Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,033 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,033 in Nis versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Nis $1,033
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,512 in Nis versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Nis $1,512
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,991 in Nis versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Nis $1,991
Dubai $5,788

Living in Nis costs roughly 64% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nis is 23% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 RSD 917

$13.04 AED 47.89

-32.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 RSD 3,541

$81.4 AED 299

-58.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 RSD 999

$9.32 AED 34.25

2.68%

Cappuccino

$1.97 RSD 206

$5.97 AED 21.93

-67.00%

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

$2.31 RSD 242

$1.63 AED 5.98

41.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 RSD 182

$0.81 AED 2.99

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 RSD 377

$13.65 AED 50.1

-73.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 RSD 469

$13.38 AED 49.15

-66.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 RSD 120

$1.81 AED 6.64

-37.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RSD 73.2

$1.57 AED 5.78

-55.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 184

$2.49 AED 9.16

-29.32%

Eggs

$2.35 RSD 246

$3.28 AED 12.04

-28.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 RSD 799

$12.67 AED 46.52

-39.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 RSD 597

$9.75 AED 35.80

-41.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 RSD 1,105

$13.18 AED 48.39

-19.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RSD 116

$2.61 AED 9.57

-57.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 RSD 175

$1.93 AED 7.09

-12.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 RSD 157

$1.92 AED 7.05

-21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 RSD 226

$1.36 AED 5.00

59.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RSD 81.8

$1.17 AED 4.29

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 74.7

$1.01 AED 3.71

-28.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RSD 66.6

$1.51 AED 5.56

-57.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 RSD 60.6

$0.62 AED 2.29

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 RSD 461

$5.85 AED 21.50

-24.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 RSD 604

$16.14 AED 59.3

-64.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$2.65 AED 9.74

-72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RSD 135

$2.95 AED 10.82

-56.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 RSD 192

$3.17 AED 11.66

-41.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RSD 68.8

$0.71 AED 2.63

-7.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 RSD 866

$7.96 AED 29.23

4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RSD 198

$0.99 AED 3.64

90.91%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

12.33%

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

$24.0K RSD 2.5M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

6.38%

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

$160 RSD 16.8K

$250 AED 920

-35.91%

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

$19.03 RSD 1,987

$54.2 AED 199

-64.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.20 RSD 2,318

$91.8 AED 337

-75.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 RSD 3,188

$98.6 AED 362

-69.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RSD 1,634

$42.61 AED 156

-63.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 RSD 489

$16.03 AED 58.9

-70.80%

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

$252 RSD 26.4K

$843 AED 3,098

-70.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,989 RSD 520.9K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-72.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 RSD 9,234

$68.0 AED 250

30.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.42 RSD 3,906

$57.9 AED 212

-35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 RSD 10.4K

$101 AED 370

-1.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 RSD 11.7K

$101 AED 371

10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 RSD 41.5K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-83.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 RSD 28.9K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-81.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 RSD 61.7K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-86.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 RSD 41.5K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-86.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,531 RSD 264.2K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-64.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,884 RSD 196.7K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-54.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$901 RSD 94.0K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-73.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

4.54

12.78%

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

Last update for Nis: October 6, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nis

$277 27.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 443% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$202 19.7%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 96.5% $195

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$182 17.8%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 61.1% $111

Eating Out

Nis

$166 16.2%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 86% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$152 14.8%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 2.8% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$40 3.9%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 228% $91

Getting Around

Nis

$5.1 * 0.5%

Dubai

$87 3% 1591% $82

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 $398 in Nis and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 276% 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: $34.00 in Nis vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $293 per month, with Nis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

2 h ahead of Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nis Dubai 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nis
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

Nis vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nis is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 176% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 276% 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: $398 in Nis versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,033 per month in Nis versus $2,854 in Dubai – a 176% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,033 in Nis versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nis but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Nis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nis 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, Nis 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 Nis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 176% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.