Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Zagazig

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagazig: $369 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Zagazig
Learn more

Zagazig Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Zagazig

🇪🇬 Egypt

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Zagazig

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $369 in Zagazig.

Dubai $2,896
Zagazig $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $613 in Zagazig.

Dubai $4,384
Zagazig $613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $857 in Zagazig.

Dubai $5,872
Zagazig $857

Living in Dubai is roughly 684% more expensive than in Zagazig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Zagazig is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$3.83 E£205

230.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$15.11 E£808

440.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$5.17 E£277

80.66%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$0.91 E£48.46

547.25%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.27 E£14.38

525.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.15 E£7.86

420.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.48 E£79.3

822.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.24 E£120

502.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.71 E£37.98

159.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.29 E£15.61

417.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.58 E£31.19

343.10%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.17 E£62.5

183.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$3.83 E£205

228.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$4.13 E£221

133.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$7.79 E£416

64.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.36 E£72.8

91.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.71 E£38.15

167.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.36 E£19.33

430.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.22 E£11.76

522.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.38 E£20.41

197.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.39 E£20.84

158.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.08 E£4.53

1700.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.21 E£11.21

219.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.04 E£109

188.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$7.53 E£403

114.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.56 E£83.6

74.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.11 E£113

45.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.14 E£7.37

1042.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$5.57 E£298

1263.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$0.17 E£8.93

1805.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$0.19 E£10.05

273.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$1.55 E£83.0

413.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.41 E£22.00

139.02%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$31.8K E£1.7M

-13.87%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$28.3K E£1.5M

-22.02%

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

$249 AED 913

$14.52 E£776

1611.43%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$4.99 E£267

990.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$10.52 E£562

769.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$9.95 E£532

939.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$1.96 E£104

731.12%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$123 E£6,564

586.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$3,580 E£191.3K

410.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$19.04 E£1,018

251.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$51.0 E£2,723

13.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$114 E£6,117

-10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$17.29 E£924

470.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$38.55 E£2,060

3876.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$95.3 E£5,092

2985.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$282 E£15.1K

1394.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$157 E£8,406

2100.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-54.60%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zagazig: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Zagazig

$39 10.4% 97.5% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Zagazig

$30 8.1% 92.4% $364

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Zagazig

$71 19.1% 76.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Zagazig

$118 32% 59.5% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Zagazig

$91 24.6% 38.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Zagazig

$14 3.8% 89.8% $122

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Zagazig

$7.2 2% 91.9% $82

Cost Breakdown

Dubai pays 2100% 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 $15.00 in Zagazig for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $118 per month, with Zagazig cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Zagazig

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

285,097

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.91 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Zagazig 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Zagazig

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 Zagazig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zagazig is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 684% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2100% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

A monthly transit pass in Zagazig runs roughly 1264% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $123 in Zagazig. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $369 in Zagazig versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zagazig but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Zagazig the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zagazig 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 Zagazig 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 Zagazig gentler on the wallet – expenses run 684% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.