Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Dubai

For one person, living costs are similar in Melbourne and in Dubai: $2,821 and $2,896 a month, rent and utilities included.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Melbourne $2,821
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Melbourne $4,235
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Melbourne $5,650
Dubai $5,872

Living in Melbourne costs roughly 3% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$12.67 AED 46.55

37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$81.7 AED 300

3.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$9.34 AED 34.30

33.40%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$5.89 AED 21.62

-30.22%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.69 AED 6.20

81.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.78 AED 2.86

223.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$13.66 AED 50.2

-28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$13.49 AED 49.54

-36.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.84 AED 6.78

-19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.50 AED 5.50

96.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.57 AED 9.45

3.50%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.32 AED 12.18

66.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.60 AED 46.28

-16.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.66 AED 35.46

-0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$12.78 AED 46.93

19.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.60 AED 9.54

53.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.90 AED 6.99

58.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.91 AED 7.02

62.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.37 AED 5.02

251.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.13 AED 4.14

168.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.01 AED 3.71

141.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.44 AED 5.30

70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.67 AED 2.48

143.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$5.88 AED 21.59

649.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$16.15 AED 59.3

-21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.72 AED 10.00

103.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.08 AED 11.32

69.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.60 AED 5.87

133.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$76.0 AED 279

81.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.24 AED 11.91

39.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.71 AED 2.61

91.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.96 AED 29.22

282.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.98 AED 3.62

50.00%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

5.90%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

20.17%

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

$234 A$336

$249 AED 913

-5.96%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$54.4 AED 200

-48.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$91.5 AED 336

-39.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$103 AED 380

-52.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$42.32 AED 155

-49.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$16.29 AED 59.8

-7.37%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$844 AED 3,098

181.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

65.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$67.0 AED 246

19.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$57.9 AED 213

-12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$102 AED 375

18.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$98.7 AED 363

32.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$2,393 AED 8,788

-26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$1,533 AED 5,630

-9.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-23.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-15.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-1.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,222 AED 15.5K

52.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$3,461 AED 12.7K

26.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.54

29.96%

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

Last update for Melbourne: 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

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 10.3% $143

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 24.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 24.3% $77

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 3% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 14.7% $25

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 45.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 70.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $292 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

7 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Melbourne Dubai 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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

Melbourne vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne 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 Melbourne runs roughly 81% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne 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 $3,000. Melbourne is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Melbourne 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, Melbourne 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 Melbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.