Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ubon Ratchathani

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubon Ratchathani: $781 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Ubon Ratchathani
Learn more

Ubon Ratchathani Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Ubon Ratchathani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ubon Ratchathani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $781 in Ubon Ratchathani.

Dubai $2,883
Ubon Ratchathani $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $1,444 in Ubon Ratchathani.

Dubai $4,403
Ubon Ratchathani $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $2,106 in Ubon Ratchathani.

Dubai $5,923
Ubon Ratchathani $2,106

Living in Dubai is roughly 269% more expensive than in Ubon Ratchathani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Ubon Ratchathani is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$4.66 ฿156

178.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$20.60 ฿689

297.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$7.41 ฿248

30.09%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$1.81 ฿60.3

236.46%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$1.30 ฿43.60

23.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$0.54 ฿17.99

38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$2.40 ฿80.2

474.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$3.62 ฿121

270.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.81 ฿60.6

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.46 ฿48.84

4.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$1.38 ฿46.15

84.78%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$2.05 ฿68.6

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$17.08 ฿571

-28.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$2.35 ฿78.6

289.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$11.02 ฿368

16.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$2.99 ฿99.9

-14.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$1.01 ฿33.59

89.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$2.13 ฿71.2

-14.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$2.06 ฿68.9

-30.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$1.42 ฿47.54

-22.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.06 ฿35.58

-13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$1.12 ฿37.44

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.49 ฿16.51

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$4.25 ฿142

50.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$13.55 ฿453

21.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$1.66 ฿55.4

54.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.85 ฿95.1

8.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$0.85 ฿28.51

85.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$1.21 ฿40.40

163.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$1.04 ฿34.82

-31.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$6.56 ฿219

25.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$1.22 ฿40.86

-17.21%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$28.1K ฿939.2K

-6.98%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$31.4K ฿1.1M

-30.49%

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

$245 AED 900

$81.4 ฿2,719

201.23%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$12.16 ฿407

373.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$14.40 ฿481

533.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$47.95 ฿1,603

118.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$13.14 ฿439

254.49%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$6.70 ฿224

139.40%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$497 ฿16.6K

75.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$12.4K ฿413.4K

45.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$56.4 ฿1,885

25.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$28.54 ฿954

118.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$85.2 ฿2,847

24.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$75.8 ฿2,534

35.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$235 ฿7,843

945.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$143 ฿4,785

954.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,049 ฿35.1K

342.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$724 ฿24.2K

308.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

244.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$1,243 ฿41.5K

240.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

$353 ฿11.8K

914.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

5.57

-18.49%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubon Ratchathani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Ubon Ratchathani

$143 18.3% 90.5% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Ubon Ratchathani

$108 13.8% 72.6% $286

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Ubon Ratchathani

$108 13.8% 65.4% $203

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Ubon Ratchathani

$240 30.8% 16.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Ubon Ratchathani

$111 14.2% 28% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Ubon Ratchathani

$61 7.9% 55.2% $75

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Ubon Ratchathani

$9.8 * 1.3% 89% $79

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 $235 in Ubon Ratchathani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 914% 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: $82.0 in Dubai vs $21.00 in Ubon Ratchathani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $240 per month, with Ubon Ratchathani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Ubon Ratchathani

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

74,977

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Ubon Ratchathani 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ubon Ratchathani

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 Ubon Ratchathani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubon Ratchathani is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 269% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 914% 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $235 in Ubon Ratchathani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% 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 $781 in Ubon Ratchathani – a 269% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $781 in Ubon Ratchathani versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ubon Ratchathani but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ubon Ratchathani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ubon Ratchathani 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 Ubon Ratchathani 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 Ubon Ratchathani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 269% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.