Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Thung Song

For one person, living is cheaper in Thung Song: $932 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Thung Song
Learn more

Thung Song Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Thung Song

🇹🇭 Thailand

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Thung Song

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $932 in Thung Song.

Dubai $2,883
Thung Song $932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $1,461 in Thung Song.

Dubai $4,403
Thung Song $1,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $1,991 in Thung Song.

Dubai $5,923
Thung Song $1,991

Living in Dubai is roughly 209% more expensive than in Thung Song, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Thung Song is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$4.59 ฿154

183.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$17.72 ฿592

362.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$8.66 ฿289

11.32%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$2.28 ฿76.3

167.11%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$0.71 ฿23.66

126.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$0.29 ฿9.61

158.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$2.48 ฿82.9

456.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$3.75 ฿125

257.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.71 ฿57.2

8.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.39 ฿46.46

10.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$1.57 ฿52.6

62.42%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$2.19 ฿73.4

49.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$19.23 ฿643

-36.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$3.47 ฿116

163.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$11.15 ฿373

14.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$2.93 ฿98.1

-12.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$1.69 ฿56.5

13.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$0.68 ฿22.74

167.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$2.09 ฿69.7

-31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$1.53 ฿51.2

-28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.33 ฿44.31

-30.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$1.08 ฿35.94

40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.52 ฿17.29

32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$4.39 ฿147

46.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$18.89 ฿631

-12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$1.82 ฿60.8

40.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.26 ฿75.6

36.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$0.94 ฿31.56

68.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$2.29 ฿76.6

39.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$1.06 ฿35.40

-33.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$3.77 ฿126

117.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$1.07 ฿35.83

-5.61%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$27.1K ฿905.7K

-3.54%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$26.5K ฿884.7K

-17.48%

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

$245 AED 900

$29.65 ฿991

726.48%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$5.84 ฿195

885.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$13.92 ฿465

555.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$42.26 ฿1,412

147.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$13.81 ฿462

237.29%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$7.57 ฿253

111.89%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$550 ฿18.4K

58.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$11.5K ฿384.2K

56.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$26.68 ฿892

165.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$18.16 ฿607

243.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$96.5 ฿3,224

10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$87.8 ฿2,934

16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$369 ฿12.3K

565.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$335 ฿11.2K

350.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,049 ฿35.1K

342.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$654 ฿21.9K

352.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$2,039 ฿68.1K

254.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$1,290 ฿43.1K

228.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-9.20%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Thung Song: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Thung Song

$335 36% 77.8% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Thung Song

$49 5.3% 87.5% $344

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Thung Song

$114 12.2% 63.4% $197

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Thung Song

$262 28.1% 9.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Thung Song

$103 11.1% 32.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Thung Song

$57 6.2% 58.1% $79

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Thung Song

$11 * 1.2% 87.2% $78

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 $2,454 in Dubai and $369 in Thung Song. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $18.00 in Thung Song for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $262 per month, with Thung Song cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Thung Song

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

29,232

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Thung Song 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Thung Song

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 Thung Song: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thung Song is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 209% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $1,398 in Thung Song 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 $369 in Thung Song. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,883 per month in Dubai versus $932 in Thung Song – a 209% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $932 in Thung Song versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Thung Song but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Thung Song the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thung Song 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 Thung Song 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 Thung Song gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.