Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Mogadishu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $618 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
Learn more

Mogadishu Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Mogadishu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $618 in Mogadishu.

Dubai $2,854
Mogadishu $618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $951 in Mogadishu.

Dubai $4,321
Mogadishu $951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $1,283 in Mogadishu.

Dubai $5,788
Mogadishu $1,283

Living in Dubai is roughly 362% more expensive than in Mogadishu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Mogadishu is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$2.93 SOS 1,665

345.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$34.64 SOS 19.7K

134.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$4.40 SOS 2,501

111.82%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$1.94 SOS 1,103

207.73%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$1.20 SOS 682

35.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.53 SOS 302

52.83%

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

$1.34 SOS 760

35.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.66 SOS 940

-5.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.75 SOS 428

232.00%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.93 SOS 1,096

69.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$4.89 SOS 2,780

159.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$3.96 SOS 2,252

146.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$4.45 SOS 2,529

196.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$3.80 SOS 2,160

-31.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.02 SOS 580

89.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$3.04 SOS 1,724

-36.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.27 SOS 721

7.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.48 SOS 843

-20.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.72 SOS 978

-41.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.49 SOS 846

1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.53 SOS 301

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$2.05 SOS 1,166

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.51 SOS 291

221.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$0.99 SOS 562

220.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.56 SOS 318

26.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$2.92 SOS 1,658

172.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.92 SOS 523

7.61%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$6,416 SOS 3.6M

251.28%

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

$250 AED 920

$162 SOS 92.2K

54.32%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$4.89 SOS 2,777

1009.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$65.5 SOS 37.2K

40.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$32.12 SOS 18.2K

207.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

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

$843 AED 3,098

$79.9 SOS 45.4K

956.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$751 SOS 426.4K

2332.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$13.79 SOS 7,832

392.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$13.90 SOS 7,893

316.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$24.66 SOS 14.0K

308.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$32.82 SOS 18.6K

207.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$198 SOS 112.6K

1100.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$77.6 SOS 44.1K

1841.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$475 SOS 269.6K

834.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$186 SOS 105.9K

1514.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$3,242 SOS 1.8M

119.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$2,367 SOS 1.3M

74.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$276 SOS 156.6K

1129.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mogadishu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Mogadishu

$78 12.6% 94.9% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Mogadishu

$233 37.8% 41.3% $164

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Mogadishu

$67 * 10.9% 78.3% $242

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Mogadishu

$163 * 26.4% 44.4% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Mogadishu

$38 6.2% 74% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.2% 75.4% $99

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Mogadishu

$5.8 * 1% 93.3% $81

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 $2,380 in Dubai and $198 in Mogadishu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1130% 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $163 per month, with Mogadishu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

2,610,000 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, 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).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 637 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Mogadishu 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Mogadishu

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 Mogadishu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mogadishu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 362% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1130% 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 $198 in Mogadishu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% 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 $618 in Mogadishu – a 362% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $618 in Mogadishu versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mogadishu but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mogadishu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 362% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.