Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Middelburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $2,283 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Middelburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $2,283 in Middelburg.

Dubai $2,896
Middelburg $2,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $3,354 in Middelburg.

Dubai $4,384
Middelburg $3,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $4,425 in Middelburg.

Dubai $5,872
Middelburg $4,425

Living in Dubai is roughly 27% more expensive than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Middelburg 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$13.10 €11.65

-3.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$89.9 €80.0

-9.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$12.20 €10.86

-23.44%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$4.11 €3.65

43.31%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$3.41 €3.04

-50.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$3.19 €2.84

-75.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$7.01 €6.23

94.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$6.89 €6.13

95.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.36 €1.21

35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$2.21 €1.96

-32.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.97 €1.76

30.46%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$4.45 €3.95

-25.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$12.33 €10.96

2.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$12.89 €11.47

-25.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$19.18 €17.06

-33.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.68 €2.39

-2.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.25 €2.00

-15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.03 €1.80

-5.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$3.55 €3.16

-61.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.29 €1.15

-12.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.14 €1.02

-11.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.12 €1.00

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.92 €0.82

-27.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$11.61 €10.32

-49.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$5.78 €5.14

179.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.35 €1.20

101.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.86 €1.65

65.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$4.59 €4.09

-29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$3.46 €3.08

-79.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$33.26 €29.58

-76.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$2.32 €2.06

-57.76%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$41.7K €37.1K

-34.28%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$38.1K €33.9K

-42.25%

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

$249 AED 913

$142 €127

74.62%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$28.79 €25.60

89.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$53.9 €47.91

69.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$45.01 €40.03

129.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.09 €12.53

200.35%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$10.14 €9.02

60.65%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$2,381 €2,117

-64.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$11.7K €10.4K

55.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$95.4 €84.9

-29.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$43.76 €38.93

32.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$106 €94.2

-3.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$140 €124

-29.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,407 €1,252

70.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$1,215 €1,081

26.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$2,045 €1,819

124.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,874 €1,667

56.81%

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

$4,112 €3,658

-15.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.4

33.53%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.2% 20.7% $318

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Middelburg

$225 9.9% 43% $169

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Middelburg

$266 11.6% 12.9% $39

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Middelburg

$317 13.9% 8.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Middelburg

$173 7.6% 18.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Middelburg

$65 2.9% 52% $71

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Middelburg

$22 * 1% 75.4% $67

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 $1,407 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $90.0 in Middelburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $317 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

40,345

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Middelburg 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Middelburg

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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Middelburg is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Middelburg. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,407 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 9% 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 $2,283 in Middelburg – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,283 in Middelburg versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Middelburg but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Middelburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Middelburg 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 Middelburg 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 Middelburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.