Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ranong

For one person, living is cheaper in Ranong: $976 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Ranong
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Ranong Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Ranong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ranong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $976 in Ranong.

Dubai $2,883
Ranong $976

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $1,650 in Ranong.

Dubai $4,403
Ranong $1,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $2,324 in Ranong.

Dubai $5,923
Ranong $2,324

Living in Dubai is roughly 195% more expensive than in Ranong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Ranong is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$4.36 ฿146

197.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$32.07 ฿1,072

155.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$8.46 ฿283

13.95%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$2.74 ฿91.5

122.26%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$0.96 ฿31.98

67.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$0.50 ฿16.59

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$2.55 ฿85.3

440.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$3.76 ฿126

256.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.66 ฿55.5

12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.47 ฿48.98

4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$1.52 ฿50.6

67.76%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$2.20 ฿73.4

49.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$19.67 ฿657

-38.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$3.30 ฿110

177.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$11.09 ฿371

15.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$2.94 ฿98.3

-12.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$1.64 ฿54.9

16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$2.26 ฿75.7

-19.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$2.07 ฿69.2

-30.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$1.50 ฿50.2

-26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.31 ฿43.78

-29.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$1.06 ฿35.35

43.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.51 ฿17.01

35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$4.46 ฿149

43.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$18.42 ฿616

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$1.81 ฿60.6

41.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.75 ฿92.1

12.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$0.79 ฿26.38

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$1.21 ฿40.34

163.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$1.07 ฿35.76

-33.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$3.81 ฿127

115.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$1.48 ฿49.36

-31.76%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$26.4K ฿883.5K

-1.11%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$26.4K ฿881.7K

-17.20%

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

$245 AED 900

$99.5 ฿3,324

146.38%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$11.07 ฿370

419.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$17.26 ฿577

428.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$43.35 ฿1,449

141.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$12.40 ฿414

275.65%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$7.65 ฿256

109.67%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$548 ฿18.3K

59.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$11.4K ฿382.5K

57.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$64.3 ฿2,147

10.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$28.31 ฿946

120.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$95.8 ฿3,203

10.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$89.6 ฿2,993

14.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$467 ฿15.6K

425.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$268 ฿8,954

463.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,081 ฿36.1K

329.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$762 ฿25.5K

288.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$1,902 ฿63.6K

279.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$1,616 ฿54.0K

161.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

5.57

-18.49%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ranong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Ranong

$268 27.4% 82.3% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Ranong

$128 13.1% 67.6% $266

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Ranong

$119 12.2% 61.7% $192

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Ranong

$268 27.4% 7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Ranong

$125 12.8% 18.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Ranong

$59 6% 57.1% $78

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Ranong

$9.7 * 1% 89.1% $79

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 $2,454 in Dubai and $467 in Ranong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $32.00 in Ranong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $268 per month, with Ranong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Ranong

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

22:31 10:31 PM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

16,163

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Ranong 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ranong

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 Ranong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ranong is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 195% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $1,464 in Ranong 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $467 in Ranong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,883 per month in Dubai versus $976 in Ranong – a 195% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $976 in Ranong versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ranong but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ranong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ranong 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 Ranong 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 Ranong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 195% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.