Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Port Blair

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $370 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
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Dubai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Port Blair
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Port Blair Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Port Blair

🇮🇳 India

$370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Port Blair

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $370 in Port Blair.

Dubai $2,889
Port Blair $370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $592 in Port Blair.

Dubai $4,444
Port Blair $592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $814 in Port Blair.

Dubai $5,999
Port Blair $814

Living in Dubai is roughly 681% more expensive than in Port Blair, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Port Blair is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$2.06 ₹195

528.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$10.61 ₹1,002

684.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$3.76 ₹356

148.67%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$1.66 ₹157

254.22%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.38 ₹35.57

313.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.16 ₹14.88

487.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$1.78 ₹168

655.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.96 ₹280

358.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.63 ₹59.1

195.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.47 ₹44.80

231.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.67 ₹63.5

294.03%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$0.92 ₹87.2

283.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$4.44 ₹420

192.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$2.89 ₹273

243.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.93 ₹183

32.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.67 ₹63.4

205.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$0.92 ₹86.5

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.46 ₹43.17

234.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.32 ₹30.56

265.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.38 ₹35.44

168.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.47 ₹44.49

234.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.29 ₹26.99

131.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$5.18 ₹489

21.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$7.20 ₹680

124.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.60 ₹151

61.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.69 ₹254

7.43%

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

$4.96 ₹468

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.23 ₹21.75

508.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$6.92 ₹654

1091.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.86 ₹81.0

282.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.27 ₹25.63

140.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.56 ₹147

421.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.12 ₹106

-10.71%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

134.08%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$19.6K ₹1.9M

12.22%

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

$239 AED 877

$34.91 ₹3,298

584.22%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$3.39 ₹321

1577.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$6.72 ₹635

1297.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$14.26 ₹1,347

537.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$6.55 ₹618

608.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.03 ₹381

302.98%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$46.80 ₹4,421

1895.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,452 ₹137.2K

1340.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$21.58 ₹2,039

227.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$23.89 ₹2,257

156.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$38.38 ₹3,626

167.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$28.52 ₹2,695

307.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$85.7 ₹8,093

2803.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$77.8 ₹7,350

1853.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$270 ₹25.5K

1836.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$188 ₹17.8K

1507.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$926 ₹87.5K

653.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$542 ₹51.2K

718.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$628 ₹59.4K

465.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

8.86

-48.42%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Port Blair: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Port Blair

$78 21% 94.9% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Port Blair

$45 12.2% 88.4% $345

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Port Blair

$65 17.5% 78.9% $242

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Port Blair

$100 26.9% 66.5% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Port Blair

$51 13.7% 68% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Port Blair

$22 6% 81.9% $101

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Port Blair

$10 2.7% 89.4% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $86 in Port Blair. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 5.7 times 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: $83 in Dubai vs $11 in Port Blair for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $100 per month, with Port Blair cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇳 Port Blair

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

108,500

💱 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 Port Blair 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Port Blair

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 Port Blair: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Blair 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 5.7 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 $86 in Port Blair. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port Blair runs roughly 92% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $47 in Port Blair. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $370 in Port Blair versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Blair but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Port Blair 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.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Port Blair are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Port Blair 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.