Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Homs and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Homs: $528 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Homs
Learn more

Homs Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Homs

🇸🇾 Syria

$528

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Homs 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 Homs and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $528 in Homs versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Homs $528
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $795 in Homs versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Homs $795
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,063 in Homs versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Homs $1,063
Dubai $5,872

Living in Homs costs roughly 82% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Homs is 61% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 SYP 368

$12.67 AED 46.55

-76.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.16 SYP 1,478

$81.7 AED 300

-85.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 SYP 840

$9.34 AED 34.30

-25.91%

Cappuccino

$0.62 SYP 75.0

$5.89 AED 21.62

-89.47%

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

$2.22 SYP 270

$1.69 AED 6.20

31.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 SYP 63.1

$0.78 AED 2.86

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 SYP 240

$13.66 AED 50.2

-85.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 SYP 493

$13.49 AED 49.54

-69.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 SYP 97.9

$1.84 AED 6.78

-55.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 51.0

$1.50 AED 5.50

-72.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 SYP 183

$2.57 AED 9.45

-41.63%

Eggs

$1.57 SYP 190

$3.32 AED 12.18

-52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.95 SYP 480

$12.60 AED 46.28

-68.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.77 SYP 701

$9.66 AED 35.46

-40.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 SYP 1,477

$12.78 AED 46.93

-4.93%

Apples (1kg)

$0.60 SYP 73.3

$2.60 AED 9.54

-76.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 SYP 171

$1.90 AED 6.99

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.58 SYP 70.2

$1.91 AED 7.02

-69.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 SYP 40.31

$1.37 AED 5.02

-75.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 SYP 66.4

$1.13 AED 4.14

-51.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.5

$1.01 AED 3.71

-21.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 SYP 32.61

$1.44 AED 5.30

-81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 SYP 80.1

$0.67 AED 2.48

-1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.48 SYP 179

$5.88 AED 21.59

-74.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.77 SYP 459

$16.15 AED 59.3

-76.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 SYP 87.6

$2.72 AED 10.00

-73.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 SYP 357

$3.08 AED 11.32

-4.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 SYP 26.46

$1.60 AED 5.87

-86.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.07 SYP 1,831

$76.0 AED 279

-80.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 SYP 118

$3.24 AED 11.91

-70.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 SYP 185

$0.71 AED 2.61

114.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 SYP 241

$7.96 AED 29.22

-75.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 SYP 148

$0.98 AED 3.62

24.49%

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

$13.2K SYP 1.6M

$27.4K AED 100.6K

-51.81%

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

$18.8K SYP 2.3M

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-14.46%

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

$93.3 SYP 11.3K

$249 AED 913

-62.45%

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

$9.52 SYP 1,157

$54.4 AED 200

-82.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.79 SYP 5,564

$91.5 AED 336

-49.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.04 SYP 1,220

$103 AED 380

-90.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$5.41 SYP 658

$16.29 AED 59.8

-66.79%

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

$53.8 SYP 6,543

$844 AED 3,098

-93.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$904 SYP 109.8K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-95.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$5.05 SYP 614

$67.0 AED 246

-92.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.04 SYP 2,435

$57.9 AED 213

-65.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 SYP 7,399

$102 AED 375

-40.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.39 SYP 3,693

$98.7 AED 363

-69.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 SYP 14.9K

$2,393 AED 8,788

-94.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.5 SYP 6,500

$1,533 AED 5,630

-96.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 SYP 42.8K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-92.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 SYP 16.7K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-95.31%

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)

$72.3 SYP 8,790

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-97.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

4.54

213.88%

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

Last update for Homs: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Homs

$149 28.2%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 165% $246

Groceries & Markets

Homs

$146 27.7%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 99.3% $145

Eating Out

Homs

$81 15.4%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 275% $224

Accommodation & Living

Homs

$53 10.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 2766% $1.5K

Clothing & Footwear

Homs

$52 9.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 180% $94

Getting Around

Homs

$25 4.7%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 264% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Homs

$21 4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 552% $115

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $123 in Homs and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 4685% 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: $12.00 in Homs vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $146 vs $292 per month, with Homs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Homs

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

1 h ahead of Homs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,609

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 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 SYP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Homs Dubai 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Homs
Dubai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Homs vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Homs is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 449% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4685% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $123 in Homs versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Homs runs roughly 404% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $53.8 in Homs versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $528 in Homs versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Homs but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Homs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Homs 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, Homs 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 Homs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 449% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.