Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Shurugwi

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
Learn more

Shurugwi Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Shurugwi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $579 in Shurugwi.

Dubai $2,896
Shurugwi $579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $949 in Shurugwi.

Dubai $4,384
Shurugwi $949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,320 in Shurugwi.

Dubai $5,872
Shurugwi $1,320

Living in Dubai is roughly 400% more expensive than in Shurugwi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Shurugwi is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$10.11 ZWL 269

25.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$39.64 ZWL 1,055

106.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$5.80 ZWL 154

61.03%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.69 ZWL 45.06

248.52%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.97 ZWL 25.82

74.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.48 ZWL 12.79

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.28 ZWL 33.94

967.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.06 ZWL 54.7

554.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

24.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.98 ZWL 26.00

53.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.67 ZWL 44.40

53.89%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

71.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$11.52 ZWL 307

9.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$5.30 ZWL 141

82.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$6.34 ZWL 169

101.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.07 ZWL 81.8

-15.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.65 ZWL 44.01

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.01 ZWL 53.4

-4.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.51 ZWL 40.30

-9.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

-32.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.80 ZWL 47.97

-43.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.22 ZWL 32.55

18.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

-32.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

201.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$8.20 ZWL 218

96.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.38 ZWL 36.77

97.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

56.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$3.94 ZWL 105

-17.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

-63.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$5.04 ZWL 134

57.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.84 ZWL 48.95

-46.74%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$22.1K ZWL 587.6K

24.01%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$27.8K ZWL 738.7K

-20.63%

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

$249 AED 913

$52.0 ZWL 1,383

378.07%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$21.89 ZWL 582

148.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$68.3 ZWL 1,818

33.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$9.97 ZWL 265

63.39%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$429 ZWL 11.4K

96.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$8,436 ZWL 224.5K

116.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$23.20 ZWL 617

188.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$21.19 ZWL 564

173.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$38.89 ZWL 1,035

162.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$39.82 ZWL 1,060

147.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

13.69

-66.84%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shurugwi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Shurugwi

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Shurugwi

$142 24.6% 64% $252

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Shurugwi

$135 23.3% 55.8% $170

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Shurugwi

$213 36.7% 27.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Shurugwi

$55 9.6% 62.2% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.5% 85.3% $116

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.4% 84.5% $75

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $40.00 in Shurugwi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $213 per month, with Shurugwi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

16,866

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, 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).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Shurugwi 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Shurugwi

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 Shurugwi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shurugwi is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 400% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $868 in Shurugwi 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $579 in Shurugwi – a 400% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $579 in Shurugwi versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shurugwi but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Shurugwi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shurugwi 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 Shurugwi 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 Shurugwi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 400% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.