Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Nakhon Sawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Sawan: $1,031 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Sawan
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Nakhon Sawan Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Nakhon Sawan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Nakhon Sawan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,031 in Nakhon Sawan.

Dubai $2,896
Nakhon Sawan $1,031

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,661 in Nakhon Sawan.

Dubai $4,384
Nakhon Sawan $1,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $2,291 in Nakhon Sawan.

Dubai $5,872
Nakhon Sawan $2,291

Living in Dubai is roughly 181% more expensive than in Nakhon Sawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Nakhon Sawan is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$3.03 ฿101

318.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$36.28 ฿1,212

125.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$5.86 ฿196

59.39%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.69 ฿89.9

118.96%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.63 ฿20.94

168.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.37 ฿12.22

110.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.73 ฿91.1

400.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$4.37 ฿146

208.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.88 ฿62.7

-2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.46 ฿48.88

2.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.41 ฿47.22

82.27%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.65 ฿55.1

101.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$17.32 ฿579

-27.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$3.52 ฿118

174.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$13.07 ฿437

-2.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.80 ฿127

-31.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.76 ฿25.53

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.82 ฿94.1

-32.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.89 ฿63.3

-27.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.21 ฿40.33

-6.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.18 ฿39.34

-14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.84 ฿28.19

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.48 ฿15.98

39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.73 ฿91.2

115.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$15.14 ฿506

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.60 ฿53.5

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$3.31 ฿111

-6.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.83 ฿27.74

92.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.05 ฿35.19

208.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.17 ฿39.08

-39.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$5.94 ฿198

34.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.33 ฿44.36

-26.32%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$31.2K ฿1.0M

-12.21%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$27.3K ฿911.5K

-19.22%

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

$249 AED 913

$106 ฿3,554

133.68%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$12.70 ฿425

328.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$17.49 ฿585

422.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$47.12 ฿1,575

119.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.75 ฿493

186.92%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$7.47 ฿250

118.07%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$568 ฿19.0K

48.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$16.6K ฿554.8K

10.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$71.2 ฿2,381

-5.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$42.42 ฿1,418

36.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$95.7 ฿3,198

6.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$107 ฿3,568

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$500 ฿16.7K

378.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$321 ฿10.7K

377.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,295 ฿43.3K

254.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$699 ฿23.4K

320.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$1,939 ฿64.8K

263.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,702 ฿56.9K

147.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$471 ฿15.7K

634.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

5.25

-13.52%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nakhon Sawan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Nakhon Sawan

$321 31.1% 79.1% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Nakhon Sawan

$137 13.2% 65.4% $258

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Nakhon Sawan

$100 9.7% 67.1% $205

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Nakhon Sawan

$259 25.1% 11.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Nakhon Sawan

$142 13.8% 2.9% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Nakhon Sawan

$62 6% 54.4% $74

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Nakhon Sawan

$10 * 1% 88.5% $79

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 $500 in Nakhon Sawan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 634% 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 $36.00 in Nakhon Sawan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $259 per month, with Nakhon Sawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Nakhon Sawan

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

06:52 6:52 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

82,305

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Nakhon Sawan 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Nakhon Sawan

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 Nakhon Sawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nakhon Sawan is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 181% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 634% 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 $500 in Nakhon Sawan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $1,031 in Nakhon Sawan – a 181% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,031 in Nakhon Sawan versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nakhon Sawan but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Nakhon Sawan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nakhon Sawan 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 Nakhon Sawan 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 Nakhon Sawan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 181% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.