Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Targu Frumos

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Frumos: $1,030 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Frumos
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Targu Frumos Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Targu Frumos

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Targu Frumos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $1,030 in Targu Frumos.

Dubai $2,883
Targu Frumos $1,030

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $1,537 in Targu Frumos.

Dubai $4,403
Targu Frumos $1,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $2,045 in Targu Frumos.

Dubai $5,923
Targu Frumos $2,045

Living in Dubai is roughly 180% more expensive than in Targu Frumos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Targu Frumos is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$10.66 RON 50.4

21.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$41.59 RON 197

96.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$7.23 RON 34.21

33.33%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$2.43 RON 11.51

150.62%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$2.03 RON 9.61

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$1.91 RON 9.03

-60.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$2.17 RON 10.26

535.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$3.13 RON 14.79

328.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.19 RON 5.61

56.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$0.71 RON 3.35

115.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$1.80 RON 8.52

41.67%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$3.39 RON 16.02

-3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$7.58 RON 35.86

60.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$5.80 RON 27.42

57.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$8.59 RON 40.62

49.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$1.30 RON 6.17

96.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$1.61 RON 7.64

18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$1.55 RON 7.34

17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$1.81 RON 8.58

-20.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$0.96 RON 4.55

14.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.02 RON 4.82

-9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$0.81 RON 3.84

87.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.69 RON 3.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$5.60 RON 26.49

14.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$5.38 RON 25.44

207.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$0.94 RON 4.43

172.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.23 RON 5.82

150.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$0.67 RON 3.16

135.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$19.60 RON 92.7

287.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$0.60 RON 2.85

431.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$0.69 RON 3.29

2.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$7.07 RON 33.46

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$1.75 RON 8.27

-42.29%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

-7.08%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$25.1K RON 118.6K

-12.85%

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

$245 AED 900

$147 RON 695

66.93%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$7.49 RON 35.44

668.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$7.75 RON 36.69

1077.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$42.38 RON 201

147.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$21.30 RON 101

118.69%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$6.25 RON 29.57

156.64%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$586 RON 2,773

48.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$5,001 RON 23.7K

260.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$96.1 RON 455

-26.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$32.20 RON 152

93.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$60.0 RON 284

76.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$85.3 RON 404

19.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$416 RON 1,970

489.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$311 RON 1,472

385.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$672 RON 3,181

590.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$437 RON 2,069

577.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$2,074 RON 9,813

248.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$1,422 RON 6,729

197.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

7.2

-36.94%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Targu Frumos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Targu Frumos

$311 30.2% 79.4% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Targu Frumos

$162 15.7% 58.9% $232

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Targu Frumos

$169 16.4% 45.7% $142

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Targu Frumos

$183 17.8% 36.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Targu Frumos

$123 12% 19.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Targu Frumos

$55 5.3% 59.9% $82

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Targu Frumos

$26 2.6% 70.4% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $416 in Targu Frumos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $42.00 in Targu Frumos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $183 per month, with Targu Frumos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇷🇴 Targu Frumos

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

13,875

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Dubai Targu Frumos 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Targu Frumos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Frumos is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 180% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $1,544 in Targu Frumos 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $416 in Targu Frumos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Targu Frumos runs roughly 287% 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 $586 in Targu Frumos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,030 in Targu Frumos versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Targu Frumos but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Frumos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Targu Frumos 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 Targu Frumos 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 Targu Frumos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.