Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $808 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
Learn more

Surat Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Surat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $808 in Surat.

Dubai $2,889
Surat $808

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $861 in Surat.

Dubai $4,444
Surat $861

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $914 in Surat.

Dubai $5,999
Surat $914

Living in Dubai is roughly 257% more expensive than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Surat is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$3.10 ₹293

317.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$10.72 ₹1,012

676.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$3.25 ₹307

187.69%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.87 ₹176

214.44%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.32 ₹29.99

390.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.15 ₹14.05

526.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$3.13 ₹296

329.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$3.45 ₹326

293.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.71 ₹66.8

161.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.48 ₹45.21

225.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.72 ₹67.6

266.67%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$0.96 ₹90.6

267.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$4.45 ₹421

191.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$2.86 ₹270

247.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.68 ₹159

51.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.63 ₹59.3

225.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$0.78 ₹74.1

135.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.57 ₹54.1

170.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.38 ₹36.08

207.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.44 ₹41.49

131.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.50 ₹47.17

214.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.30 ₹28.05

123.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$5.11 ₹483

23.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$7.47 ₹706

116.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.88 ₹177

37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$3.00 ₹283

-3.67%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.28 ₹593

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.22 ₹20.82

536.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$3.14 ₹297

2525.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.65 ₹61.0

406.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.20 ₹18.89

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.08 ₹102

652.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.15 ₹109

-13.04%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

130.15%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$18.8K ₹1.8M

17.04%

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

$239 AED 877

$37.48 ₹3,540

537.30%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$3.69 ₹349

1441.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$7.46 ₹704

1158.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$18.93 ₹1,789

379.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$5.23 ₹494

786.81%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$2.99 ₹283

443.14%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$33.96 ₹3,208

2649.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,265 ₹119.5K

1553.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$22.77 ₹2,151

210.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$25.28 ₹2,388

142.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$41.77 ₹3,946

145.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$32.83 ₹3,101

253.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$207 ₹19.6K

1101.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$490 ₹46.3K

209.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$392 ₹37.0K

1234.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$242 ₹22.8K

1152.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$664 ₹62.8K

951.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$370 ₹34.9K

1098.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$283 ₹26.7K

1156.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

9.17

-50.16%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Surat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Surat

$490 60.7% 67.7% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Surat

$49 6% 87.5% $341

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Surat

$81 10.1% 73.5% $225

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Surat

$102 12.7% 65.6% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Surat

$55 6.8% 65% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Surat

$25 3.1% 79.8% $98

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Surat

$5.7 0.7% 94% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $207 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $11 in Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $102 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

6,936,534

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Surat 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat is about 72% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 13 times higher, 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: $2,487 in Dubai versus $207 in Surat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Surat runs roughly 96% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $34 in Surat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $808 in Surat versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Surat but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Surat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Surat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Surat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.