Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Suez

For one person, living is cheaper in Suez: $361 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Suez
Learn more

Suez Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Suez

🇪🇬 Egypt

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Suez

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $361 in Suez.

Dubai $2,883
Suez $361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $591 in Suez.

Dubai $4,403
Suez $591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $821 in Suez.

Dubai $5,923
Suez $821

Living in Dubai is roughly 698% more expensive than in Suez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Suez is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$2.61 E£140

397.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$13.93 E£744

488.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$3.00 E£160

221.33%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$1.29 E£68.9

372.09%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$0.29 E£15.55

455.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$0.12 E£6.22

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$1.35 E£72.1

921.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$1.47 E£78.4

812.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.90 E£48.03

106.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$0.98 E£52.4

56.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$0.51 E£27.49

400.00%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$1.37 E£72.9

139.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$2.72 E£145

346.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$3.93 E£210

132.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$7.40 E£395

72.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$1.31 E£69.8

95.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$0.54 E£28.64

253.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$0.44 E£23.61

313.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$0.33 E£17.42

333.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$0.33 E£17.37

233.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$0.35 E£18.79

162.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$0.15 E£7.95

913.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.16 E£8.73

331.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$1.69 E£90.1

279.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$6.59 E£352

150.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$1.40 E£74.8

82.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.56 E£83.2

97.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$0.09 E£4.62

1655.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$6.62 E£354

1047.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$0.20 E£10.67

1495.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$0.18 E£9.78

294.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$1.18 E£62.9

595.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$0.40 E£21.15

152.50%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$31.6K E£1.7M

-17.14%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$22.8K E£1.2M

-4.25%

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

$245 AED 900

$20.56 E£1,098

1091.88%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$4.01 E£214

1334.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$8.35 E£446

992.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$14.49 E£774

622.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$6.28 E£335

641.72%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$2.29 E£122

600.44%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$85.2 E£4,549

924.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$1,585 E£84.7K

1036.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$16.65 E£889

325.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$43.46 E£2,321

43.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$98.6 E£5,263

7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$32.56 E£1,739

214.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$77.9 E£4,160

3050.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$41.57 E£2,220

3532.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$128 E£6,843

3520.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$82.7 E£4,418

3479.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$511 E£27.3K

1311.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$257 E£13.7K

1548.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

$123 E£6,548

2823.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

17.03

-73.34%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Suez: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Suez

$42 11.5% 97.2% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Suez

$33 9.1% 91.6% $361

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Suez

$57 15.7% 81.8% $255

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Suez

$117 32.4% 59.4% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Suez

$86 23.8% 44% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Suez

$19 5.3% 86.1% $118

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Suez

$8.1 2.2% 90.9% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $77.9 in Suez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 2823% 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 $14.00 in Suez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $117 per month, with Suez cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Suez

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

488,125

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Suez 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Suez

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 Suez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suez is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 698% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2823% 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $77.9 in Suez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suez runs roughly 1047% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $873 in Dubai versus $85.2 in Suez. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $361 in Suez versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suez but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Suez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Suez 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 Suez 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 Suez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 698% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.