Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Tunis

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunis: $861 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Tunis
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Tunis Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Tunis

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Tunis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $861 in Tunis.

Dubai $2,889
Tunis $861

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $1,327 in Tunis.

Dubai $4,444
Tunis $1,327

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,794 in Tunis.

Dubai $5,999
Tunis $1,794

Living in Dubai is roughly 236% more expensive than in Tunis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Tunis is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$4.58 TND 13.61

182.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$22.17 TND 65.9

275.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$5.44 TND 16.18

71.87%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$1.18 TND 3.50

398.31%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.88 TND 2.63

78.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.42 TND 1.26

123.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$1.63 TND 4.86

724.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.60 TND 7.74

421.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.48 TND 1.44

287.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.34 TND 1.01

358.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$1.63 TND 4.86

61.96%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.75 TND 5.22

101.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$10.29 TND 30.60

26.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$6.10 TND 18.15

62.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$18.16 TND 54.0

-28.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$2.03 TND 6.05

25.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$6.68 TND 19.87

-69.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.25 TND 3.72

47.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.83 TND 2.45

85.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.87 TND 2.59

34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.63 TND 1.87

61.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.55 TND 1.65

185.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.33 TND 0.98

103.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$3.66 TND 10.89

72.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$6.73 TND 20.02

140.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.25 TND 3.71

106.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$1.35 TND 4.00

114.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.34 TND 1.01

311.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$16.16 TND 48.06

410.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.31 TND 0.92

961.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.28 TND 0.83

132.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.80 TND 5.34

351.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.88 TND 2.62

13.64%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$38.7K TND 115.1K

-32.08%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$35.9K TND 106.8K

-38.62%

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

$239 AED 877

$61.0 TND 181

291.45%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$8.90 TND 26.47

539.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$21.09 TND 62.7

345.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$34.61 TND 103

162.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$12.71 TND 37.78

264.91%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$6.16 TND 18.31

163.64%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$108 TND 322

761.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$9,640 TND 28.7K

117.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$45.11 TND 134

56.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$63.0 TND 187

-2.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$107 TND 317

-3.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$81.7 TND 243

42.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$426 TND 1,265

484.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$255 TND 758

495.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$647 TND 1,924

708.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$419 TND 1,244

623.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$1,488 TND 4,423

369.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$789 TND 2,344

462.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$353 TND 1,051

905.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

10.65

-57.09%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tunis: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Tunis

$255 29.7% 83.2% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Tunis

$91 10.6% 76.6% $299

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Tunis

$86 10% 72.1% $221

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Tunis

$230 26.7% 22.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Tunis

$133 15.5% 15.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Tunis

$47 5.5% 61.9% $76

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Tunis

$19 2.2% 79.7% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $426 in Tunis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $22 in Tunis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $230 per month, with Tunis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇳 Tunis

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

728,453 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 TND = 0.336 USD

1 TND = 0.299 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.97 TND (1 TND = 0.336 USD). 1 EUR = 3.34 TND (1 TND = 0.299 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Tunis 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Tunis

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 Tunis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tunis is about 70% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 10 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 $426 in Tunis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tunis runs roughly 80% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $108 in Tunis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $861 in Tunis versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tunis but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Tunis 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.

Expats usually find Tunis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.