Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamra and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamra: $1,000 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hamra
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Hamra Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Hamra

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,000

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamra and in Dubai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hamra and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Hamra versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Hamra $1,000
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,601 in Hamra versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Hamra $1,601
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,203 in Hamra versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Hamra $2,203
Dubai $5,872

Living in Hamra costs roughly 65% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hamra is 26% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.04 LBP 1.1M

$12.67 AED 46.55

-4.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

$81.7 AED 300

-15.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 LBP 884.8K

$9.34 AED 34.30

5.89%

Cappuccino

$4.51 LBP 403.9K

$5.89 AED 21.62

-23.43%

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

$2.27 LBP 203.2K

$1.69 AED 6.20

34.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

$0.78 AED 2.86

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 LBP 436.6K

$13.66 AED 50.2

-64.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 LBP 430.7K

$13.49 AED 49.54

-64.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 LBP 177.2K

$1.84 AED 6.78

7.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 LBP 79.9K

$1.50 AED 5.50

-40.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 LBP 200.2K

$2.57 AED 9.45

-12.84%

Eggs

$3.52 LBP 315.3K

$3.32 AED 12.18

6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 LBP 1.0M

$12.60 AED 46.28

-10.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 LBP 946.6K

$9.66 AED 35.46

9.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.75 LBP 1.3M

$12.78 AED 46.93

15.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 LBP 268.0K

$2.60 AED 9.54

15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 LBP 153.1K

$1.90 AED 6.99

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 150.9K

$1.91 AED 7.02

-11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 LBP 131.1K

$1.37 AED 5.02

6.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

$1.13 AED 4.14

11.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 LBP 138.4K

$1.01 AED 3.71

53.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 LBP 104.6K

$1.44 AED 5.30

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 LBP 61.6K

$0.67 AED 2.48

2.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 LBP 275.5K

$5.88 AED 21.59

-47.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 LBP 968.9K

$16.15 AED 59.3

-32.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 LBP 119.0K

$2.72 AED 10.00

-51.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 LBP 231.1K

$3.08 AED 11.32

-16.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 LBP 445.7K

$3.24 AED 11.91

53.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 LBP 206.9K

$0.71 AED 2.61

225.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.69 LBP 2.0M

$7.96 AED 29.22

185.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 LBP 94.7K

$0.98 AED 3.62

8.16%

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

$52.9K LBP 4.7B

$27.4K AED 100.6K

93.32%

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

$32.5K LBP 2.9B

$22.0K AED 80.9K

47.52%

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

$233 LBP 20.9M

$249 AED 913

-6.23%

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

$22.40 LBP 2.0M

$54.4 AED 200

-58.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.66 LBP 3.4M

$91.5 AED 336

-58.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 LBP 891.0K

$16.29 AED 59.8

-38.86%

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

$690 LBP 61.8M

$844 AED 3,098

-18.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K LBP 956.8M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-41.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

$67.0 AED 246

1.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.41 LBP 4.3M

$57.9 AED 213

-16.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 LBP 12.3M

$102 AED 375

34.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 LBP 10.7M

$98.7 AED 363

20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

142.29%

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

Last update for Hamra: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamra

$293 29.3%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 34.6% $101

Groceries & Markets

Hamra

$275 27.5%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 6% $16

Eating Out

Hamra

$227 22.7%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 34.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Hamra

$168 16.8%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 12.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hamra

$20 * 2%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 583% $116

Getting Around

Hamra

$17 * 1.7%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 439% $73

Accommodation & Living

Hamra

- * 0%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $69.0 in Hamra vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $292 per month, with Hamra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Hamra

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

22:39 10:39 PM

1 h ahead of Hamra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,251,739

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hamra Dubai 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamra
Dubai

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

Hamra vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamra is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 190% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,499 in Hamra and $4,344 in Dubai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,000 per month in Hamra versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 190% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

For families, Hamra 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, Hamra and Dubai 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 Hamra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 190% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.