Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mussaffah and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,838 a month against $1,969 in Mussaffah, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Mussaffah despite lower rent and utilities.

95

Cost of Living Index in Mussaffah
Learn more

Mussaffah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
Learn more

Sharjah Living Index

Jump to prices

Mussaffah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,969

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mussaffah and in Sharjah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mussaffah and in Sharjah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,969 per month in Mussaffah vs $1,838 in Sharjah, rent included.

Mussaffah $1,969
Sharjah $1,838

A couple spends around $3,404 per month in Mussaffah vs $2,578 in Sharjah, rent included.

Mussaffah $3,404
Sharjah $2,578

A family of three spends $4,839 per month in Mussaffah vs $3,318 in Sharjah, rent included.

Mussaffah $4,839
Sharjah $3,318

Mussaffah costs about 7% more than Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mussaffah and Sharjah sit above the global median – Mussaffah by 46%, Sharjah by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 AED 24.37

$5.96 AED 21.90

11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.71 AED 120

$33.28 AED 122

-1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 AED 35.66

$7.96 AED 29.22

21.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.68 AED 35.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Cappuccino

$4.77 AED 17.51

$3.17 AED 11.64

50.47%

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

$0.87 AED 3.18

$0.78 AED 2.87

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.29 AED 1.06

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.81 AED 36.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.30 AED 34.16

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 AED 6.80

$1.53 AED 5.63

20.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 AED 4.18

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 AED 6.91

$1.83 AED 6.71

2.73%

Eggs

$3.29 AED 12.07

$3.33 AED 12.22

-1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 AED 32.84

$8.93 AED 32.80

0.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 AED 24.17

$6.82 AED 25.03

-3.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 AED 36.87

$11.29 AED 41.46

-11.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.31

$2.17 AED 7.99

4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 AED 6.12

$1.68 AED 6.15

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 AED 5.07

$1.35 AED 4.98

2.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 AED 4.58

$1.24 AED 4.56

0.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.79

$1.03 AED 3.80

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 AED 3.89

$1.08 AED 3.96

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 AED 5.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.15

$0.60 AED 2.21

-1.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.47 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 AED 8.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 AED 9.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 AED 23.09

$6.38 AED 23.42

-1.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 AED 49.29

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 AED 8.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 AED 9.21

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 AED 8.15

$2.23 AED 8.18

-0.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.68 AED 124

$27.05 AED 99.3

24.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 AED 12.16

$3.66 AED 13.45

-9.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.05

$0.55 AED 2.03

1.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 AED 30.54

$11.78 AED 43.26

-29.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.57

$0.93 AED 3.40

4.30%

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

$29.4K AED 108.1K

$46.1K AED 169.4K

-36.15%

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

$22.4K AED 82.4K

$21.7K AED 79.9K

3.13%

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

$194 AED 711

$211 AED 774

-8.18%

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

$57.3 AED 210

$49.45 AED 182

15.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.7 AED 352

$98.0 AED 360

-2.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 AED 213

$53.9 AED 198

7.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.75 AED 106

$22.30 AED 81.9

28.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 AED 50.7

$13.86 AED 50.9

-0.43%

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

$691 AED 2,537

$329 AED 1,210

109.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,372 AED 30.7K

$8,480 AED 31.1K

-1.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 AED 218

$59.1 AED 217

0.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.38 AED 178

$77.7 AED 285

-37.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 AED 399

$110 AED 404

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 AED 354

$96.4 AED 354

-0.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$804 AED 2,951

$826 AED 3,033

-2.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 AED 3,304

$894 AED 3,285

0.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 AED 6,783

$1,832 AED 6,730

0.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,718 AED 9,983

$1,423 AED 5,228

90.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,986 AED 18.3K

$8,099 AED 29.7K

-38.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 AED 8,724

$2,768 AED 10.2K

-14.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 AED 10.8K

$2,187 AED 8,031

34.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

4.5

1.11%

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

Last update for Mussaffah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mussaffah

$900 45.7%

Sharjah

$894 48.7% 0.6% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mussaffah

$347 17.6%

Sharjah

$358 19.5% 3.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Mussaffah

$236 12%

Sharjah

$193 10.5% 18.1% $43

Eating Out

Mussaffah

$212 10.8%

Sharjah

$114 6.2% 46.2% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Mussaffah

$141 7.2%

Sharjah

$154 8.4% 9.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mussaffah

$86 4.4%

Sharjah

$82 4.4% 4.6% $3.9

Getting Around

Mussaffah

$49 2.5%

Sharjah

$42 2.3% 12.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $804 in Mussaffah versus $826 in Sharjah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 34% higher in Mussaffah, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Mussaffah versus $33.00 in Sharjah. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Mussaffah vs $193 in Sharjah – so Sharjah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Mussaffah

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

Same time as Mussaffah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

243,341

1,400,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mussaffah Sharjah 140 km

From you

Mussaffah
Sharjah

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

Mussaffah vs Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mussaffah is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,953 per month in Mussaffah and $2,757 in Sharjah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sharjah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $691 per month in Mussaffah and $329 in Sharjah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Mussaffah, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharjah, where all-in costs run around $1,838, than in Mussaffah at $1,969. In Sharjah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mussaffah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sharjah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sharjah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mussaffah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.