Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Patna

For one person, living is cheaper in Patna: $372 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $30,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Patna
Learn more

Patna Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Patna

🇮🇳 India

$372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Patna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $372 in Patna.

Dubai $2,889
Patna $372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $612 in Patna.

Dubai $4,444
Patna $612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $852 in Patna.

Dubai $5,999
Patna $852

Living in Dubai is roughly 676% more expensive than in Patna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Patna is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$2.17 ₹205

496.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$9.24 ₹872

800.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$3.15 ₹297

196.83%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.66 ₹157

254.22%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.36 ₹33.56

336.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.14 ₹13.10

571.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$1.98 ₹187

578.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$5.92 ₹560

129.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.61 ₹57.5

204.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.43 ₹40.90

262.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.58 ₹55.2

355.17%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$0.90 ₹84.9

292.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$6.80 ₹642

90.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$2.18 ₹206

355.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.38 ₹130

84.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.73 ₹69.4

180.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.01 ₹95.3

82.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.46 ₹43.34

234.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.33 ₹31.10

254.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.50 ₹47.31

104.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.43 ₹40.80

265.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.28 ₹26.39

139.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$5.01 ₹473

25.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$6.48 ₹613

149.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.59 ₹150

62.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.05 ₹194

40.98%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.97 ₹658

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.31 ₹28.92

351.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$4.80 ₹454

1617.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$1.29 ₹122

155.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.17 ₹16.44

282.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$2.07 ₹196

292.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.16 ₹109

-13.79%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

136.55%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$27.9K ₹2.6M

-21.05%

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

$239 AED 877

$45.51 ₹4,299

424.85%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$3.00 ₹283

1796.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$6.41 ₹605

1364.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$22.33 ₹2,110

306.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$12.10 ₹1,143

283.31%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$3.47 ₹328

368.01%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$55.8 ₹5,272

1573.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,676 ₹158.3K

1148.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$23.74 ₹2,243

197.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$29.06 ₹2,745

111.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$38.45 ₹3,632

167.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$33.83 ₹3,195

243.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$81.7 ₹7,713

2946.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$55.6 ₹5,256

2631.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$282 ₹26.7K

1753.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$187 ₹17.7K

1515.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$1,201 ₹113.5K

481.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$557 ₹52.6K

695.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$309 ₹29.1K

1051.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

9.46

-51.69%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Patna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Patna

$56 15% 96.3% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Patna

$55 14.8% 85.9% $335

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Patna

$70 18.9% 77% $236

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Patna

$97 26.2% 67.2% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Patna

$56 15.1% 64.4% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Patna

$29 7.9% 76.3% $94

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Patna

$8.2 2.2% 91.3% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $82 in Patna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $9 in Patna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $97 per month, with Patna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇳 Patna

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

500,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Patna 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Patna

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 Patna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Patna is about 87% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 12 times higher, 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: $2,487 in Dubai versus $82 in Patna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Patna runs roughly 94% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $56 in Patna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $372 in Patna versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Patna but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Patna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Patna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.