Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Seoul Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Seoul

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 9.7% more expensive than Seoul without rent, and 69.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 7.6% more expensive than Seoul without rent, and 48.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.73 AED 39.37
$8.57 ₩12.6K
25.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.2 AED 302
$55.6 ₩81.4K
47.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.32 AED 34.21
$6.25 ₩9,151
49.12%
Cappuccino
$5.72 AED 21.01
$3.81 ₩5,582
50.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 AED 4.53
$1.66 ₩2,432
-25.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 AED 3.43
$0.83 ₩1,218
13.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.21 AED 44.81
$3.78 ₩5,529
223.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.41 AED 49.22
$5.75 ₩8,420
133.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.01 AED 7.37
$2.18 ₩3,190
-7.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 AED 5.02
$3.46 ₩5,070
-60.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 AED 8.09
$3.21 ₩4,696
-31.46%
Eggs
$3.37 AED 12.38
$3.19 ₩4,669
5.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.11 AED 37.09
$14.37 ₩21.0K
-29.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.49 AED 34.81
$10.89 ₩15.9K
-12.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.48 AED 45.78
$34.35 ₩50.3K
-63.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 AED 8.78
$7.95 ₩11.6K
-69.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 AED 7.20
$3.60 ₩5,278
-45.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 AED 6.84
$5.53 ₩8,095
-66.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 AED 5.49
$6.67 ₩9,769
-77.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 AED 4.34
$3.96 ₩5,797
-70.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 AED 4.78
$2.95 ₩4,324
-55.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 AED 5.26
$2.54 ₩3,715
-43.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 AED 2.54
$1.28 ₩1,880
-46.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.68 AED 24.50
$3.29 ₩4,817
103.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.88 AED 69.3
$20.17 ₩29.5K
-6.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.65 AED 9.74
$2.42 ₩3,544
9.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 AED 12.59
$3.37 ₩4,942
1.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.60 AED 5.86
$1.07 ₩1,565
49.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$81.0 AED 297
$47.79 ₩70.0K
69.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 AED 11.80
$3.49 ₩5,112
-7.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 AED 2.92
$0.54 ₩791
48.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.28 AED 30.40
$9.08 ₩13.3K
-8.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.75 AED 2.75
$1.19 ₩1,749
-36.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K AED 120.0K
$27.8K ₩40.7M
17.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K AED 82.2K
$24.8K ₩36.4M
-9.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 AED 790
$163 ₩239.1K
31.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.6 AED 230
$35.22 ₩51.6K
77.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$103 AED 379
$22.55 ₩33.0K
357.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$89.1 AED 327
$57.2 ₩83.8K
55.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.01 AED 173
$23.27 ₩34.1K
102.02%
Cinema Ticket
$15.14 AED 55.6
$11.11 ₩16.3K
36.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$834 AED 3,062
$406 ₩594.8K
105.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.5K AED 53.1K
$23.1K ₩33.8M
-37.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.7 AED 307
$59.0 ₩86.4K
41.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.5 AED 229
$47.26 ₩69.2K
32.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 AED 411
$78.2 ₩114.5K
43.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 AED 448
$116 ₩169.9K
5.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,390 AED 8,769
$936 ₩1.4M
155.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,560 AED 5,726
$584 ₩854.7K
167.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,546 AED 16.7K
$2,602 ₩3.8M
74.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,006 AED 11.0K
$1,340 ₩2.0M
124.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,269 AED 26.7K
$23.1K ₩33.8M
-68.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,104 AED 15.1K
$11.8K ₩17.3M
-65.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dubai
Seoul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,017 AED 14.7K
$3,136 ₩4.6M
28.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.49
4.14
8.45%

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

Last update for Dubai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Seoul: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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