Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Lelystad: $1,716 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
Learn more

Lelystad Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,716

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,716 in Lelystad versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Lelystad $1,716
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,666 in Lelystad versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Lelystad $2,666
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,616 in Lelystad versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Lelystad $3,616
Dubai $5,872

Living in Lelystad costs roughly 41% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lelystad 27% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$12.67 AED 46.55

76.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$81.7 AED 300

4.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.13 €11.68

$9.34 AED 34.30

40.58%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.76

$5.89 AED 21.62

-28.18%

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

$2.61 €2.32

$1.69 AED 6.20

54.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.78 AED 2.86

197.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 €4.80

$13.66 AED 50.2

-60.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.01

$13.49 AED 49.54

-66.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.84 AED 6.78

-32.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.50 AED 5.50

7.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.57 AED 9.45

-5.45%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$3.32 AED 12.18

32.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 €5.91

$12.60 AED 46.28

-47.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 €12.61

$9.66 AED 35.46

46.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 €14.85

$12.78 AED 46.93

30.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.60 AED 9.54

-14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.90 AED 6.99

31.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.91 AED 7.02

-2.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.37 AED 5.02

148.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.13 AED 4.14

47.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.01 AED 3.71

72.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.44 AED 5.30

-11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.67 AED 2.48

19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.62 €8.56

$5.88 AED 21.59

63.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 €5.78

$16.15 AED 59.3

-59.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.72 AED 10.00

-51.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.08 AED 11.32

-18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.0

$76.0 AED 279

46.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$3.24 AED 11.91

18.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.71 AED 2.61

273.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.29 €23.38

$7.96 AED 29.22

230.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.98 AED 3.62

120.41%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

23.18%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

74.20%

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

$245 €218

$249 AED 913

-1.29%

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

$14.38 €12.79

$54.4 AED 200

-73.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.80 €29.17

$91.5 AED 336

-64.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.98 €37.34

$103 AED 380

-59.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 €12.07

$16.29 AED 59.8

-16.70%

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

$2,772 €2,466

$844 AED 3,098

228.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,022 €7,136

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-56.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$67.0 AED 246

43.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 €43.54

$57.9 AED 213

-15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 €83.1

$102 AED 375

-8.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$98.7 AED 363

14.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €600

$2,393 AED 8,788

-71.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 €399

$1,533 AED 5,630

-70.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-70.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €689

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-73.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,390 €2,126

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-30.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

4.54

-28.85%

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

Last update for Lelystad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lelystad

$448 26.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 242% $1.1K

Eating Out

Lelystad

$325 18.9%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 6% $19

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$295 17.2%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 1.2% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$292 17%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 34.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$158 9.2%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 7.2% $11

Getting Around

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 30.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$69 4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 96.7% $67

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 $674 in Lelystad and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 45% 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: $85.0 in Lelystad vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $292 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

11:46 11:46 AM

2 h ahead of Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lelystad Dubai 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

Lelystad vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lelystad is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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: $674 in Lelystad 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 Lelystad runs roughly 46% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,772 in Lelystad versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,716 in Lelystad versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lelystad but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Lelystad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lelystad 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, Lelystad 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 Lelystad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.