Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Tomsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Tomsk: $1,068 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Tomsk
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Tomsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Tomsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Tomsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,068 in Tomsk.

Dubai $2,854
Tomsk $1,068

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,648 in Tomsk.

Dubai $4,321
Tomsk $1,648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,227 in Tomsk.

Dubai $5,788
Tomsk $2,227

Living in Dubai is roughly 167% more expensive than in Tomsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Tomsk is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$7.50 ₽638

73.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$29.48 ₽2,509

176.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$6.42 ₽546

45.17%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.12 ₽181

181.60%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.86 ₽73.2

89.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.43 ₽36.62

88.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.08 ₽91.6

1163.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$3.27 ₽278

309.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.20 ₽102

50.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.70 ₽59.9

124.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.95 ₽80.5

162.11%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.32 ₽112

148.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$11.45 ₽974

10.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$4.50 ₽383

116.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$9.50 ₽808

38.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.64 ₽139

59.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.96 ₽167

-1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.11 ₽179

-9.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$2.77 ₽235

-50.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.41 ₽34.80

185.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.34 ₽29.27

197.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.68 ₽143

-10.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.51 ₽42.98

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$2.76 ₽235

111.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.71 ₽486

182.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.93 ₽79.5

184.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.66 ₽141

77.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.46 ₽39.17

256.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$8.35 ₽711

781.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$2.33 ₽199

36.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.28 ₽23.74

153.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$7.03 ₽598

13.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.77 ₽65.5

28.57%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-22.10%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$31.2K ₽2.7M

-27.80%

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

$250 AED 920

$167 ₽14.2K

50.32%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$8.06 ₽686

572.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$12.77 ₽1,087

618.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$36.73 ₽3,126

168.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$16.05 ₽1,366

165.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$4.66 ₽396

243.99%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$234 ₽19.9K

260.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$114 ₽9,732

-40.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$71.6 ₽6,095

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$165 ₽14.1K

-39.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$120 ₽10.2K

-15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$486 ₽41.4K

389.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$322 ₽27.4K

368.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$788 ₽67.1K

462.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$630 ₽53.6K

378.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,041 ₽173.7K

248.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,430 ₽121.7K

189.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$885 ₽75.3K

283.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-79.36%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tomsk: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Tomsk

$322 29.4% 78.6% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Tomsk

$187 17.2% 52.7% $209

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Tomsk

$122 11.2% 60.5% $187

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Tomsk

$190 17.4% 35.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Tomsk

$212 19.4% 43.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Tomsk

$46 4.2% 64.8% $85

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Tomsk

$14 1.3% 84% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $486 in Tomsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 283% 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: $81.0 in Dubai vs $29.00 in Tomsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $190 per month, with Tomsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇷🇺 Tomsk

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

13:24 1:24 PM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

551,505

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Tomsk 4,230 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Tomsk

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 Tomsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tomsk is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 167% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 283% 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: $2,380 in Dubai versus $486 in Tomsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tomsk runs roughly 782% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $234 in Tomsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,068 in Tomsk versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tomsk but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Tomsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tomsk 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 Tomsk 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 Tomsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.