Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ras al-Khaimah: $1,840 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,840
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,803 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,803
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,767 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,767
Dubai $5,872

Living in Ras al-Khaimah costs roughly 36% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ras al-Khaimah 36% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.76 AED 50.5

$12.67 AED 46.55

8.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 AED 148

$81.7 AED 300

-50.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 AED 27.64

$9.34 AED 34.30

-19.38%

Cappuccino

$5.51 AED 20.22

$5.89 AED 21.62

-6.45%

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

$1.11 AED 4.08

$1.69 AED 6.20

-34.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 AED 1.76

$0.78 AED 2.86

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.16 AED 37.32

$13.66 AED 50.2

-25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 AED 35.63

$13.49 AED 49.54

-28.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 AED 6.00

$1.84 AED 6.78

-11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 AED 7.65

$1.50 AED 5.50

38.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$2.57 AED 9.45

-23.74%

Eggs

$2.35 AED 8.62

$3.32 AED 12.18

-29.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 AED 46.57

$12.60 AED 46.28

0.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 AED 36.56

$9.66 AED 35.46

3.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.46 AED 56.8

$12.78 AED 46.93

20.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 AED 7.39

$2.60 AED 9.54

-22.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 AED 6.14

$1.90 AED 6.99

-12.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 AED 5.69

$1.91 AED 7.02

-18.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 4.98

$1.37 AED 5.02

-0.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 AED 3.54

$1.13 AED 4.14

-15.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 AED 3.20

$1.01 AED 3.71

-13.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 AED 6.39

$1.44 AED 5.30

20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$0.67 AED 2.48

-34.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 AED 25.61

$5.88 AED 21.59

18.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 AED 49.89

$16.15 AED 59.3

-15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.66

$2.72 AED 10.00

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 AED 10.56

$3.08 AED 11.32

-6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.80

$1.60 AED 5.87

32.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 AED 419

$76.0 AED 279

50.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 AED 6.21

$3.24 AED 11.91

-47.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$0.71 AED 2.61

12.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 AED 29.96

$7.96 AED 29.22

2.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.41

$0.98 AED 3.62

-5.10%

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

$45.8K AED 168.2K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

67.25%

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

$22.3K AED 82.0K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

1.37%

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

$121 AED 444

$249 AED 913

-51.33%

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

$44.73 AED 164

$54.4 AED 200

-17.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 AED 291

$91.5 AED 336

-13.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 AED 213

$103 AED 380

-44.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.22 AED 148

$42.32 AED 155

-4.96%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 AED 46.70

$16.29 AED 59.8

-21.92%

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

$299 AED 1,099

$844 AED 3,098

-64.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,462 AED 16.4K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-75.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 AED 296

$67.0 AED 246

20.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 AED 195

$57.9 AED 213

-8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 AED 438

$102 AED 375

16.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 AED 430

$98.7 AED 363

18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 AED 2,819

$2,393 AED 8,788

-67.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 AED 2,413

$1,533 AED 5,630

-57.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 AED 6,095

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 AED 4,563

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-57.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,007 AED 18.4K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-28.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,962 AED 7,207

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-53.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,577 AED 5,791

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-54.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

4.54

8.37%

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 Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 133% $876

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 2.5% $7

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 10.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 61% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 12% $20

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 30.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 63.2% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $767 in Ras al-Khaimah and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 119% 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: $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $292 per month, with Ras al-Khaimah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

Same time as Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

3,790,000

💱 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

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Ras al-Khaimah Dubai 110 km

From you

Ras al-Khaimah
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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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ras al-Khaimah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 119% 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: $767 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ras al-Khaimah runs roughly 50% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $299 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ras al-Khaimah but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ras al-Khaimah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ras al-Khaimah 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, Ras al-Khaimah 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 Ras al-Khaimah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.