Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $510 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
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Ragama Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ragama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $510 in Ragama.

Dubai $2,889
Ragama $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $828 in Ragama.

Dubai $4,444
Ragama $828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,146 in Ragama.

Dubai $5,999
Ragama $1,146

Living in Dubai is roughly 467% more expensive than in Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Ragama is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$3.88 LKR 1,289

233.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$24.68 LKR 8,207

237.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$7.40 LKR 2,459

26.35%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$2.44 LKR 813

140.98%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.67 LKR 223

134.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.25 LKR 82.8

276.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$2.22 LKR 740

505.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.96 LKR 984

358.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.64 LKR 544

13.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.53 LKR 176

194.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.80 LKR 267

230.00%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.63 LKR 542

116.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$15.16 LKR 5,041

-14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$5.02 LKR 1,668

98.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$7.73 LKR 2,569

67.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$6.65 LKR 2,211

-61.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.87 LKR 290

135.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$4.17 LKR 1,387

-55.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$1.27 LKR 422

21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.03 LKR 343

13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.82 LKR 273

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$1.21 LKR 404

29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.46 LKR 152

45.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$10.12 LKR 3,365

-37.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$13.32 LKR 4,429

21.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.89 LKR 627

36.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.86 LKR 951

1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.40 LKR 134

722.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.31 LKR 102

109.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$0.87 LKR 289

834.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.33 LKR 441

-24.81%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-38.57%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$45.3K LKR 15.1M

-51.36%

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

$239 AED 877

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

320.45%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$4.18 LKR 1,389

1260.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$20.40 LKR 6,784

360.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.62 LKR 1,535

251.52%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$40.68 LKR 13.5K

2195.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$17.0K LKR 5.7M

22.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$17.86 LKR 5,939

295.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$17.69 LKR 5,881

246.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

28.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$41.15 LKR 13.7K

182.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

12.5

-63.44%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Ragama

$81 16% 79.1% $308

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Ragama

$103 20.3% 66.3% $203

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Ragama

$244 47.8% 18.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Ragama

$70 13.8% 55.4% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Ragama

$9.2 * 1.8% 92.5% $114

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Ragama

$1.9 * 0.4% 98% $93

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $25 in Ragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $244 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

15,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Ragama 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ragama is about 82% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,333 in Dubai and $765 in Ragama 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,889 per month in Dubai versus $510 in Ragama – Ragama is about 82% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $510 in Ragama versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama 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.