Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,233 in Port Elizabeth.

Dubai $2,854
Port Elizabeth $1,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,847 in Port Elizabeth.

Dubai $4,321
Port Elizabeth $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,461 in Port Elizabeth.

Dubai $5,788
Port Elizabeth $2,461

Living in Dubai is roughly 131% more expensive than in Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Port Elizabeth is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$10.62 R 175

22.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$42.87 R 707

89.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$6.02 R 99.3

54.82%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.12 R 35.03

181.60%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$1.04 R 17.24

56.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.72 R 11.93

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$2.76 R 45.50

394.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$3.06 R 50.5

337.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.14 R 18.74

58.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.04 R 17.10

50.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.44 R 23.78

72.92%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$2.81 R 46.33

16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$8.58 R 142

47.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$5.47 R 90.2

78.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$8.28 R 137

59.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.11 R 34.80

23.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.54 R 25.46

25.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.61 R 26.56

19.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.78 R 29.43

-23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.73 R 28.56

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.42 R 23.46

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.29 R 21.27

17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$1.01 R 16.70

-38.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$3.13 R 51.6

86.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$4.82 R 79.6

234.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.25 R 20.63

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.82 R 30.06

62.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$1.09 R 17.96

50.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$36.08 R 595

104.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$2.12 R 35.03

49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.50 R 8.20

42.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$8.45 R 139

-5.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.45 R 23.86

-31.72%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$35.4K R 584.3K

-22.71%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$34.0K R 561.2K

-33.73%

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

$250 AED 920

$123 R 2,024

104.11%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$35.08 R 579

54.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$45.22 R 746

102.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$31.88 R 526

209.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$22.73 R 375

87.46%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$10.61 R 175

51.08%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$176 R 2,902

379.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$6,192 R 102.2K

194.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$70.6 R 1,164

-3.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$38.27 R 631

51.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$110 R 1,807

-8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$96.5 R 1,593

4.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$612 R 10.1K

289.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$418 R 6,891

260.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$805 R 13.3K

451.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$689 R 11.4K

336.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$750 R 12.4K

850.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$531 R 8,754

679.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$1,612 R 26.6K

110.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

11.94

-61.98%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4% 72.3% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7% 48.8% $193

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8% 49.6% $153

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 32.8% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 3.9% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4% 59.4% $78

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7% 48.2% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $612 in Port Elizabeth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 110% 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: $81.0 in Dubai vs $43.00 in Port Elizabeth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $197 per month, with Port Elizabeth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

1,050,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Port Elizabeth 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Port Elizabeth

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 Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Elizabeth is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 110% 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: $2,380 in Dubai versus $612 in Port Elizabeth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port Elizabeth runs roughly 104% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $176 in Port Elizabeth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Elizabeth but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Port Elizabeth the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.