Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $944 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ratchaburi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $944 in Ratchaburi.

Dubai $2,896
Ratchaburi $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,573 in Ratchaburi.

Dubai $4,384
Ratchaburi $1,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $2,202 in Ratchaburi.

Dubai $5,872
Ratchaburi $2,202

Living in Dubai is roughly 207% more expensive than in Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Ratchaburi is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$3.59 ฿120

252.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$35.96 ฿1,202

127.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$9.10 ฿304

2.64%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.04 ฿68.1

188.73%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.74 ฿24.78

128.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.30 ฿9.93

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.31 ฿77.2

491.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.66 ฿88.8

407.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.78 ฿59.6

3.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.44 ฿47.98

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.39 ฿46.38

84.89%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$2.22 ฿74.1

49.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$15.32 ฿512

-17.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.56 ฿85.7

277.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$10.00 ฿334

27.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.48 ฿116

-25.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.21 ฿40.35

57.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.92 ฿64.1

-0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.91 ฿63.8

-28.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.20 ฿40.07

-5.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.09 ฿36.40

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.22 ฿40.84

18.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.45 ฿14.99

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$4.30 ฿144

36.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$17.87 ฿597

-9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.76 ฿58.8

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.90 ฿96.8

6.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.92 ฿30.82

73.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.38 ฿46.08

134.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.12 ฿37.58

-36.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$3.60 ฿120

121.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.51 ฿50.4

-35.10%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$46.1K ฿1.5M

-40.63%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$26.9K ฿899.0K

-18.10%

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

$249 AED 913

$90.9 ฿3,037

173.47%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$11.58 ฿387

370.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$19.18 ฿641

376.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$46.61 ฿1,558

121.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.27 ฿477

196.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$7.49 ฿250

117.49%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$628 ฿21.0K

34.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$14.3K ฿477.1K

27.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$50.5 ฿1,686

32.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$29.47 ฿985

96.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$93.9 ฿3,138

8.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$74.8 ฿2,501

31.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$441 ฿14.7K

442.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$293 ฿9,777

423.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,387 ฿46.3K

231.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$737 ฿24.6K

298.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$1,969 ฿65.8K

257.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,584 ฿52.9K

166.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

5.96

-23.83%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Ratchaburi

$293 31% 80.9% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Ratchaburi

$122 12.9% 69.2% $273

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Ratchaburi

$102 10.8% 66.7% $204

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Ratchaburi

$244 25.8% 16.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Ratchaburi

$112 11.9% 23.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5% 54.7% $74

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Ratchaburi

$11 * 1.1% 88% $78

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 $441 in Ratchaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $36.00 in Ratchaburi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $244 per month, with Ratchaburi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

38,208

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Ratchaburi 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratchaburi is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 207% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $1,415 in Ratchaburi 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 $441 in Ratchaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% 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 $944 in Ratchaburi – a 207% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $944 in Ratchaburi versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ratchaburi but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ratchaburi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ratchaburi 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 Ratchaburi 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 Ratchaburi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 207% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.