Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Qalyub

For one person, living is cheaper in Qalyub: $447 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Qalyub
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Qalyub Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Qalyub

🇪🇬 Egypt

$447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Qalyub

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $447 in Qalyub.

Dubai $2,896
Qalyub $447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $733 in Qalyub.

Dubai $4,384
Qalyub $733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,018 in Qalyub.

Dubai $5,872
Qalyub $1,018

Living in Dubai is roughly 548% more expensive than in Qalyub, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Qalyub is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$4.34 E£232

191.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$18.63 E£995

338.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$4.64 E£248

101.29%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.25 E£66.8

371.20%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.32 E£17.15

428.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.11 E£5.96

609.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.35 E£71.8

911.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.24 E£120

502.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.81 E£43.07

127.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.68 E£36.26

120.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.61 E£32.43

321.31%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.17 E£62.6

183.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$3.95 E£211

218.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$4.33 E£231

123.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$8.94 E£477

42.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.57 E£84.0

65.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.72 E£38.69

163.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.57 E£30.18

235.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.33 E£17.36

315.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.26 E£13.89

334.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.30 E£15.95

236.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.25 E£13.24

476.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.21 E£11.22

219.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.89 E£101

211.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$5.82 E£311

177.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.20 E£63.8

126.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.11 E£113

45.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.20 E£10.49

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$0.36 E£19.34

800.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$0.20 E£10.52

255.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$1.20 E£64.3

563.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.42 E£22.40

133.33%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$31.7K E£1.7M

-13.72%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$26.5K E£1.4M

-16.85%

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

$249 AED 913

$14.08 E£752

1664.91%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$6.67 E£356

716.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$13.41 E£716

582.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$16.24 E£867

536.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$0.97 E£51.8

4262.89%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$2.79 E£149

483.87%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$86.2 E£4,601

879.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$2,085 E£111.4K

775.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$33.01 E£1,763

102.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$45.24 E£2,416

28.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$114 E£6,111

-10.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$56.1 E£2,993

76.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$131 E£6,973

1732.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$75.3 E£4,020

1935.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$255 E£13.6K

1702.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$143 E£7,630

1957.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$770 E£41.1K

814.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$358 E£19.1K

1078.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

16.21

-71.99%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Qalyub: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Qalyub

$75 16.8% 95.1% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Qalyub

$34 7.6% 91.3% $360

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Qalyub

$77 17.1% 74.9% $229

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Qalyub

$125 28% 57.1% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Qalyub

$112 25% 23.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Qalyub

$22 4.9% 83.9% $114

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Qalyub

$2.1 * 0.5% 97.6% $87

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 $131 in Qalyub. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $19.00 in Qalyub for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $125 per month, with Qalyub cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Qalyub

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

109,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Qalyub 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Qalyub

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 Qalyub: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qalyub is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 548% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $671 in Qalyub 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 $131 in Qalyub. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 133% 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 $447 in Qalyub – a 548% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $447 in Qalyub versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qalyub but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Qalyub the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Qalyub 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 Qalyub 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 Qalyub gentler on the wallet – expenses run 548% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.