 341

1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$78.9 SAR 296

25.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$9.01 SAR 33.83

372.92%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$13.51 SAR 50.7

18.65%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$294 SAR 1,103

187.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

233.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$36.85 SAR 138

84.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$54.4 SAR 204

6.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$67.0 SAR 252

50.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$70.0 SAR 263

44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$570 SAR 2,139

317.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$529 SAR 1,988

184.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$779 SAR 2,926

469.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$573 SAR 2,151

425.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,309 SAR 8,670

208.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,356 SAR 5,091

205.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$1,244 SAR 4,671

172.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.17

8.87%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Medina

$529 39.2% 64.8% $976

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Medina

$267 19.7% 32.7% $130

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Medina

$105 7.8% 65.9% $203

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Medina

$191 14.1% 34.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Medina

$103 7.6% 30.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Medina

$106 7.8% 19% $25

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Medina

$51 3.8% 41.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $570 in Medina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 173% 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: $81.0 in Dubai vs $32.00 in Medina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $191 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

1,100,093

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Medina 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medina is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 109% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 173% 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 $570 in Medina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medina runs roughly 100% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $294 in Medina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,364 in Medina versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Medina but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Medina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medina 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 Medina 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 Medina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.