Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates

Name: United Arab Emirates
Address: AE

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $472 a month against $2,266 in the United Arab Emirates, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
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Pakistan Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in the United Arab Emirates
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United Arab Emirates Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$472

/mo nomad

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pakistan and in the United Arab Emirates

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $472 in Pakistan versus $2,266 in the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan $472
United Arab Emirates $2,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $718 in Pakistan versus $3,384 in the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan $718
United Arab Emirates $3,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $964 in Pakistan versus $4,501 in the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan $964
United Arab Emirates $4,501

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Arab Emirates: monthly costs span $1,446 to $3,252, compared to $281–$599 in Pakistan. City choice carries more weight in the United Arab Emirates.

Living in Pakistan costs about 79% less than in the United Arab Emirates on average.

Pakistan (65% below) and the United Arab Emirates (68% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.15 PKR 596

$9.45 AED 34.69

-77.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 PKR 3,800

$59.5 AED 218

-76.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.54 PKR 1,533

$9.28 AED 34.09

-40.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 PKR 604

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 PKR 1,214

Cappuccino

$1.96 PKR 543

$5.36 AED 19.67

-63.43%

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

$0.36 PKR 98.6

$1.11 AED 4.08

-67.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 57.9

$0.50 AED 1.83

-58.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.07 AED 44.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.22 AED 44.87

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 PKR 227

$1.75 AED 6.42

-53.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 PKR 173

$1.47 AED 5.39

-57.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 PKR 329

$2.14 AED 7.85

-44.39%

Eggs

$1.18 PKR 326

$3.11 AED 11.44

-62.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.36 PKR 1,483

$10.85 AED 39.84

-50.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.89 PKR 801

$9.01 AED 33.09

-67.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.00 PKR 1,383

$11.56 AED 42.47

-56.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 PKR 318

$2.38 AED 8.75

-51.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 PKR 182

$1.86 AED 6.85

-64.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$1.75 AED 6.44

-52.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 148

$1.38 AED 5.08

-61.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 85.1

$1.07 AED 3.93

-71.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 PKR 115

$1.08 AED 3.95

-62.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 PKR 103

$1.45 AED 5.32

-74.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 105

$0.59 AED 2.17

-35.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.07 PKR 572

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 297

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 643

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 PKR 608

$6.39 AED 23.47

-65.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 AED 50.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 AED 8.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 AED 9.69

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 44.99

$1.61 AED 5.93

-90.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.65 PKR 2,671

$46.73 AED 172

-79.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 PKR 237

$3.28 AED 12.05

-73.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 PKR 154

$0.65 AED 2.37

-13.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 PKR 607

$8.28 AED 30.40

-73.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 PKR 359

$0.97 AED 3.56

34.02%

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

$17.8K PKR 4.9M

$43.9K AED 161.1K

-59.41%

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

$25.4K PKR 7.0M

$22.2K AED 81.5K

14.64%

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

$110 PKR 30.5K

$195 AED 714

-43.35%

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

$5.62 PKR 1,557

$53.6 AED 197

-89.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.21 PKR 4,486

$89.7 AED 330

-81.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 PKR 4,691

$75.0 AED 275

-77.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.27 PKR 3,120

$32.77 AED 120

-65.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 PKR 1,220

$13.73 AED 50.4

-67.88%

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

$45.68 PKR 12.6K

$583 AED 2,142

-92.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,539 PKR 426.1K

$12.1K AED 44.4K

-87.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 PKR 4,853

$60.2 AED 221

-70.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.38 PKR 6,472

$56.5 AED 208

-58.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 PKR 21.1K

$99.8 AED 366

-23.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.50 PKR 9,548

$99.3 AED 365

-65.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.5K

$1,570 AED 5,767

-91.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.9 PKR 22.1K

$1,100 AED 4,040

-92.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 PKR 89.3K

$2,653 AED 9,743

-87.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 PKR 47.8K

$2,032 AED 7,464

-91.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,021 PKR 282.7K

$5,737 AED 21.1K

-82.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$533 PKR 147.6K

$2,888 AED 10.6K

-81.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$193 PKR 53.3K

$2,782 AED 10.2K

-93.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.1

4.63

204.54%

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

Last update for Pakistan: October 12, 2026

Last update for the United Arab Emirates: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakistan

$132 28%

United Arab Emirates

$338 14.9% 156% $206

Groceries & Markets

Pakistan

$93 19.7%

United Arab Emirates

$265 11.7% 186% $172

Accommodation & Living

Pakistan

$80 16.9%

United Arab Emirates

$1.1K 48.5% 1278% $1K

Clothing & Footwear

Pakistan

$68 14.5%

United Arab Emirates

$142 6.3% 108% $74

Eating Out

Pakistan

$60 12.6%

United Arab Emirates

$259 11.4% 334% $199

Sport & Entertainment

Pakistan

$26 5.5%

United Arab Emirates

$102 4.5% 298% $77

Getting Around

Pakistan

$14 3%

United Arab Emirates

$60 2.6% 328% $46

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $125 in Pakistan, $1,267 in the United Arab Emirates. Capital cities: $276 in Islamabad vs $1,947 in Abu Dhabi.

National salary averages: $185 in Pakistan, $2,854 in the United Arab Emirates. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 914% higher in the United Arab Emirates.

Dining out costs 277% more in the United Arab Emirates.

Public transport is 356% more expensive in the United Arab Emirates.

Salaries are 1443% higher in the United Arab Emirates, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Arab Emirates.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

1 h behind Pakistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,773,700

9,890,400

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pakistan United Arab Emirates 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Pakistan
United Arab Emirates

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

Pakistan vs United Arab Emirates: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $472 per month in Pakistan and $2,266 in the United Arab Emirates, there's a 380% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Pakistan: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,267 in the United Arab Emirates and $125 in Pakistan. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Pakistan, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Arab Emirates it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Pakistan wins on affordability; the United Arab Emirates may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.