Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Ajman Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Ajman

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,005 in Ilford versus $2,803 in Ajman.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,949 in Ilford versus $5,201 in Ajman.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,893 in Ilford versus $7,599 in Ajman.

Living in Ilford is roughly 7% more expensive than Ajman, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilford 124% above, Ajman 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.59 £15.30

$6.12 AED 22.47

236.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 £65.7

$26.83 AED 98.6

229.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 £7.96

$7.98 AED 29.31

34.09%

Cappuccino

$4.68 £3.48

$3.71 AED 13.62

26.15%

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

$1.51 £1.13

$0.83 AED 3.06

81.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 £0.81

$0.38 AED 1.38

186.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.29 £3.93

$11.04 AED 40.55

-52.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 £4.67

$10.79 AED 39.64

-41.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 £1.05

$2.27 AED 8.33

-37.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.05

$1.17 AED 4.30

20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.61

$1.39 AED 5.10

56.12%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.69

$1.87 AED 6.88

93.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 £6.20

$8.91 AED 32.73

-6.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.44 £6.27

$6.60 AED 24.24

27.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 £9.90

$7.63 AED 28.03

74.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 £2.40

$1.65 AED 6.05

95.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.24 AED 4.56

25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.13

$1.46 AED 5.35

96.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 £2.16

$1.09 AED 4.02

166.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.29

$0.97 AED 3.58

79.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.12

$1.02 AED 3.74

48.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.96

$0.74 AED 2.73

74.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 £1.04

$0.62 AED 2.28

125.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.45 £15.20

$6.28 AED 23.05

225.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 £6.72

$10.81 AED 39.70

-16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.03

$1.61 AED 5.90

69.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 £1.81

$2.67 AED 9.82

-8.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.48 £2.59

$4.20 AED 15.42

-17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.4 £66.4

$63.0 AED 231

41.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 £4.57

$3.44 AED 12.62

78.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 £1.58

$0.69 AED 2.54

207.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.52 £21.94

$8.09 AED 29.73

264.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.44

$0.76 AED 2.80

153.95%

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

$38.3K £28.5K

$45.7K AED 167.9K

-16.13%

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

$38.6K £28.7K

$23.4K AED 85.8K

65.09%

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

$318 £236

$137 AED 504

131.58%

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

$16.22 £12.05

$61.1 AED 225

-73.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.41 £26.32

$109 AED 399

-67.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.63 £21.28

$167 AED 614

-82.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.71 AED 13.64

Cinema Ticket

$20.71 £15.39

$13.46 AED 49.44

53.86%

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

$1,880 £1,397

$579 AED 2,128

224.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.8K

$5,805 AED 21.3K

289.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £76.3

$59.5 AED 219

72.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 £30.69

$62.1 AED 228

-33.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 £66.9

$84.9 AED 312

6.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 £73.4

$92.3 AED 339

7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 £1,031

$3,307 AED 12.1K

-58.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,747 £1,299

$1,654 AED 6,076

5.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 £2,241

$5,611 AED 20.6K

-46.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,191 £1,628

$5,281 AED 19.4K

-58.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,266 AED 8,324

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,429 AED 5,247

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,566 £2,651

$2,279 AED 8,369

56.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

4.53

20.31%

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

Last update for Ilford: May 31, 2026

Last update for Ajman: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,387 in Ilford and $3,307 in Ajman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilford pays 57% 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: $88.0 in Ilford vs $27.00 in Ajman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $207 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

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

Ilford vs Ajman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ajman wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Ilford. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ajman the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Ilford pays 57% more on average, 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: $1,387 in Ilford versus $3,307 in Ajman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,880 in Ilford versus $579 in Ajman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Ilford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,803 in Ajman versus $3,005 in Ilford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ajman but tight or insufficient in Ilford. The gap between the two cities makes Ajman the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ilford and Ajman 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 Ajman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Ilford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.