Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Pak Kret

For one person, living is cheaper in Pak Kret: $934 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Pak Kret
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Pak Kret Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Pak Kret

🇹🇭 Thailand

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Pak Kret

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $934 in Pak Kret.

Dubai $2,896
Pak Kret $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,556 in Pak Kret.

Dubai $4,384
Pak Kret $1,556

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $2,178 in Pak Kret.

Dubai $5,872
Pak Kret $2,178

Living in Dubai is roughly 210% more expensive than in Pak Kret, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Pak Kret is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$2.94 ฿98.4

330.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$36.19 ฿1,209

125.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$6.92 ฿231

34.97%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.02 ฿67.6

191.58%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.67 ฿22.45

152.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.30 ฿9.95

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.41 ฿80.6

466.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.63 ฿88.1

412.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.78 ฿59.4

3.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.47 ฿49.15

2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.40 ฿46.72

83.57%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$2.21 ฿73.9

50.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$15.53 ฿519

-18.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.54 ฿84.9

280.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$10.01 ฿334

27.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.49 ฿116

-25.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.20 ฿40.17

58.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.83 ฿61.1

4.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.87 ฿62.4

-26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.20 ฿40.02

-5.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.04 ฿34.80

-2.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.28 ฿42.67

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.48 ฿15.91

39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$4.38 ฿146

34.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$14.93 ฿499

8.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.69 ฿56.6

60.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.87 ฿96.0

7.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.90 ฿30.22

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.06 ฿35.47

205.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.11 ฿37.11

-36.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$3.66 ฿122

117.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.42 ฿47.49

-30.99%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$31.0K ฿1.0M

-11.75%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$26.7K ฿892.5K

-17.51%

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

$249 AED 913

$93.5 ฿3,125

165.75%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$11.46 ฿383

374.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$18.10 ฿605

405.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$46.70 ฿1,561

121.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.31 ฿478

195.74%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$7.62 ฿255

113.78%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$566 ฿18.9K

49.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$14.4K ฿482.6K

26.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$51.0 ฿1,705

31.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$29.65 ฿991

95.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$94.3 ฿3,152

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$76.6 ฿2,561

28.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$451 ฿15.1K

430.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$298 ฿9,947

415.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,389 ฿46.4K

230.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$740 ฿24.7K

297.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$1,924 ฿64.3K

266.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,553 ฿51.9K

171.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

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 Pak Kret: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Pak Kret

$298 31.9% 80.6% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Pak Kret

$123 13.2% 68.8% $271

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Pak Kret

$90 9.6% 70.6% $215

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Pak Kret

$238 25.5% 18.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Pak Kret

$113 12.1% 22.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Pak Kret

$62 6.6% 54.4% $74

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Pak Kret

$10 * 1.1% 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 $451 in Pak Kret. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $36.00 in Pak Kret for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $238 per month, with Pak Kret cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Pak Kret

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

190,272

💱 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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Between locations

Dubai Pak Kret 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Pak Kret

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 Pak Kret: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pak Kret is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 210% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $1,401 in Pak Kret to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $451 in Pak Kret. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% 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 $934 in Pak Kret – a 210% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Pak Kret versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pak Kret but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Pak Kret the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pak Kret 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 Pak Kret 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 Pak Kret gentler on the wallet – expenses run 210% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.