Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Sfax

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfax: $628 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Sfax
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Sfax Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Sfax

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Sfax

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $628 in Sfax.

Dubai $2,889
Sfax $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $988 in Sfax.

Dubai $4,444
Sfax $988

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,348 in Sfax.

Dubai $5,999
Sfax $1,348

Living in Dubai is roughly 360% more expensive than in Sfax, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Sfax is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$3.44 TND 10.20

276.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$19.76 TND 58.7

321.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$5.04 TND 14.95

85.52%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$0.74 TND 2.19

694.59%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.59 TND 1.75

166.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.25 TND 0.74

276.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$1.57 TND 4.67

756.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$1.96 TND 5.83

592.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.47 TND 1.39

295.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.24 TND 0.71

550.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$1.37 TND 4.07

92.70%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.56 TND 4.62

126.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$12.69 TND 37.66

2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$5.49 TND 16.29

81.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$13.96 TND 41.44

-7.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.83 TND 5.42

39.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$3.13 TND 9.30

-34.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.03 TND 3.07

78.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.69 TND 2.05

123.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.81 TND 2.40

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.82 TND 2.44

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.57 TND 1.70

175.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.32 TND 0.95

109.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$3.82 TND 11.33

65.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$6.71 TND 19.92

140.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.18 TND 3.52

118.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$1.08 TND 3.20

167.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.17 TND 0.50

723.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$9.97 TND 29.59

726.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.33 TND 0.99

896.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.31 TND 0.93

109.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$7.44 TND 22.08

9.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.84 TND 2.49

19.05%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$37.2K TND 110.4K

-29.32%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$34.5K TND 102.3K

-36.01%

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

$239 AED 877

$44.57 TND 132

435.92%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$9.44 TND 28.03

502.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$14.65 TND 43.48

540.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$27.48 TND 81.6

230.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$7.24 TND 21.47

540.61%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.46 TND 13.23

264.13%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$96.9 TND 288

863.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$2,474 TND 7,341

745.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$42.92 TND 127

64.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$35.38 TND 105

73.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$111 TND 331

-7.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$67.3 TND 200

72.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$190 TND 564

1208.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$135 TND 400

1028.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$332 TND 984

1478.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$220 TND 652

1278.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$1,022 TND 3,034

583.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$729 TND 2,165

507.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$324 TND 960

998.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

13.6

-66.40%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sfax: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Sfax

$135 21.5% 91.1% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Sfax

$69 10.9% 82.4% $321

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Sfax

$67 10.6% 78.3% $240

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Sfax

$193 30.8% 34.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Sfax

$116 18.4% 26.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Sfax

$36 5.8% 70.5% $87

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Sfax

$13 2% 86.7% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $190 in Sfax. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $20 in Sfax for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $193 per month, with Sfax cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇳 Sfax

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

955,421

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 TND = 0.337 USD

1 TND = 0.3 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.97 TND (1 TND = 0.337 USD). 1 EUR = 3.33 TND (1 TND = 0.3 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Sfax 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Sfax

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 Sfax: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sfax is about 78% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 11 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 $190 in Sfax. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sfax runs roughly 88% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $97 in Sfax. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $628 in Sfax versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sfax but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sfax 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.

Expats usually find Sfax gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.