Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manouba and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Manouba: $652 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Manouba
Learn more

Manouba Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Manouba

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$652

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Manouba versus $2,889 in Dubai.

Manouba $652
Dubai $2,889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,026 in Manouba versus $4,444 in Dubai.

Manouba $1,026
Dubai $4,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,399 in Manouba versus $5,999 in Dubai.

Manouba $1,399
Dubai $5,999

Living in Manouba costs roughly 77% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manouba is 52% below, Dubai is 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 TND 10.25

$12.94 AED 47.54

-73.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.05 TND 59.6

$83.2 AED 306

-75.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 TND 15.95

$9.35 AED 34.32

-42.57%

Cappuccino

$1.17 TND 3.46

$5.88 AED 21.60

-80.10%

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

$0.64 TND 1.89

$1.57 AED 5.77

-59.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 TND 0.74

$0.94 AED 3.47

-73.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 TND 4.69

$13.44 AED 49.38

-88.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 TND 6.83

$13.57 AED 49.84

-83.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.46 TND 1.38

$1.86 AED 6.83

-75.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.24 TND 0.72

$1.56 AED 5.73

-84.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 TND 3.88

$2.64 AED 9.68

-50.76%

Eggs

$1.63 TND 4.84

$3.53 AED 12.96

-53.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 TND 30.41

$12.97 AED 47.62

-21.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 TND 16.29

$9.94 AED 36.51

-44.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 TND 42.15

$12.92 AED 47.45

9.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 TND 5.48

$2.55 AED 9.36

-27.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 TND 9.08

$2.05 AED 7.54

49.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 TND 3.21

$1.84 AED 6.77

-41.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 TND 2.19

$1.54 AED 5.64

-51.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 TND 2.28

$1.17 AED 4.31

-34.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 TND 1.83

$1.02 AED 3.76

-40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 TND 1.52

$1.57 AED 5.75

-67.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 TND 1.00

$0.67 AED 2.46

-50.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 TND 10.78

$6.31 AED 23.17

-42.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 TND 19.63

$16.16 AED 59.4

-59.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 TND 3.48

$2.58 AED 9.48

-54.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 TND 3.09

$2.89 AED 10.60

-64.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.94

$1.40 AED 5.15

-77.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.02 TND 26.81

$82.4 AED 303

-89.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.85

$3.29 AED 12.07

-91.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 TND 0.90

$0.65 AED 2.40

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 TND 5.35

$8.13 AED 29.84

-77.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 TND 2.45

$1.00 AED 3.68

-18.00%

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

$37.1K TND 110.4K

$26.3K AED 96.6K

41.20%

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

$35.0K TND 104.2K

$22.0K AED 81.0K

58.96%

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

$45.29 TND 135

$239 AED 877

-81.04%

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

$8.57 TND 25.47

$56.9 AED 209

-84.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.99 TND 62.4

$93.9 AED 345

-77.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.64 TND 79.2

$90.8 AED 334

-70.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.44 TND 37.00

$46.38 AED 170

-73.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.50 TND 16.35

$16.24 AED 59.6

-66.13%

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

$98.0 TND 291

$934 AED 3,429

-89.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,037 TND 9,030

$20.9K AED 76.8K

-85.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.99 TND 125

$70.7 AED 260

-40.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.04 TND 107

$61.3 AED 225

-41.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 TND 310

$103 AED 377

1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 TND 201

$116 AED 426

-41.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$207 TND 616

$2,487 AED 9,134

-91.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 TND 462

$1,520 AED 5,581

-89.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 TND 1,100

$5,234 AED 19.2K

-92.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 TND 798

$3,028 AED 11.1K

-91.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,025 TND 3,047

$6,982 AED 25.6K

-85.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$598 TND 1,778

$4,433 AED 16.3K

-86.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.65

4.57

133.04%

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

Last update for Manouba: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manouba

$186 28.5%

Dubai

$297 10.3% 60.1% $112

Accommodation & Living

Manouba

$155 23.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6% 879% $1.4K

Clothing & Footwear

Manouba

$113 17.3%

Dubai

$158 5.5% 40.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manouba

$75 11.5%

Dubai

$390 13.5% 421% $315

Eating Out

Manouba

$74 11.3%

Dubai

$307 10.6% 316% $233

Sport & Entertainment

Manouba

$38 5.8%

Dubai

$123 4.3% 228% $86

Getting Around

Manouba

$12 1.9%

Dubai

$95 3.3% 683% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $207 in Manouba and $2,487 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Manouba vs $83 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $297 per month, with Manouba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Manouba

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

3 h ahead of Manouba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,792

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.336 USD

1 TND = 0.3 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.97 TND (1 TND = 0.336 USD). 1 EUR = 3.34 TND (1 TND = 0.3 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manouba Dubai 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Manouba
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

Manouba vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manouba is about 77% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $978 in Manouba and $4,333 in Dubai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $207 in Manouba versus $2,487 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Manouba runs roughly 89% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $98 in Manouba versus $934 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $652 in Manouba versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Manouba but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Manouba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Manouba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.