Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $455 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Sharm El Sheikh
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Sharm El Sheikh Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $455 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Dubai $2,896
Sharm El Sheikh $455

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $706 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Dubai $4,384
Sharm El Sheikh $706

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $956 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Dubai $5,872
Sharm El Sheikh $956

Living in Dubai is roughly 537% more expensive than in Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Sharm El Sheikh is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$23.17 E£1,237

252.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$4.87 E£260

91.79%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.23 E£119

164.13%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.33 E£17.57

412.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.59 E£31.40

32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$3.79 E£202

260.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$4.66 E£249

189.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.82 E£43.80

124.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.45 E£24.03

471.11%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.21 E£64.5

174.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$3.75 E£200

157.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.55 E£82.9

67.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.45 E£24.00

322.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.45 E£24.12

324.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.27 E£14.28

407.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.17 E£116

170.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.48 E£78.8

83.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.10 E£5.23

1500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.46 E£24.81

113.04%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-16.18%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$21.8K E£1.2M

1.09%

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

$249 AED 913

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

$54.4 AED 200

$11.34 E£605

379.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$27.77 E£1,483

229.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

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

$844 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$359 E£19.2K

565.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$287 E£15.3K

433.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$622 E£33.2K

638.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$530 E£28.3K

454.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$948 E£50.6K

643.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$665 E£35.5K

534.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$151 E£8,062

2192.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

26.5

-82.87%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Sharm El Sheikh

$287 63.2% 81.3% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Sharm El Sheikh

$39 * 8.6% 90.1% $355

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

$73 * 16.1% 76% $232

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Sharm El Sheikh

$55 * 12% 81.3% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Sharm El Sheikh

$0.4 * 0.1% 99.6% $89

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 $359 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 2192% 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 $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $55.0 per month, with Sharm El Sheikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

38,478

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Sharm El Sheikh 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Dubai
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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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharm El Sheikh is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 537% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2192% 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 $359 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 434% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $82.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $455 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sharm El Sheikh but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sharm El Sheikh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 537% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.