Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Port Sudan

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Sudan: $659 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Port Sudan

🇸🇩 Sudan

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $659 in Port Sudan.

Dubai $2,854
Port Sudan $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,180 in Port Sudan.

Dubai $4,321
Port Sudan $1,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $1,702 in Port Sudan.

Dubai $5,788
Port Sudan $1,702

Living in Dubai is roughly 333% more expensive than in Port Sudan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Port Sudan is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.27 SDG 760

42.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.85 SDG 507

84.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.76 SDG 457

227.63%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$2.94 SDG 1,761

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$6.53 SDG 3,910

94.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$16.14 SDG 9,659

-39.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$14.45 SDG 8,646

-8.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$4.17 SDG 2,495

-37.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$2.18 SDG 1,307

-11.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.63 SDG 973

17.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$6.68 SDG 4,000

-79.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$3.28 SDG 1,965

-64.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.63 SDG 973

-38.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.31 SDG 185

429.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$1.96 SDG 1,175

61.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

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

$250 AED 920

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

$54.2 AED 199

$11.51 SDG 6,886

371.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

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

$843 AED 3,098

$28.69 SDG 17.2K

2839.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$424 SDG 253.5K

4210.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$737 SDG 440.9K

223.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$368 SDG 220.1K

309.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,489 SDG 891.0K

198.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$988 SDG 591.6K

204.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,032 SDG 1.2M

250.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,186 SDG 709.7K

248.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$210 SDG 125.9K

1511.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Port Sudan: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Port Sudan

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Port Sudan

–

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Port Sudan

–

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Port Sudan

–

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Port Sudan

–

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Port Sudan

–

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Port Sudan

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $737 in Port Sudan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1511% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇩 Port Sudan

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

489,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Sudanese Pound SDG £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD

1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SDG, 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).

Sudanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 599 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 671 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Port Sudan 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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Port Sudan

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 Sudan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Sudan is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 333% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1511% 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 $737 in Port Sudan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $28.69 in Port Sudan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $659 in Port Sudan versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Port Sudan but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Port Sudan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Port Sudan 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 Sudan 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 Sudan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 333% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.