Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Sidoarjo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidoarjo: $615 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 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 Sidoarjo
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Sidoarjo Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Sidoarjo

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Sidoarjo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $615 in Sidoarjo.

Dubai $2,883
Sidoarjo $615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $956 in Sidoarjo.

Dubai $4,403
Sidoarjo $956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $1,297 in Sidoarjo.

Dubai $5,923
Sidoarjo $1,297

Living in Dubai is roughly 369% more expensive than in Sidoarjo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Sidoarjo is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$1.69 Rp 30.3K

668.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$10.97 Rp 197.5K

646.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

206.03%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$0.54 Rp 9,639

1027.78%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$0.43 Rp 7,767

274.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$0.28 Rp 5,052

167.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

507.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$4.08 Rp 73.4K

228.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$0.97 Rp 17.5K

57.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

189.77%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$1.20 Rp 21.6K

173.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

61.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$1.85 Rp 33.4K

394.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$5.52 Rp 99.4K

131.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$0.91 Rp 16.4K

181.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$0.54 Rp 9,807

253.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$0.70 Rp 12.6K

160.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

146.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

44.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.01 Rp 18.3K

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$0.27 Rp 4,799

462.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.40 Rp 7,159

72.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$1.98 Rp 35.6K

223.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$25.24 Rp 454.3K

-34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$1.67 Rp 30.1K

53.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.88 Rp 51.9K

6.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$0.29 Rp 5,226

444.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$0.41 Rp 7,334

678.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$0.38 Rp 6,759

86.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

646.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

26.25%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$25.1K Rp 451.7M

4.17%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$32.2K Rp 579.8M

-32.18%

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

$245 AED 900

$85.1 Rp 1.5M

188.09%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$4.66 Rp 84.0K

1134.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$11.34 Rp 204.1K

704.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$19.28 Rp 347.0K

443.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$8.15 Rp 146.7K

471.53%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

503.01%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$95.3 Rp 1.7M

816.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$9,510 Rp 171.2M

89.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$71.3 Rp 1.3M

-0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$39.51 Rp 711.2K

57.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$79.6 Rp 1.4M

33.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$74.3 Rp 1.3M

37.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$225 Rp 4.1M

989.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$147 Rp 2.7M

925.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$549 Rp 9.9M

745.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$361 Rp 6.5M

719.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$1,149 Rp 20.7M

528.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$800 Rp 14.4M

429.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

7.5

-39.47%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sidoarjo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Sidoarjo

$147 24% 90.2% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Sidoarjo

$101 16.4% 74.3% $293

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Sidoarjo

$52 8.4% 83.4% $260

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Sidoarjo

$167 27.2% 41.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Sidoarjo

$119 19.4% 22.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Sidoarjo

$25 4% 82% $112

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Sidoarjo

$3.5 * 0.6% 96.1% $86

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 $225 in Sidoarjo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $11.00 in Sidoarjo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $167 per month, with Sidoarjo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇩 Sidoarjo

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

201,115

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Sidoarjo 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Sidoarjo

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 Sidoarjo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sidoarjo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 369% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $922 in Sidoarjo 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 $225 in Sidoarjo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% 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 $615 in Sidoarjo – a 369% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $615 in Sidoarjo versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sidoarjo but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sidoarjo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sidoarjo 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 Sidoarjo 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 Sidoarjo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 369% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.