Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman

For one person, living costs are similar in Ras al-Khaimah and in Ajman: $1,840 and $1,833 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ras al-Khaimah and in Ajman

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $1,833 in Ajman.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,840
Ajman $1,833

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,803 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $4,193 in Ajman.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,803
Ajman $4,193

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,767 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $6,553 in Ajman.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,767
Ajman $6,553

Monthly costs are close between Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ras al-Khaimah 36% above, Ajman 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.76 AED 50.5

$5.71 AED 20.97

140.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 AED 148

$27.25 AED 100

47.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 AED 27.64

$8.24 AED 30.26

-8.62%

Cappuccino

$5.51 AED 20.22

$3.73 AED 13.70

47.72%

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

$1.11 AED 4.08

$0.79 AED 2.91

40.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 AED 1.76

$0.40 AED 1.45

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.16 AED 37.32

$10.79 AED 39.62

-5.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 AED 35.63

$12.40 AED 45.53

-21.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 AED 6.00

$1.99 AED 7.29

-18.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 AED 7.65

$1.34 AED 4.93

55.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$1.47 AED 5.41

33.33%

Eggs

$2.35 AED 8.62

$2.06 AED 7.56

14.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 AED 46.57

$8.02 AED 29.45

58.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 AED 36.56

$6.36 AED 23.34

56.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.46 AED 56.8

$9.20 AED 33.78

68.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 AED 7.39

$1.97 AED 7.24

2.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 AED 6.14

$1.38 AED 5.06

21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 AED 5.69

$1.52 AED 5.57

1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 4.98

$1.00 AED 3.66

36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 AED 3.54

$1.07 AED 3.95

-10.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 AED 3.20

$1.15 AED 4.21

-24.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 AED 6.39

$1.18 AED 4.35

47.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$0.55 AED 2.02

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 AED 25.61

$6.16 AED 22.62

13.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 AED 49.89

$10.70 AED 39.29

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.66

$1.68 AED 6.15

56.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 AED 10.56

$2.22 AED 8.15

29.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.80

$4.17 AED 15.30

-49.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 AED 419

$68.2 AED 250

67.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 AED 6.21

$3.60 AED 13.22

-53.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$0.67 AED 2.45

19.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 AED 29.96

$8.12 AED 29.80

0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.41

$0.85 AED 3.12

9.41%

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

$45.8K AED 168.2K

$46.3K AED 169.9K

-0.98%

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

$22.3K AED 82.0K

$22.4K AED 82.3K

-0.31%

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

$121 AED 444

$149 AED 549

-19.05%

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

$44.73 AED 164

$49.43 AED 182

-9.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 AED 291

$85.2 AED 313

-6.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 AED 213

$79.2 AED 291

-26.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.22 AED 148

$9.75 AED 35.80

312.51%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 AED 46.70

$13.72 AED 50.4

-7.29%

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

$299 AED 1,099

$485 AED 1,782

-38.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,462 AED 16.4K

$5,653 AED 20.8K

-21.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 AED 296

$58.9 AED 216

36.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 AED 195

$61.3 AED 225

-13.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 AED 438

$84.3 AED 309

41.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 AED 430

$95.8 AED 352

22.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 AED 2,819

$2,445 AED 8,979

-68.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 AED 2,413

$806 AED 2,961

-18.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 AED 6,095

$1,724 AED 6,333

-3.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 AED 4,563

$4,510 AED 16.6K

-72.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,007 AED 18.4K

$2,244 AED 8,240

123.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,962 AED 7,207

$1,401 AED 5,146

40.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,577 AED 5,791

$2,242 AED 8,234

-29.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

-1.60%

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

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ajman: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7%

Ajman

$806 44% 22.7% $149

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5%

Ajman

$211 11.5% 25.8% $74

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15%

Ajman

$199 10.8% 27.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3%

Ajman

$284 15.5% 15.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1%

Ajman

$135 7.4% 18.9% $31

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7%

Ajman

$92 5% 28.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5%

Ajman

$107 5.8% 28% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $767 in Ras al-Khaimah and $2,445 in Ajman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ajman pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah vs $27.00 in Ajman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $211 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 Ajman

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

Same time as Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

238,119

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ras al-Khaimah Ajman 65 km

From you

Ras al-Khaimah
Ajman

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

Ras al-Khaimah vs Ajman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Ajman. 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: $767 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $2,445 in Ajman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ajman runs roughly 68% less than in Ras al-Khaimah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Ras al-Khaimah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,833 in Ajman versus $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ajman but tight or insufficient in Ras al-Khaimah. The gap between the two cities makes Ajman the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ajman delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,833 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ajman hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Ajman wins on affordability, Ras al-Khaimah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.