Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leeuwarden and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Leeuwarden: $2,569 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Leeuwarden
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Leeuwarden Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Leeuwarden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,569

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,569 in Leeuwarden versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Leeuwarden $2,569
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,793 in Leeuwarden versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Leeuwarden $3,793
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,018 in Leeuwarden versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Leeuwarden $5,018
Dubai $5,872

Living in Leeuwarden costs roughly 11% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leeuwarden 90% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.90 €19.48

$12.67 AED 46.55

72.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €101

$81.7 AED 300

38.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.35 €13.66

$9.34 AED 34.30

64.35%

Cappuccino

$3.85 €3.42

$5.89 AED 21.62

-34.63%

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

$3.64 €3.24

$1.69 AED 6.20

115.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$0.78 AED 2.86

275.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 €5.99

$13.66 AED 50.2

-50.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$13.49 AED 49.54

-61.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.84 AED 6.78

-36.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.50 AED 5.50

24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$2.57 AED 9.45

-5.84%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.79

$3.32 AED 12.18

28.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 €11.19

$12.60 AED 46.28

-0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.26 €12.69

$9.66 AED 35.46

47.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.76 €14.02

$12.78 AED 46.93

23.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.60 AED 9.54

-11.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$1.90 AED 6.99

30.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.91 AED 7.02

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 €4.55

$1.37 AED 5.02

273.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.13 AED 4.14

55.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.01 AED 3.71

89.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.44 AED 5.30

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.67 AED 2.48

44.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.98 €12.44

$5.88 AED 21.59

137.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.40

$16.15 AED 59.3

-55.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.72 AED 10.00

-31.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$3.08 AED 11.32

-43.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.60 AED 5.87

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 €114

$76.0 AED 279

69.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 €7.83

$3.24 AED 11.91

171.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.83 €3.41

$0.71 AED 2.61

439.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.76 €44.27

$7.96 AED 29.22

525.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 €2.18

$0.98 AED 3.62

150.00%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

52.41%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

78.01%

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

$365 €325

$249 AED 913

47.04%

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

$43.62 €38.80

$54.4 AED 200

-19.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 €40.81

$91.5 AED 336

-49.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 €33.01

$103 AED 380

-64.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 €16.34

$42.32 AED 155

-56.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.79 €14.93

$16.29 AED 59.8

3.07%

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

$1,330 €1,183

$844 AED 3,098

57.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K €20.2K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

24.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €101

$67.0 AED 246

69.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.36 €35.01

$57.9 AED 213

-32.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 €115

$102 AED 375

26.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$98.7 AED 363

36.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 €1,228

$2,393 AED 8,788

-42.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 €909

$1,533 AED 5,630

-33.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,779 €3,361

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-17.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 €1,407

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-46.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,620 €3,220

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-48.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,276 €2,914

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-22.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,004 €2,672

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-13.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

4.54

-3.52%

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

Last update for Leeuwarden: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leeuwarden

$1K 39.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 50% $511

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leeuwarden

$455 17.7%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 13.3% $60

Eating Out

Leeuwarden

$338 13.2%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 9.7% $33

Groceries & Markets

Leeuwarden

$325 12.7%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 10.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Leeuwarden

$188 7.3%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 21.9% $41

Getting Around

Leeuwarden

$170 6.6%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 47.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Leeuwarden

$71 2.8%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 92.4% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,380 in Leeuwarden and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 15% 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: $113 in Leeuwarden vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $292 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leeuwarden

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

2 h ahead of Leeuwarden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,992

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Leeuwarden Dubai 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Leeuwarden
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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

Leeuwarden vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leeuwarden is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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: $1,380 in Leeuwarden 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 Leeuwarden runs roughly 69% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,330 in Leeuwarden versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Leeuwarden is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Leeuwarden 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, Leeuwarden 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 Leeuwarden gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.