Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ratlam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratlam: $316 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Ratlam
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Ratlam Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Ratlam

🇮🇳 India

$316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ratlam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $316 in Ratlam.

Dubai $2,889
Ratlam $316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $464 in Ratlam.

Dubai $4,444
Ratlam $464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $612 in Ratlam.

Dubai $5,999
Ratlam $612

Living in Dubai is roughly 814% more expensive than in Ratlam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Ratlam is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$2.17 ₹205

496.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$6.47 ₹611

1186.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$2.57 ₹243

263.81%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$1.53 ₹145

284.31%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.35 ₹33.10

348.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.16 ₹14.98

487.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$2.04 ₹193

558.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$3.24 ₹306

318.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.60 ₹56.9

210.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.43 ₹40.62

262.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.69 ₹64.9

282.61%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$0.92 ₹87.1

283.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$4.90 ₹463

164.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$2.17 ₹205

358.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$2.06 ₹194

23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.41 ₹38.53

400.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.03 ₹96.9

78.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.40 ₹37.70

285.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.16 ₹14.85

631.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.22 ₹20.82

363.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.22 ₹20.79

613.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.33 ₹31.60

103.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$2.62 ₹248

140.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$7.72 ₹729

109.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.64 ₹155

57.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.48 ₹234

16.53%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.73 ₹541

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

$0.72 ₹67.7

356.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.16 ₹14.69

306.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.29 ₹122

530.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.11 ₹105

-9.91%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$21.0K ₹2.0M

25.30%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$22.7K ₹2.1M

-2.68%

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

$239 AED 877

$25.89 ₹2,446

822.60%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$4.33 ₹409

1213.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$5.21 ₹492

1702.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$5.16 ₹488

1660.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$3.15 ₹298

415.56%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$65.6 ₹6,199

1323.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$989 ₹93.4K

2015.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$7.44 ₹703

850.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$8.44 ₹797

626.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$16.07 ₹1,518

539.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$26.54 ₹2,507

337.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$126 ₹11.9K

1878.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$83.6 ₹7,895

1718.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$157 ₹14.9K

3226.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$131 ₹12.4K

2205.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$2,295 ₹216.8K

204.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$677 ₹64.0K

554.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$385 ₹36.3K

823.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

8.73

-47.65%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ratlam: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Ratlam

$84 26.5% 94.5% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Ratlam

$35 11.2% 90.9% $354

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Ratlam

$62 19.7% 79.7% $244

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Ratlam

$96 30.2% 67.9% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Ratlam

$26 8.3% 83.3% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Ratlam

$11 3.6% 90.7% $112

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Ratlam

$1.5 * 0.5% 98.4% $93

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 $2,487 in Dubai and $126 in Ratlam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 9.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $6 in Ratlam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $96 per month, with Ratlam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇳 Ratlam

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

00:23 12:23 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

100,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Ratlam 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ratlam

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 Ratlam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratlam is about 89% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 9.2 times higher, 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: $2,487 in Dubai versus $126 in Ratlam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 211% 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 $316 in Ratlam – Ratlam is about 89% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $316 in Ratlam versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ratlam but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ratlam 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.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Ratlam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ratlam wins on affordability, Dubai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.