Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Sharjah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,726 in Sharjah.

Dubai $2,896
Sharjah $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,468 in Dubai versus $2,594 in Sharjah.

Dubai $4,468
Sharjah $2,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,040 in Dubai versus $3,462 in Sharjah.

Dubai $6,040
Sharjah $3,462

Living in Dubai is roughly 68% more expensive than in Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Sharjah 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 AED 46.74

$5.88 AED 21.58

116.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 AED 299

$32.16 AED 118

153.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 AED 35.55

$8.13 AED 29.87

19.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.12 AED 11.46

91.35%

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

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.75 AED 2.75

121.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$0.31 AED 1.15

164.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.66

$1.59 AED 5.84

13.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$1.20 AED 4.40

29.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.57

$1.82 AED 6.70

42.86%

Eggs

$3.58 AED 13.16

$3.32 AED 12.20

7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 AED 44.52

$8.65 AED 31.77

40.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.90

$6.54 AED 24.01

45.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 AED 51.0

$11.46 AED 42.09

21.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$2.26 AED 8.28

16.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$1.75 AED 6.44

8.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 AED 6.81

$1.32 AED 4.83

40.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.51

$1.23 AED 4.50

21.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.08 AED 3.96

10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.70

$1.10 AED 4.06

-8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$1.42 AED 5.20

16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$0.59 AED 2.18

5.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.42

$6.57 AED 24.14

-7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$2.12 AED 7.79

-30.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 AED 246

$27.55 AED 101

143.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 AED 12.31

$3.61 AED 13.26

-7.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 AED 2.48

$0.56 AED 2.07

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 AED 30.24

$12.03 AED 44.19

-31.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$0.97 AED 3.58

-5.15%

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

$26.0K AED 95.5K

$44.1K AED 162.1K

-41.11%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$21.0K AED 77.1K

2.49%

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

$248 AED 910

$212 AED 779

16.76%

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

$56.2 AED 206

$48.90 AED 180

14.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.8 AED 344

$98.0 AED 360

-4.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

$54.3 AED 199

67.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

$22.44 AED 82.4

102.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 AED 60.9

$13.82 AED 50.8

19.97%

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

$949 AED 3,486

$340 AED 1,250

178.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K AED 62.8K

$8,356 AED 30.7K

104.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 AED 259

$58.8 AED 216

19.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 AED 227

$78.4 AED 288

-21.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$108 AED 396

-6.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 419

$93.8 AED 344

21.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

$816 AED 2,996

207.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,644

$784 AED 2,879

96.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

$1,831 AED 6,723

178.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

$1,578 AED 5,795

97.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,216 AED 26.5K

$7,442 AED 27.3K

-3.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,383 AED 16.1K

$2,551 AED 9,368

71.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 AED 13.1K

$2,219 AED 8,149

60.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.5

0.89%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

Sharjah

$784 45.4% 49% $753

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$398 13.7%

Sharjah

$359 20.8% 9.7% $39

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Sharjah

$113 6.6% 63.1% $193

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$295 10.2%

Sharjah

$193 11.2% 34.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$156 5.4%

Sharjah

$152 8.8% 2.4% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$124 4.3%

Sharjah

$82 4.8% 34.1% $42

Getting Around

Dubai

$80 2.8%

Sharjah

$42 2.5% 46.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,510 in Dubai and $816 in Sharjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 60% 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: $81 in Dubai vs $32 in Sharjah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $193 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

Same time as Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

1,400,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharjah is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 60% 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: $2,510 in Dubai versus $816 in Sharjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sharjah runs roughly 59% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $949 in Dubai versus $340 in Sharjah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, Sharjah 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 Sharjah 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 Sharjah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.