Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and United Arab Emirates

Name: United Arab Emirates
Address: AE

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Italy versus $2,088 in United Arab Emirates.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,707 in Italy versus $3,484 in United Arab Emirates.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,639 in Italy versus $4,880 in United Arab Emirates.

Living in Italy costs about 15% less than in United Arab Emirates on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 30% above, United Arab Emirates 52% above.

Italy ($1,134–$2,623) and United Arab Emirates ($1,420–$3,174) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 €16.80

$8.76 AED 32.18

124.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.9 €69.2

$54.3 AED 200

48.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 €9.81

$9.62 AED 35.34

19.13%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.70

$5.36 AED 19.69

-63.06%

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

$3.04 €2.60

$1.04 AED 3.81

192.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.25

$0.48 AED 1.77

204.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €4.92

$11.71 AED 43.02

-50.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €4.86

$12.08 AED 44.36

-52.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.42

$1.72 AED 6.32

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.01

$1.44 AED 5.29

63.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.57

$2.15 AED 7.91

39.53%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.75

$3.08 AED 11.30

42.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 €14.86

$10.85 AED 39.83

60.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.74 €10.90

$8.35 AED 30.67

52.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 €17.56

$10.96 AED 40.26

87.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.19

$2.30 AED 8.45

11.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.84

$1.82 AED 6.68

18.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.31

$1.73 AED 6.36

56.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.79

$1.38 AED 5.08

136.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.70

$1.08 AED 3.97

84.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.62

$1.02 AED 3.73

85.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.36

$1.56 AED 5.73

1.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.45

$0.56 AED 2.04

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.83

$6.18 AED 22.69

10.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €5.78

$13.37 AED 49.09

-49.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.54

$2.50 AED 9.17

-28.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.02

$2.87 AED 10.55

-17.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 €1.64

$1.65 AED 6.05

16.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.16 €38.63

$54.1 AED 199

-16.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €4.84

$3.29 AED 12.07

72.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 €1.50

$0.70 AED 2.58

151.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.45 €29.47

$8.12 AED 29.83

324.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.73

$0.83 AED 3.05

143.37%

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

$37.5K €32.1K

$45.3K AED 166.5K

-17.26%

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

$35.8K €30.6K

$21.8K AED 80.0K

64.45%

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

$231 €198

$190 AED 697

21.83%

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

$12.12 €10.37

$52.1 AED 191

-76.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.14 €26.64

$88.3 AED 324

-64.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 €48.40

$70.7 AED 260

-19.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.48 €21.79

$36.42 AED 134

-30.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €8.93

$13.80 AED 50.7

-24.35%

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

$566 €484

$562 AED 2,063

0.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.4K

$13.2K AED 48.6K

-7.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €78.9

$65.5 AED 240

40.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.84 €34.08

$55.4 AED 204

-28.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €88.9

$101 AED 370

3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €118

$98.9 AED 363

39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 €712

$1,547 AED 5,681

-46.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 €568

$1,132 AED 4,157

-41.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,249

$2,750 AED 10.1K

-46.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €945

$2,099 AED 7,710

-47.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,813 €3,262

$5,661 AED 20.8K

-32.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,364 €2,022

$2,962 AED 10.9K

-20.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,946 €1,665

$2,757 AED 10.1K

-29.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.62

-22.51%

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

Last update for Italy: August 17, 2026

Last update for United Arab Emirates: August 17, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $748 in Italy, $1,254 in United Arab Emirates. Capital cities: $1,237 in Rome vs $1,997 in Abu Dhabi.

National salary averages: $1,953 in Italy, $2,861 in United Arab Emirates. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 68% higher in United Arab Emirates.

Dining out costs 52% more in Italy.

Salaries are 46% higher in United Arab Emirates, and purchasing power comes out stronger in United Arab Emirates.

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

Italy vs United Arab Emirates: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,879 per month in Italy and $2,297 in United Arab Emirates, there's a 22% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Italy: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in United Arab Emirates is consistently higher than in Italy across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in United Arab Emirates it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Italy wins on affordability; United Arab Emirates may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.