Last update: Nov 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between London and the United Arab Emirates
For one person, living is cheaper in the United Arab Emirates: $2,227 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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London Living Index196Cost of Living Index in LondonLearn more -
United Arab Emirates Living Index106Cost of Living Index in the United Arab EmiratesLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: London is 46.9% more expensive than the United Arab Emirates without rent, and 81.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: London is 54.9% more expensive than the United Arab Emirates without rent, and 70.7% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$9.69 AED 35.59
172.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$62.7 AED 230
73.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$9.51 AED 34.91
12.62%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$5.36 AED 19.69
4.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$1.06 AED 3.89
183.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$0.48 AED 1.78
362.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$11.34 AED 41.66
-14.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$12.40 AED 45.53
-33.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.74 AED 6.38
13.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$1.46 AED 5.36
43.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$2.24 AED 8.23
15.62%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$3.32 AED 12.19
61.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$10.84 AED 39.81
21.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$8.89 AED 32.65
24.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.18
$11.30 AED 41.51
56.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$2.32 AED 8.51
36.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.86 AED 6.84
-25.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$1.76 AED 6.45
60.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$1.41 AED 5.18
138.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$1.08 AED 3.95
57.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$1.03 AED 3.78
72.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$1.51 AED 5.54
-1.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$0.60 AED 2.21
203.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.73
$6.24 AED 22.93
282.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.99
$13.79 AED 50.6
-2.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$2.38 AED 8.75
30.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$2.69 AED 9.89
66.91%
🚌 Getting Around
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$1.40 AED 5.14
195.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
$40.12 AED 147
562.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.45
$3.26 AED 11.97
83.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$0.55 AED 2.04
516.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$8.25 AED 30.29
585.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$0.93 AED 3.41
137.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$32.8K AED 120.6K
16.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$21.8K AED 79.9K
88.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$186 AED 683
100.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$53.3 AED 196
-64.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.13
$92.8 AED 341
-56.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$70.7 AED 260
-20.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$34.31 AED 126
-50.16%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$13.84 AED 50.8
29.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$622 AED 2,285
373.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$12.5K AED 45.7K
282.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$60.5 AED 222
92.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.29
$59.6 AED 219
-4.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$101 AED 370
27.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$102 AED 376
50.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$1,494 AED 5,487
96.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$1,076 AED 3,952
109.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,902
$2,604 AED 9,564
101.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$2,082 AED 7,645
85.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$5,532 AED 20.3K
210.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,153
$3,058 AED 11.2K
170.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
United Arab Emirates
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
$2,862 AED 10.5K
96.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
4.66
2.58%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for London: November 1, 2026
Last update for the United Arab Emirates: November 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London $2.3K 55.8%
United Arab Emirates $1.1K 48.3% 52.3% $1.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London $432 10.7%
United Arab Emirates $332 14.9% 23.1% $100
Eating Out
London $396 9.8%
United Arab Emirates $258 11.6% 34.8% $138
Groceries & Markets
London $360 8.9%
United Arab Emirates $265 11.9% 26.3% $95
Getting Around
London $305 7.6%
United Arab Emirates $52 2.3% 83.1% $254
Clothing & Footwear
London $205 5.1%
United Arab Emirates $145 6.5% 29% $59
Sport & Entertainment
London $92 2.3%
United Arab Emirates $98 4.4% 7% $6.5
Accommodation & Living
London $3.9K 49.7%
United Arab Emirates $2.1K 45.8% 46.1% $1.8K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London $450 5.8%
United Arab Emirates $385 8.5% 14.5% $65
Eating Out
London $1.3K 17.4%
United Arab Emirates $814 17.9% 39.6% $533
Groceries & Markets
London $827 10.7%
United Arab Emirates $603 13.3% 27.1% $224
Getting Around
London $619 8%
United Arab Emirates $106 2.3% 82.8% $513
Clothing & Footwear
London $455 5.9%
United Arab Emirates $323 7.1% 29% $132
Sport & Entertainment
London $201 2.6%
United Arab Emirates $231 5.1% 15% $30
Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
Weather
Population
8,908,083 Capital
9,890,400
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- London United Arab Emirates 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
- London
- United Arab Emirates
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
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