Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Mortsel: $2,130 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Mortsel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $2,130 in Mortsel.

Dubai $2,883
Mortsel $2,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $3,214 in Mortsel.

Dubai $4,403
Mortsel $3,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $4,298 in Mortsel.

Dubai $5,923
Mortsel $4,298

Living in Dubai is roughly 35% more expensive than in Mortsel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Mortsel 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$21.95 €19.53

-40.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$106 €94.6

-23.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$13.26 €11.80

-27.30%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$4.24 €3.77

43.63%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$3.38 €3.01

-52.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$2.92 €2.60

-74.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$5.33 €4.74

158.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$5.62 €5.00

138.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.35 €1.20

37.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$2.75 €2.45

-44.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$2.16 €1.92

18.06%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$3.99 €3.55

-17.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$17.39 €15.47

-30.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$11.95 €10.63

-23.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$23.09 €20.54

-44.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$2.77 €2.47

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$2.33 €2.07

-18.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$2.64 €2.35

-31.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$2.85 €2.53

-49.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$2.16 €1.92

-49.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.88 €1.67

-51.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$1.36 €1.21

11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$1.01 €0.90

-31.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$13.18 €11.72

-51.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$8.79 €7.82

87.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$1.95 €1.74

31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.26 €2.01

36.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$3.02 €2.69

-47.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$59.0 €52.5

28.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$5.56 €4.95

-42.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$2.73 €2.43

-73.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$24.72 €21.98

-66.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$2.05 €1.82

-50.73%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$35.5K €31.6K

-26.35%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$33.6K €29.9K

-34.93%

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

$245 AED 900

$221 €197

10.64%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$20.75 €18.46

177.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$46.34 €41.22

96.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$35.60 €31.66

194.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$19.83 €17.64

134.90%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$15.09 €13.42

6.30%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$565 €502

54.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$21.0K €18.7K

-14.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$110 €98.0

-35.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$47.79 €42.51

30.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$104 €92.7

1.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$148 €132

-30.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$914 €813

168.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$812 €722

85.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,406 €1,251

229.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$1,194 €1,062

147.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$4,134 €3,677

74.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$2,946 €2,620

43.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

$2,323 €2,066

54.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.46

31.21%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Mortsel

$812 38.1% 46.2% $698

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Mortsel

$289 13.6% 26.7% $105

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Mortsel

$329 15.5% 5.8% $18

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Mortsel

$359 16.9% 24.6% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Mortsel

$185 8.7% 20.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Mortsel

$66 3.1% 51.9% $71

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Mortsel

$90 4.2% 1.4% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $914 in Mortsel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 54% 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 $106 in Mortsel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $359 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

24,525

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Mortsel 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mortsel is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 54% 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $914 in Mortsel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mortsel runs roughly 29% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $873 in Dubai versus $565 in Mortsel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,130 in Mortsel versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mortsel but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mortsel the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mortsel 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 Mortsel 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 Mortsel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.