Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Valletta

For one person, living is cheaper in Valletta: $2,260 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
Learn more

Valletta Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Valletta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $2,260 in Valletta.

Dubai $2,854
Valletta $2,260

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $3,486 in Valletta.

Dubai $4,321
Valletta $3,486

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $4,711 in Valletta.

Dubai $5,788
Valletta $4,711

Living in Dubai is roughly 26% more expensive than in Valletta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Valletta 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$22.88 €20.42

-43.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$89.6 €80.0

-9.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$13.64 €12.18

-31.67%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.17 €2.83

88.33%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$2.34 €2.09

-30.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$1.99 €1.78

-59.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$5.52 €4.92

147.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$6.89 €6.15

94.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.37 €1.22

32.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.43 €1.27

9.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$3.48 €3.10

-28.45%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$4.33 €3.86

-24.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$10.41 €9.29

21.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$12.06 €10.76

-19.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$17.93 €16.00

-26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$3.70 €3.30

-29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$2.67 €2.38

-27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$3.87 €3.45

-50.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$3.75 €3.35

-63.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.88 €1.68

-37.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$3.28 €2.93

-69.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$2.29 €2.04

-34.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$1.51 €1.35

-58.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$6.35 €5.67

-7.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.86 €5.23

175.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$2.38 €2.13

11.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.40 €2.14

22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$2.88 €2.57

-43.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$3.88 €3.46

-18.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.85 €1.65

-61.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$32.52 €29.02

-75.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.47 €1.32

-32.65%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$28.3K €25.2K

-3.23%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$39.1K €34.9K

-42.32%

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

$250 AED 920

$154 €138

62.43%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$31.14 €27.79

74.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$29.25 €26.10

213.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$59.9 €53.4

64.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$20.39 €18.19

108.97%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$11.35 €10.13

41.23%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$276 €246

205.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$12.3K €11.0K

48.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$57.1 €50.9

19.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$69.6 €62.2

-16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$112 €100

-10.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$130 €116

-22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$1,432 €1,278

66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$1,096 €978

37.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$3,321 €2,964

33.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$2,052 €1,831

46.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$5,252 €4,687

35.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$3,997 €3,567

3.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$2,012 €1,796

68.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.05

12.10%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Valletta: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Valletta

$1.1K 48.8% 27.2% $410

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Valletta

$215 9.6% 45.9% $182

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Valletta

$321 14.3% 3.9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Valletta

$341 15.2% 16.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Valletta

$166 7.4% 12.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Valletta

$83 3.7% 36.8% $48

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Valletta

$25 * 1.1% 71.6% $62

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 $2,380 in Dubai and $1,432 in Valletta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 68% 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 $90.0 in Valletta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $341 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇲🇹 Valletta

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

5,700 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Valletta 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Valletta

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 Valletta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valletta is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and transport. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $1,432 in Valletta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,854 per month in Dubai versus $2,260 in Valletta – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,260 in Valletta versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Valletta but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Valletta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Valletta 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 Valletta 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 Valletta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.