Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,360 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,360

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,360 in Jeddah versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Jeddah $1,360
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,168 in Jeddah versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Jeddah $2,168
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,975 in Jeddah versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Jeddah $2,975
Dubai $5,788

Living in Jeddah costs roughly 52% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jeddah 2% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 SAR 22.68

$13.04 AED 47.89

-53.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 SAR 300

$81.4 AED 299

-1.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 SAR 32.85

$9.32 AED 34.25

-6.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Cappuccino

$3.77 SAR 14.16

$5.97 AED 21.93

-36.85%

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

$0.97 SAR 3.65

$1.63 AED 5.98

-40.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 SAR 0.90

$0.81 AED 2.99

-70.37%

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)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$1.81 AED 6.64

-7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$1.57 AED 5.78

-15.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.89

$2.49 AED 9.16

-4.82%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.31

$3.28 AED 12.04

-24.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.89

$12.67 AED 46.53

-49.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$9.75 AED 35.80

-17.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.31 SAR 49.98

$13.18 AED 48.40

0.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.90

$2.61 AED 9.57

-19.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.93 AED 7.09

-8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 SAR 5.80

$1.92 AED 7.05

-19.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$1.36 AED 5.00

24.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 SAR 4.26

$1.17 AED 4.29

-3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.01 AED 3.71

27.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 SAR 4.22

$1.51 AED 5.56

-25.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.87

$0.62 AED 2.29

-19.35%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.23 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 SAR 25.77

$5.85 AED 21.50

17.26%

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)

$0.89 SAR 3.35

$1.64 AED 6.03

-45.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 SAR 208

$73.6 AED 270

-24.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 SAR 11.69

$3.17 AED 11.66

-1.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$0.71 AED 2.63

149.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.12 SAR 53.0

$7.96 AED 29.23

77.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.21

$0.99 AED 3.64

-40.40%

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

$47.7K SAR 179.0K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

74.14%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.4K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

-4.97%

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

$90.3 SAR 339

$250 AED 920

-63.93%

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

$39.04 SAR 147

$54.2 AED 199

-28.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 SAR 255

$91.8 AED 337

-26.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 SAR 299

$98.6 AED 362

-19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.23 SAR 144

$42.61 AED 156

-10.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 SAR 45.22

$16.03 AED 58.9

-24.89%

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

$757 SAR 2,841

$843 AED 3,098

-10.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K SAR 61.1K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-10.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.8 SAR 277

$68.0 AED 250

8.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$57.9 AED 213

-3.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 380

$101 AED 370

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 SAR 354

$101 AED 371

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 SAR 2,966

$2,380 AED 8,741

-66.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,009

$1,506 AED 5,531

-64.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 SAR 5,323

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-68.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 SAR 3,070

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-72.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,777 SAR 6,673

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-75.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,291

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-72.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,646 SAR 6,180

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-51.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.54

18.72%

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

Last update for Jeddah: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$535 38.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 181% $971

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.6%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 45.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.3%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 101% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$146 10.6%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 0.7% $1

Eating Out

Jeddah

$125 9%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 148% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$104 7.5%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 26% $27

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.2%

Dubai

$87 3% 22.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Jeddah and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 106% 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: $80.0 in Jeddah vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $293 per month, with Jeddah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

1 h ahead of Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jeddah Dubai 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
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

Jeddah vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeddah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 106% 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: $790 in Jeddah versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jeddah runs roughly 33% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $757 in Jeddah versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,360 in Jeddah versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jeddah but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Jeddah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jeddah 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, Jeddah 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 Jeddah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.