Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibb and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibb: $897 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Ibb
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Ibb Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Ibb

🇾🇪 Yemen

$897

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Ibb versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Ibb $897
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,452 in Ibb versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Ibb $1,452
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,008 in Ibb versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Ibb $2,008
Dubai $5,788

Living in Ibb costs roughly 69% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ibb is 33% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.26 YER 1,475

$13.04 AED 47.89

-51.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.41 YER 4,576

$81.4 AED 299

-76.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 YER 2,092

$9.32 AED 34.25

-4.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 YER 484

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 YER 605

Cappuccino

$3.75 YER 885

$5.97 AED 21.93

-37.19%

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

$1.18 YER 277

$1.63 AED 5.98

-27.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 YER 113

$0.81 AED 2.99

-40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 YER 473

$1.81 AED 6.64

11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 YER 240

$1.57 AED 5.78

-35.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 YER 492

$2.49 AED 9.16

-16.47%

Eggs

$3.60 YER 850

$3.28 AED 12.04

9.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.13 YER 3,332

$12.67 AED 46.53

11.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.44 YER 1,990

$9.75 AED 35.80

-13.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 YER 4,470

$13.18 AED 48.40

43.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 YER 814

$2.61 AED 9.57

32.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 246

$1.93 AED 7.09

-45.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 YER 509

$1.92 AED 7.05

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 YER 407

$1.36 AED 5.00

27.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 YER 346

$1.17 AED 4.29

25.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 YER 322

$1.01 AED 3.71

35.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 YER 205

$1.51 AED 5.56

-42.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 YER 160

$0.62 AED 2.29

9.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.52 YER 594

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 YER 424

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 609

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 YER 918

$5.85 AED 21.50

-33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 YER 503

$3.17 AED 11.66

-32.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 YER 604

$0.71 AED 2.63

260.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.20 YER 1,698

$7.96 AED 29.23

-9.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 YER 487

$0.99 AED 3.64

109.09%

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

$16.8K YER 4.0M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-38.68%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

53.14%

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

$62.5 YER 14.7K

$250 AED 920

-75.04%

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

$16.18 YER 3,816

$54.2 AED 199

-70.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 YER 7,026

$91.8 AED 337

-67.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$6.10 YER 1,439

$16.03 AED 58.9

-61.95%

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

$25.06 YER 5,908

$843 AED 3,098

-97.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,150 YER 507.0K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-88.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.77 YER 7,021

$68.0 AED 250

-56.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 YER 28.5K

$57.9 AED 213

108.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.55 YER 11.2K

$101 AED 370

-52.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.23 YER 9,486

$101 AED 371

-60.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 YER 74.4K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-86.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 YER 59.2K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-83.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 YER 177.9K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-82.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 YER 149.7K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-78.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$365 YER 86.1K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-89.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

4.54

147.80%

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

Last update for Ibb: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ibb

$254 29%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 15.2% $39

Accommodation & Living

Ibb

$251 28.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 500% $1.3K

Eating Out

Ibb

$128 14.6%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 141% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibb

$108 12.4%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 266% $288

Clothing & Footwear

Ibb

$107 12.2%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 37.4% $40

Getting Around

Ibb

$15 * 1.7%

Dubai

$87 3% 482% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Ibb

$12 * 1.4%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 970% $118

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 $315 in Ibb and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 828% 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: $19.00 in Ibb vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $293 per month, with Ibb cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Ibb

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h ahead of Ibb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,844

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

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).

USD to YER in detail →

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Between locations

Ibb Dubai 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ibb
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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

Ibb vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibb is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 218% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 828% 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: $315 in Ibb versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $897 per month in Ibb versus $2,854 in Dubai – a 218% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $897 in Ibb versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ibb but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ibb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ibb 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, Ibb 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 Ibb gentler on the wallet – expenses run 218% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.