Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $428 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
Learn more

Mersa Matruh Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Mersa Matruh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $428 in Mersa Matruh.

Dubai $2,889
Mersa Matruh $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $699 in Mersa Matruh.

Dubai $4,444
Mersa Matruh $699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $970 in Mersa Matruh.

Dubai $5,999
Mersa Matruh $970

Living in Dubai is roughly 575% more expensive than in Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Mersa Matruh is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$3.91 E£211

230.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$17.51 E£943

375.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$4.48 E£241

108.71%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.17 E£63.0

402.56%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.30 E£16.28

423.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.11 E£6.12

754.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$1.22 E£65.7

1001.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.74 E£148

395.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.83 E£44.57

124.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.68 E£36.50

129.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.57 E£30.46

363.16%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.05 E£56.7

236.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$3.68 E£198

252.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$3.99 E£215

149.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$8.71 E£469

48.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.41 E£75.8

80.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.73 E£39.49

180.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$0.52 E£27.79

253.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.30 E£16.04

413.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.23 E£12.32

408.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.30 E£16.38

240.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.23 E£12.31

582.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.20 E£10.72

235.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$1.80 E£96.9

250.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$5.36 E£289

201.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.15 E£62.0

124.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.05 E£111

40.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.20 E£10.68

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.54 E£29.09

509.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.20 E£10.51

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.11 E£59.6

632.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.41 E£22.01

143.90%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$31.5K E£1.7M

-16.57%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$24.4K E£1.3M

-9.67%

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

$239 AED 877

$13.09 E£705

1724.75%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$6.35 E£342

795.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$12.61 E£679

644.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$15.16 E£816

499.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$2.60 E£140

524.62%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$82.3 E£4,431

1034.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,992 E£107.3K

949.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$31.15 E£1,677

126.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$42.14 E£2,269

45.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$119 E£6,415

-13.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$53.4 E£2,874

117.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$129 E£6,930

1832.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$71.9 E£3,873

2012.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$247 E£13.3K

2018.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$133 E£7,167

2174.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$698 E£37.6K

900.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$322 E£17.4K

1275.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$89.4 E£4,813

3875.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

21.33

-78.57%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Mersa Matruh

$72 16.8% 95.3% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Mersa Matruh

$32 7.5% 91.8% $358

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Mersa Matruh

$72 16.8% 76.5% $235

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Mersa Matruh

$119 27.7% 60% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Mersa Matruh

$111 25.8% 29.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Mersa Matruh

$20 4.8% 83.5% $103

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Mersa Matruh

$2.3 * 0.5% 97.6% $92

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 $2,487 in Dubai and $129 in Mersa Matruh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 40 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $18 in Mersa Matruh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $119 per month, with Mersa Matruh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

140,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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 = 0.242 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.85 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.48 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Mersa Matruh 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Mersa Matruh

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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mersa Matruh is about 85% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 40 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 $129 in Mersa Matruh. 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 $2,889 per month in Dubai versus $428 in Mersa Matruh – Mersa Matruh is about 85% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $428 in Mersa Matruh versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $800 budget is realistic in Mersa Matruh but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mersa Matruh 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mersa Matruh wins on affordability, Dubai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.