Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Sin el Fil

For one person, living is cheaper in Sin el Fil: $1,004 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Sin el Fil
Learn more

Sin el Fil Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Sin el Fil

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Sin el Fil

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 Sin el Fil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,004 in Sin el Fil.

Dubai $2,896
Sin el Fil $1,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,609 in Sin el Fil.

Dubai $4,384
Sin el Fil $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $2,214 in Sin el Fil.

Dubai $5,872
Sin el Fil $2,214

Living in Dubai is roughly 188% more expensive than in Sin el Fil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Sin el Fil is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$12.21 LBP 1.1M

3.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$68.7 LBP 6.2M

18.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$10.20 LBP 912.7K

-8.43%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$4.47 LBP 399.7K

31.77%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

-25.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.86 LBP 76.6K

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$5.05 LBP 451.6K

170.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$4.83 LBP 432.5K

179.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.98 LBP 176.9K

-7.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.84 LBP 74.9K

78.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$2.36 LBP 211.0K

8.90%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$3.64 LBP 326.1K

-8.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$11.10 LBP 993.8K

13.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$10.56 LBP 945.3K

-8.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$15.02 LBP 1.3M

-14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.12 LBP 279.0K

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.70 LBP 151.9K

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.51 LBP 135.3K

-9.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

-11.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.54 LBP 137.7K

-34.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.21 LBP 108.0K

19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.68 LBP 61.2K

-1.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.96 LBP 265.1K

98.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$10.84 LBP 969.8K

48.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.32 LBP 118.6K

106.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.55 LBP 228.5K

20.78%

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

$5.07 LBP 453.7K

-36.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$2.29 LBP 204.7K

-69.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$22.57 LBP 2.0M

-64.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.04 LBP 93.0K

-5.77%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-48.63%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$32.0K LBP 2.9B

-31.18%

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

$249 AED 913

$231 LBP 20.7M

7.40%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$22.20 LBP 2.0M

145.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$37.55 LBP 3.4M

143.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$10.07 LBP 901.1K

61.77%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$692 LBP 61.9M

21.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$10.8K LBP 967.2M

68.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$67.4 LBP 6.0M

-0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$49.52 LBP 4.4M

17.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$140 LBP 12.6M

-27.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$121 LBP 10.8M

-18.32%

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

-58.73%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sin el Fil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Sin el Fil

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Sin el Fil

$291 29% 26.2% $103

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Sin el Fil

$229 22.8% 24.9% $76

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Sin el Fil

$277 27.6% 5.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Sin el Fil

$170 17% 16.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Sin el Fil

$20 * 2% 85.2% $116

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Sin el Fil

$17 * 1.6% 81.5% $73

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 $69.0 in Sin el Fil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $277 per month, with Sin el Fil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇧 Sin el Fil

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

23:01 11:01 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

1,916,100

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Sin el Fil 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Sin el Fil

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 Sin el Fil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sin el Fil is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 188% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $1,506 in Sin el Fil 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 5% 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 $1,004 in Sin el Fil – a 188% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,004 in Sin el Fil versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sin el Fil but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sin el Fil the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sin el Fil 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 Sin el Fil 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 Sin el Fil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 188% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.