Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $973 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
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Shakhty Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Shakhty

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $973 in Shakhty.

Dubai $2,883
Shakhty $973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $1,539 in Shakhty.

Dubai $4,403
Shakhty $1,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $2,105 in Shakhty.

Dubai $5,923
Shakhty $2,105

Living in Dubai is roughly 196% more expensive than in Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Shakhty is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$9.92 ₽828

30.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$37.22 ₽3,106

120.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$5.74 ₽479

67.94%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$2.40 ₽201

153.75%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$1.16 ₽96.5

38.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$0.57 ₽47.83

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$1.61 ₽134

756.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$2.63 ₽220

409.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.19 ₽99.1

56.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$0.80 ₽66.5

91.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$1.50 ₽125

70.00%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$1.62 ₽135

102.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$10.16 ₽848

19.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$4.96 ₽414

84.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$10.31 ₽861

24.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$1.69 ₽141

51.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$1.55 ₽130

23.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$2.05 ₽171

-11.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$3.05 ₽254

-53.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$0.84 ₽70.3

30.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$0.65 ₽53.9

41.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$1.25 ₽105

21.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.73 ₽60.7

-5.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$2.89 ₽241

121.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$7.01 ₽585

135.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$0.95 ₽79.3

169.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.30 ₽192

33.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$0.59 ₽48.93

167.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$2.26 ₽189

41.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$0.32 ₽26.88

121.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$6.03 ₽504

36.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$0.85 ₽70.5

18.82%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$59.1K ₽4.9M

-55.74%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$44.0K ₽3.7M

-50.38%

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

$245 AED 900

$105 ₽8,740

134.00%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$6.49 ₽542

786.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$7.40 ₽618

1133.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$32.98 ₽2,752

217.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$26.70 ₽2,229

74.46%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$5.53 ₽461

190.05%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$336 ₽28.1K

159.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$6,458 ₽539.0K

179.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$72.0 ₽6,010

-1.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$45.27 ₽3,779

37.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$109 ₽9,135

-3.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$115 ₽9,611

-11.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$496 ₽41.4K

394.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$304 ₽25.4K

396.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$776 ₽64.7K

498.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$559 ₽46.7K

429.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$2,448 ₽204.3K

194.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$1,378 ₽115.0K

207.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

21.45

-78.83%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Shakhty

$304 31.3% 79.8% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Shakhty

$119 12.2% 69.9% $275

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Shakhty

$146 15% 53.2% $166

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Shakhty

$201 20.6% 30.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Shakhty

$154 15.8% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Shakhty

$44 4.5% 67.8% $93

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Shakhty

$6.2 * 0.6% 93% $83

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 $2,454 in Dubai and $496 in Shakhty. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $37.00 in Shakhty for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $201 per month, with Shakhty cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

235,492

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Shakhty 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shakhty is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 196% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $1,460 in Shakhty 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $496 in Shakhty. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,883 per month in Dubai versus $973 in Shakhty – a 196% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $973 in Shakhty versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shakhty but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Shakhty the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shakhty 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 Shakhty 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 Shakhty gentler on the wallet – expenses run 196% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.