Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Mutare

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $789 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Mutare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $789 in Mutare.

Dubai $2,896
Mutare $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,220 in Mutare.

Dubai $4,384
Mutare $1,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,651 in Mutare.

Dubai $5,872
Mutare $1,651

Living in Dubai is roughly 267% more expensive than in Mutare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Mutare is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$10.15 ZWL 270

24.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$45.07 ZWL 1,199

81.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$4.42 ZWL 118

111.31%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

360.16%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.73 ZWL 19.54

131.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.46 ZWL 12.11

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.22 ZWL 32.33

1019.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$1.78 ZWL 47.47

657.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.22 ZWL 32.42

50.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

53.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.33 ZWL 35.28

93.23%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.87 ZWL 49.72

77.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

331.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$4.04 ZWL 107

139.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$5.01 ZWL 133

155.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

27.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.70 ZWL 45.15

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

-6.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.98 ZWL 26.18

39.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.75 ZWL 46.52

-35.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.99 ZWL 26.33

2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.48 ZWL 12.83

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.99 ZWL 26.41

-32.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

398.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$6.09 ZWL 162

165.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

130.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.73 ZWL 45.96

78.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.77 ZWL 20.48

107.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$26.46 ZWL 704

187.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

7.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

-64.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$4.94 ZWL 131

61.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.86 ZWL 49.42

-47.31%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$21.6K ZWL 575.1K

26.71%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$23.6K ZWL 629.3K

-6.84%

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

$249 AED 913

$50.7 ZWL 1,349

390.04%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$14.72 ZWL 392

269.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$59.4 ZWL 1,580

54.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$39.95 ZWL 1,063

158.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$5.05 ZWL 134

738.02%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$9.89 ZWL 263

64.71%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$150 ZWL 4,002

460.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$8,553 ZWL 227.6K

113.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$10.06 ZWL 268

565.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$9.48 ZWL 252

511.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$24.80 ZWL 660

311.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$20.27 ZWL 539

387.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$356 ZWL 9,462

572.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$253 ZWL 6,742

504.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$750 ZWL 19.9K

512.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$395 ZWL 10.5K

643.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$246 ZWL 6,539

2767.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$247 ZWL 6,566

1302.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

13.69

-66.84%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mutare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Mutare

$253 32.1% 83.5% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Mutare

$125 15.8% 68.4% $270

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Mutare

$124 15.8% 59.3% $181

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Mutare

$155 19.6% 46.9% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Mutare

$29 3.7% 80.2% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Mutare

$60 7.6% 56.1% $76

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Mutare

$42 5.4% 52.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $356 in Mutare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1302% 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 $45.00 in Mutare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $155 per month, with Mutare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇿🇼 Mutare

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

02:21 2:21 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

188,243

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Mutare 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Mutare

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 Mutare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mutare is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 267% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1302% 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $356 in Mutare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mutare runs roughly 187% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $150 in Mutare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $789 in Mutare versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mutare but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mutare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mutare 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 Mutare 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 Mutare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 267% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.