Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Al Ain

For one person, living costs are similar in Ras al-Khaimah and in Al Ain: $1,834 and $1,804 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Al Ain
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Al Ain Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,834

/mo nomad

Al Ain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Al Ain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,834 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $1,804 in Al Ain, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,834
Al Ain $1,804

A couple spends around $2,800 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $2,558 in Al Ain, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,800
Al Ain $2,558

A family of three spends $3,765 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $3,312 in Al Ain, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,765
Al Ain $3,312

Ras al-Khaimah and Al Ain have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Ras al-Khaimah and Al Ain sit above the global median – Ras al-Khaimah by 35%, Al Ain by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 AED 49.36

$8.33 AED 30.59

61.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.94 AED 150

$53.5 AED 197

-23.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 AED 27.24

$8.57 AED 31.47

-13.42%

Cappuccino

$5.59 AED 20.52

$4.74 AED 17.41

17.93%

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

$1.10 AED 4.03

$0.73 AED 2.70

50.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 AED 1.64

$0.33 AED 1.20

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.39 AED 38.16

$8.23 AED 30.24

26.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 AED 35.28

$6.61 AED 24.26

45.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 AED 6.31

$1.84 AED 6.75

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 AED 7.45

$1.58 AED 5.80

28.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$2.20 AED 8.09

-10.91%

Eggs

$2.39 AED 8.77

$2.78 AED 10.22

-14.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.54

$9.55 AED 35.09

32.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 AED 35.08

$10.13 AED 37.19

-5.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 AED 57.5

$8.88 AED 32.60

76.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 AED 7.60

$2.51 AED 9.21

-17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 AED 6.09

$1.98 AED 7.26

-16.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.66

$1.88 AED 6.90

-18.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 AED 4.76

$1.53 AED 5.62

-15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 AED 3.35

$1.17 AED 4.31

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 AED 3.26

$1.15 AED 4.23

-22.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 AED 6.37

$0.84 AED 3.07

105.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 AED 1.70

$0.51 AED 1.89

-9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 AED 24.54

$6.21 AED 22.79

7.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.16

$12.49 AED 45.86

7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$2.57 AED 9.43

2.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 AED 10.53

$2.49 AED 9.15

15.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.77

$0.62 AED 2.27

241.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 AED 487

$26.05 AED 95.7

409.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 AED 6.06

$2.36 AED 8.67

-30.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 AED 2.97

$0.56 AED 2.07

44.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 AED 30.86

$8.11 AED 29.80

3.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 AED 3.35

$0.93 AED 3.42

-2.15%

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

$26.4K AED 97.1K

$25.6K AED 94.0K

3.27%

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

$21.7K AED 79.5K

$21.5K AED 79.0K

0.59%

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

$125 AED 460

$113 AED 416

10.39%

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

$38.58 AED 142

$48.02 AED 176

-19.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 AED 291

$91.8 AED 337

-13.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 AED 199

$56.5 AED 207

-4.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.88 AED 150

$27.38 AED 101

49.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 AED 48.38

$13.81 AED 50.7

-4.63%

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

$328 AED 1,203

$849 AED 3,120

-61.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,478 AED 16.4K

$7,464 AED 27.4K

-40.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 AED 296

$43.83 AED 161

83.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 AED 192

$49.40 AED 181

5.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 AED 428

$71.1 AED 261

63.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 418

$103 AED 378

10.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 AED 2,714

$876 AED 3,218

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 AED 2,362

$847 AED 3,111

-24.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 AED 5,722

$1,665 AED 6,114

-6.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 AED 4,506

$1,220 AED 4,479

0.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,263 AED 23.0K

$2,645 AED 9,714

136.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,138 AED 11.5K

$1,548 AED 5,687

102.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 AED 5,831

$2,670 AED 9,806

-40.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

4.55

8.13%

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

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al Ain: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ras al-Khaimah

$643 35.1%

Al Ain

$847 47% 31.7% $204

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$283 15.4%

Al Ain

$258 14.3% 9% $25

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$274 15%

Al Ain

$208 11.5% 24.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$243 13.2%

Al Ain

$253 14% 4.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$163 8.9%

Al Ain

$120 6.7% 26.4% $43

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$147 8%

Al Ain

$34 1.9% 77% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$80 4.4%

Al Ain

$84 4.7% 4.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $739 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $876 in Al Ain. 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 68% higher in Al Ain. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $54 in Al Ain. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Ras al-Khaimah vs $258 in Al Ain – so Al Ain wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 Al Ain

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

Same time as Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

631,005

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ras al-Khaimah Al Ain 170 km

From you

Ras al-Khaimah
Al Ain

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 Al Ain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,751 per month in Ras al-Khaimah and $2,706 in Al Ain. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ras al-Khaimah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $739 there versus $876 in Al Ain.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Ras al-Khaimah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $328 per month in Ras al-Khaimah and $849 in Al Ain. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Ras al-Khaimah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,804 in Al Ain to $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.