Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qalyub and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Qalyub: $447 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Qalyub
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Qalyub Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Qalyub

🇪🇬 Egypt

$447

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $447 in Qalyub versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Qalyub $447
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $733 in Qalyub versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Qalyub $733
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Qalyub versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Qalyub $1,018
Dubai $5,872

Living in Qalyub costs roughly 85% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Qalyub is 67% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.34 E£232

$12.67 AED 46.55

-65.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.63 E£995

$81.7 AED 300

-77.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 E£248

$9.34 AED 34.30

-50.32%

Cappuccino

$1.25 E£66.8

$5.89 AED 21.62

-78.78%

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

$0.32 E£17.15

$1.69 AED 6.20

-81.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£5.96

$0.78 AED 2.86

-85.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 E£71.8

$13.66 AED 50.2

-90.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£120

$13.49 AED 49.54

-83.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 E£43.07

$1.84 AED 6.78

-55.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£36.26

$1.50 AED 5.50

-54.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 E£32.43

$2.57 AED 9.45

-76.26%

Eggs

$1.17 E£62.6

$3.32 AED 12.18

-64.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.95 E£211

$12.60 AED 46.28

-68.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$9.66 AED 35.46

-55.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.94 E£477

$12.78 AED 46.93

-30.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 E£84.0

$2.60 AED 9.54

-39.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 E£38.69

$1.90 AED 6.99

-62.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£30.18

$1.91 AED 7.02

-70.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.36

$1.37 AED 5.02

-75.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.89

$1.13 AED 4.14

-76.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£15.95

$1.01 AED 3.71

-70.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.24

$1.44 AED 5.30

-82.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.22

$0.67 AED 2.48

-68.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 E£101

$5.88 AED 21.59

-67.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.82 E£311

$16.15 AED 59.3

-63.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 E£63.8

$2.72 AED 10.00

-55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 E£113

$3.08 AED 11.32

-31.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 E£10.49

$1.60 AED 5.87

-87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.36 E£19.34

$3.24 AED 11.91

-88.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.52

$0.71 AED 2.61

-71.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 E£64.3

$7.96 AED 29.22

-84.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 E£22.40

$0.98 AED 3.62

-57.14%

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

$31.7K E£1.7M

$27.4K AED 100.6K

15.90%

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

$26.5K E£1.4M

$22.0K AED 80.9K

20.26%

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

$14.08 E£752

$249 AED 913

-94.33%

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

$6.67 E£356

$54.4 AED 200

-87.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.41 E£716

$91.5 AED 336

-85.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.24 E£867

$103 AED 380

-84.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$0.97 E£51.8

$42.32 AED 155

-97.71%

Cinema Ticket

$2.79 E£149

$16.29 AED 59.8

-82.87%

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

$86.2 E£4,601

$844 AED 3,098

-89.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,085 E£111.4K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-88.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.01 E£1,763

$67.0 AED 246

-50.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.24 E£2,416

$57.9 AED 213

-21.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 E£6,111

$102 AED 375

12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.1 E£2,993

$98.7 AED 363

-43.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$131 E£6,973

$2,393 AED 8,788

-94.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.3 E£4,020

$1,533 AED 5,630

-95.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 E£13.6K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-94.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 E£7,630

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-95.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$770 E£41.1K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-89.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$358 E£19.1K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-91.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

4.54

257.05%

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

Last update for Qalyub: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qalyub

$125 28%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 133% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Qalyub

$112 25%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 30.9% $35

Eating Out

Qalyub

$77 17.1%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 299% $229

Accommodation & Living

Qalyub

$75 16.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 1936% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qalyub

$34 7.6%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 1055% $360

Sport & Entertainment

Qalyub

$22 4.9%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 523% $114

Getting Around

Qalyub

$2.1 * 0.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 4085% $87

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 $131 in Qalyub and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Qalyub vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $125 vs $292 per month, with Qalyub cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Qalyub

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

1 h ahead of Qalyub

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Qalyub Dubai 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Qalyub
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

Qalyub vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qalyub is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 548% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $671 in Qalyub and $4,344 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: $131 in Qalyub versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 133% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $447 per month in Qalyub versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 548% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $447 in Qalyub versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qalyub but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Qalyub the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Qalyub 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, Qalyub 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 Qalyub gentler on the wallet – expenses run 548% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.