Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Siem Reap

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $806 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
Learn more

Siem Reap Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Siem Reap

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $806 in Siem Reap.

Dubai $2,896
Siem Reap $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,247 in Siem Reap.

Dubai $4,384
Siem Reap $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,689 in Siem Reap.

Dubai $5,872
Siem Reap $1,689

Living in Dubai is roughly 259% more expensive than in Siem Reap, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Siem Reap is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$2.43 ៛9,884

421.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$24.16 ៛98.1K

238.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$7.81 ៛31.7K

19.59%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.69 ៛6,857

248.52%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.70 ៛2,854

141.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.43 ៛1,746

81.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.02 ៛4,148

1239.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$1.98 ៛8,045

581.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$2.14 ៛8,687

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.76 ៛7,159

-14.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.87 ៛3,540

195.40%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.72 ៛6,979

93.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$15.24 ៛61.9K

-17.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.84 ៛11.5K

240.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$10.20 ៛41.5K

25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$4.33 ៛17.6K

-39.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.23 ៛5,008

54.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$3.68 ៛14.9K

-48.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.09 ៛4,431

25.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.33 ៛5,415

-15.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.12 ៛4,534

-9.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.30 ៛5,262

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.79 ៛3,227

-15.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.41 ៛5,709

317.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$7.75 ៛31.5K

108.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.00 ៛4,051

172.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.26 ៛9,162

36.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.97 ៛3,949

64.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$15.14 ៛61.5K

401.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$2.01 ៛8,169

61.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.01 ៛4,103

-29.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$4.99 ៛20.3K

59.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.31 ៛5,310

-25.19%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$24.8K ៛100.7M

10.47%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$22.7K ៛92.2M

-2.95%

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

$249 AED 913

$103 ៛417.4K

141.80%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$5.82 ៛23.6K

835.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$15.37 ៛62.4K

495.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$33.20 ៛134.8K

211.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.27 ៛57.9K

196.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$4.97 ៛20.2K

227.77%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$283 ៛1.2M

197.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$4,488 ៛18.2M

306.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$26.69 ៛108.4K

150.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$13.31 ៛54.0K

335.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$68.5 ៛278.3K

48.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$45.31 ៛184.1K

117.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$329 ៛1.3M

627.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$232 ៛940.8K

561.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$669 ៛2.7M

586.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$434 ៛1.8M

577.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$2,454 ៛10.0M

187.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,099 ៛4.5M

284.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$239 ៛969.1K

1350.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

9.2

-50.65%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Siem Reap

$232 28.7% 84.9% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Siem Reap

$124 15.4% 68.6% $270

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Siem Reap

$77 9.5% 74.9% $228

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Siem Reap

$235 29.2% 19.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Siem Reap

$69 8.6% 52.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Siem Reap

$43 5.4% 68.3% $93

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Siem Reap

$26 3.2% 70.7% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $329 in Siem Reap. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1351% 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 $24.00 in Siem Reap for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $235 per month, with Siem Reap cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

15:13 3:13 PM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

171,800

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Siem Reap 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Siem Reap

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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siem Reap is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 259% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1351% 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 $329 in Siem Reap. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Siem Reap runs roughly 402% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $283 in Siem Reap. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $806 in Siem Reap versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Siem Reap but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Siem Reap the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap gentler on the wallet – expenses run 259% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.