Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Roi Et

For one person, living is cheaper in Roi Et: $900 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Roi Et
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Roi Et Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Roi Et

🇹🇭 Thailand

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Roi Et

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $900 in Roi Et.

Dubai $2,896
Roi Et $900

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,455 in Roi Et.

Dubai $4,384
Roi Et $1,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $2,009 in Roi Et.

Dubai $5,872
Roi Et $2,009

Living in Dubai is roughly 222% more expensive than in Roi Et, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Roi Et is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$1.91 ฿63.8

563.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$17.62 ฿589

363.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$6.78 ฿227

37.76%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.03 ฿67.7

190.15%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.75 ฿25.22

125.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.28 ฿9.44

178.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.06 ฿68.7

563.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.94 ฿98.4

358.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.68 ฿56.2

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.45 ฿48.40

3.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.17 ฿38.97

119.66%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$2.00 ฿66.9

66.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$16.46 ฿550

-23.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.18 ฿72.9

343.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$10.31 ฿345

23.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.13 ฿104

-16.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.03 ฿34.57

84.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.84 ฿61.6

3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.56 ฿52.2

-12.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.24 ฿41.31

-8.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.93 ฿30.95

8.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.11 ฿37.13

29.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.49 ฿16.30

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$4.30 ฿144

36.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$14.58 ฿487

10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.65 ฿55.1

64.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.80 ฿93.4

10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.86 ฿28.84

86.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.30 ฿43.33

149.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.07 ฿35.87

-33.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$4.91 ฿164

62.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.20 ฿40.12

-18.33%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$26.1K ฿872.3K

4.92%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$26.4K ฿883.8K

-16.69%

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

$249 AED 913

$81.3 ฿2,716

205.77%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$11.63 ฿389

368.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$19.35 ฿647

372.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$47.37 ฿1,583

118.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.39 ฿481

194.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$6.39 ฿214

154.93%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$578 ฿19.3K

45.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$10.9K ฿363.4K

67.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$67.9 ฿2,269

-1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$28.66 ฿958

102.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$60.4 ฿2,017

69.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$75.5 ฿2,525

30.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$439 ฿14.7K

444.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$302 ฿10.1K

408.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,393 ฿46.6K

229.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$734 ฿24.5K

300.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$1,897 ฿63.4K

271.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,577 ฿52.7K

167.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$900 ฿30.1K

284.49%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Roi Et: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Roi Et

$302 33.5% 80.3% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Roi Et

$112 12.5% 71.5% $282

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Roi Et

$80 8.9% 73.7% $225

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Roi Et

$231 25.7% 20.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Roi Et

$105 11.6% 28.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Roi Et

$60 6.7% 55.8% $76

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Roi Et

$10 * 1.1% 88.7% $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 $2,393 in Dubai and $439 in Roi Et. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 284% 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 $18.00 in Roi Et for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $231 per month, with Roi Et cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Roi Et

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

34,229

💱 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 = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Roi Et 5,120 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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Roi Et

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 Roi Et: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roi Et is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 222% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 284% 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 $439 in Roi Et. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% 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 $900 in Roi Et – a 222% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $900 in Roi Et versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Roi Et but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Roi Et the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Roi Et 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 Roi Et 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 Roi Et gentler on the wallet – expenses run 222% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.