Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maglaj and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Maglaj: $910 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Maglaj
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Maglaj Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Maglaj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$910

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $910 in Maglaj versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Maglaj $910
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,371 in Maglaj versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Maglaj $1,371
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,833 in Maglaj versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Maglaj $1,833
Dubai $5,872

Living in Maglaj costs roughly 69% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Maglaj is 33% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.85 BAM 11.95

$12.67 AED 46.55

-45.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.43 BAM 65.3

$81.7 AED 300

-54.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 BAM 11.67

$9.34 AED 34.30

-28.37%

Cappuccino

$1.63 BAM 2.85

$5.89 AED 21.62

-72.33%

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

$1.82 BAM 3.18

$1.69 AED 6.20

7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 BAM 2.14

$0.78 AED 2.86

57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 BAM 3.90

$13.66 AED 50.2

-83.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 BAM 3.95

$13.49 AED 49.54

-83.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 BAM 2.55

$1.84 AED 6.78

-20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 BAM 1.61

$1.50 AED 5.50

-38.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 BAM 3.04

$2.57 AED 9.45

-32.30%

Eggs

$2.81 BAM 4.90

$3.32 AED 12.18

-15.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.54 BAM 13.15

$12.60 AED 46.28

-40.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 BAM 11.73

$9.66 AED 35.46

-30.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 BAM 17.18

$12.78 AED 46.93

-23.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 BAM 2.01

$2.60 AED 9.54

-55.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.91

$1.90 AED 6.99

-12.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 BAM 2.95

$1.91 AED 7.02

-11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.92

$1.37 AED 5.02

21.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$1.13 AED 4.14

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$1.01 AED 3.71

10.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 BAM 1.76

$1.44 AED 5.30

-29.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BAM 1.44

$0.67 AED 2.48

23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 BAM 6.12

$5.88 AED 21.59

-40.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.74 BAM 11.77

$16.15 AED 59.3

-58.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$2.72 AED 10.00

-56.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 BAM 2.01

$3.08 AED 11.32

-62.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 BAM 2.44

$1.60 AED 5.87

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BAM 2.93

$3.24 AED 11.91

-48.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 BAM 1.94

$0.71 AED 2.61

56.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.37 BAM 18.10

$7.96 AED 29.22

30.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 BAM 2.77

$0.98 AED 3.62

62.24%

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

$30.4K BAM 53.0K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

10.95%

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

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-0.92%

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

$91.9 BAM 160

$249 AED 913

-63.03%

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

$18.32 BAM 31.97

$54.4 AED 200

-66.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.27 BAM 49.35

$91.5 AED 336

-69.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.60 BAM 56.9

$103 AED 380

-68.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$4.67 BAM 8.15

$16.29 AED 59.8

-71.33%

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

$135 BAM 236

$844 AED 3,098

-83.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,932 BAM 6,863

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-78.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 BAM 99.9

$67.0 AED 246

-14.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.72 BAM 55.4

$57.9 AED 213

-45.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 BAM 166

$102 AED 375

-6.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 BAM 226

$98.7 AED 363

31.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 BAM 591

$2,393 AED 8,788

-85.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 BAM 442

$1,533 AED 5,630

-83.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 BAM 893

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-88.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 BAM 621

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-87.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,429 BAM 4,239

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-65.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,764 BAM 3,079

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-58.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$741 BAM 1,293

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-78.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

4.54

-5.29%

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

Last update for Maglaj: 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

Maglaj

$253 27.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 505% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Maglaj

$200 22%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 45.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Maglaj

$141 15.5%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 3.9% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maglaj

$138 15.2%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 185% $256

Eating Out

Maglaj

$122 13.5%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 149% $183

Sport & Entertainment

Maglaj

$42 4.6%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 224% $94

Getting Around

Maglaj

$13 * 1.4%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 595% $76

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 $338 in Maglaj and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 367% 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: $37.00 in Maglaj vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $292 per month, with Maglaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Maglaj

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

2 h ahead of Maglaj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.11 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maglaj Dubai 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Maglaj
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

Maglaj vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maglaj is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 218% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 367% 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: $338 in Maglaj versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $910 per month in Maglaj versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 218% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $910 in Maglaj versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maglaj but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Maglaj the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maglaj 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, Maglaj 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 Maglaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 218% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.