Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Sihanoukville

For one person, living is cheaper in Sihanoukville: $928 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
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Sihanoukville Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Sihanoukville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $928 in Sihanoukville.

Dubai $2,896
Sihanoukville $928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,395 in Sihanoukville.

Dubai $4,384
Sihanoukville $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,862 in Sihanoukville.

Dubai $5,872
Sihanoukville $1,862

Living in Dubai is roughly 212% more expensive than in Sihanoukville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Sihanoukville is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$3.94 ៛16.0K

221.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$30.25 ៛122.7K

170.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$7.19 ៛29.2K

29.90%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.30 ៛9,344

156.09%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.78 ៛3,171

116.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.42 ៛1,704

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.02 ៛4,130

1239.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.02 ៛8,208

567.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$2.11 ៛8,555

-12.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.59 ៛6,463

-5.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.87 ៛3,513

195.40%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.71 ៛6,932

94.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$13.87 ៛56.3K

-9.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$4.10 ៛16.6K

135.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$8.78 ៛35.6K

45.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.59 ៛14.6K

-27.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.38 ៛5,591

37.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$4.25 ៛17.2K

-55.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.61 ៛6,540

-14.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.35 ៛5,465

-16.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.15 ៛4,647

-12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.19 ៛4,816

21.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.73 ៛2,946

-8.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.46 ៛5,938

302.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$11.16 ៛45.3K

44.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$0.90 ៛3,669

202.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.65 ៛6,713

86.67%

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

$1.09 ៛4,428

197.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.03 ៛4,177

-31.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$5.19 ៛21.0K

53.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.25 ៛5,053

-21.60%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$34.3K ៛139.2M

-20.21%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$43.5K ៛176.5M

-49.36%

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

$249 AED 913

$106 ៛431.0K

133.86%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$6.46 ៛26.2K

742.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$18.99 ៛77.0K

381.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$72.2 ៛292.7K

43.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$10.11 ៛41.0K

318.60%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$5.09 ៛20.6K

220.04%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$339 ៛1.4M

148.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,096 ៛20.7M

258.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$28.55 ៛115.8K

134.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$20.14 ៛81.7K

187.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$89.5 ៛363.2K

14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$20.29 ៛82.3K

386.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$407 ៛1.6M

488.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,629

$304 ៛1.2M

403.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$643 ៛2.6M

613.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$492 ៛2.0M

497.11%

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

8.07

-43.74%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Sihanoukville

$304 32.8% 80.1% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Sihanoukville

$132 14.2% 66.6% $263

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Sihanoukville

$95 10.2% 69% $211

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Sihanoukville

$237 25.6% 18.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Sihanoukville

$71 7.7% 51.3% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Sihanoukville

$82 8.9% 39.4% $54

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Sihanoukville

$6.2 * 0.7% 93% $83

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 $407 in Sihanoukville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $30.00 in Sihanoukville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $237 per month, with Sihanoukville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

73,036

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.11 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,545 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Sihanoukville 5,330 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Sihanoukville

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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sihanoukville is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 212% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $1,392 in Sihanoukville 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $407 in Sihanoukville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% 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 $928 in Sihanoukville – a 212% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $928 in Sihanoukville versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sihanoukville but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sihanoukville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.