Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $1,928 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Rabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,928 in Rabat.

Dubai $2,896
Rabat $1,928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $2,701 in Rabat.

Dubai $4,384
Rabat $2,701

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $3,474 in Rabat.

Dubai $5,872
Rabat $3,474

Living in Dubai is roughly 50% more expensive than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Rabat 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$16.55 €14.72

-23.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$50.4 €44.82

62.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$11.19 €9.96

-16.53%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.25 €2.00

161.78%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$2.48 €2.20

-31.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$1.69 €1.51

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$3.33 €2.97

310.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.43 €3.05

293.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.11 €0.99

65.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.34 €1.19

11.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$2.26 €2.01

13.72%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$3.50 €3.11

-5.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$7.97 €7.09

58.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$7.87 €7.00

22.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$12.51 €11.13

2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$4.12 €3.67

-36.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.18 €1.94

-12.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$3.55 €3.16

-46.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$2.21 €1.97

-38.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.15 €1.02

-1.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.14 €1.01

-11.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.09 €0.97

32.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$1.09 €0.97

-38.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$6.80 €6.05

-13.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$8.23 €7.32

96.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.76 €1.57

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.44 €2.17

26.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$2.71 €2.41

-40.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$5.73 €5.09

-43.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$2.21 €1.96

-67.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$26.77 €23.81

-70.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.51 €1.34

-35.10%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$37.7K €33.6K

-27.46%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$38.6K €34.3K

-42.95%

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

$249 AED 913

$101 €90.2

145.07%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$12.17 €10.82

347.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$42.85 €38.12

113.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$62.1 €55.3

66.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$22.18 €19.73

90.80%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$10.09 €8.98

61.45%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$369 €328

128.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$11.3K €10.0K

61.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$86.2 €76.7

-22.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$27.60 €24.55

109.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$73.7 €65.6

38.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$76.8 €68.3

28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,051 €934

127.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$1,049 €933

46.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,735 €1,543

164.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,460 €1,299

101.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$4,396 €3,910

60.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$3,149 €2,801

34.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$1,318 €1,173

162.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

2.9

56.55%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Rabat

$1K 54.4% 31.6% $484

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Rabat

$156 8.1% 60.3% $238

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Rabat

$233 12.1% 23.6% $72

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Rabat

$261 13.5% 10.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Rabat

$119 6.2% 18.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Rabat

$82 4.3% 39.5% $54

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Rabat

$28 * 1.4% 69% $62

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 $1,051 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 163% 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: $82.0 in Dubai vs $50.0 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $261 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇲🇹 Rabat

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

11,497

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Rabat 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rabat is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 163% 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,051 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% 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 $1,928 in Rabat – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,928 in Rabat versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rabat but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Rabat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rabat 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 Rabat 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 Rabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.