Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Ras al-Khaimah: $1,827 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,827

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,827 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $4,048 in London, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,827
London $4,048

A couple spends around $2,809 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $5,903 in London, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,809
London $5,903

A family of three spends $3,791 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $7,758 in London, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,791
London $7,758

Ras al-Khaimah is about 55% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ras al-Khaimah and London sit above the global median – Ras al-Khaimah by 35%, London by 199%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.46 AED 49.45

$26.36 £19.68

-48.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.42 AED 152

$109 £81.1

-61.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 AED 28.50

$10.71 £8.00

-27.54%

Cappuccino

$5.55 AED 20.38

$5.59 £4.17

-0.72%

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

$1.15 AED 4.22

$3.00 £2.24

-61.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$2.22 £1.66

-80.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.10 AED 37.10

$9.65 £7.20

4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.57 AED 35.16

$8.26 £6.16

15.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 AED 6.25

$1.97 £1.47

-13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 AED 7.53

$2.09 £1.56

-1.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.10

$2.59 £1.94

-25.48%

Eggs

$2.33 AED 8.54

$5.37 £4.01

-56.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 AED 45.88

$13.12 £9.79

-4.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 AED 34.97

$11.03 £8.23

-13.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 AED 56.2

$17.73 £13.23

-13.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 AED 7.34

$3.17 £2.37

-36.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 AED 6.07

$1.38 £1.03

19.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$2.82 £2.11

-46.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 AED 4.80

$3.36 £2.51

-61.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 AED 3.32

$1.70 £1.27

-47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 AED 3.46

$1.78 £1.33

-47.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 AED 6.59

$1.49 £1.11

20.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 AED 1.70

$1.82 £1.36

-74.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 AED 25.71

$23.85 £17.80

-70.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.55 AED 49.75

$13.44 £10.03

0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.72

$3.11 £2.32

-14.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 AED 10.88

$4.49 £3.35

-34.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 AED 8.19

$4.13 £3.08

-46.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 AED 474

$266 £199

-51.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 AED 5.96

$5.98 £4.46

-72.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 AED 1.82

$3.39 £2.53

-85.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 AED 29.47

$56.6 £42.21

-85.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 AED 3.14

$2.21 £1.65

-61.09%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$38.3K £28.6K

-31.71%

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

$21.5K AED 78.8K

$41.0K £30.6K

-47.71%

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

$125 AED 461

$372 £278

-66.32%

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

$38.85 AED 143

$18.66 £13.93

108.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.9 AED 282

$40.53 £30.26

89.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 AED 206

$56.0 £41.82

-0.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.52 AED 153

$17.10 £12.76

142.81%

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 AED 48.42

$17.95 £13.40

-26.57%

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

$335 AED 1,229

$2,946 £2,199

-88.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,910 AED 32.7K

$47.6K £35.5K

-81.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 AED 299

$116 £86.8

-29.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 AED 195

$56.9 £42.47

-6.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AED 434

$128 £95.5

-7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 AED 421

$154 £115

-25.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 AED 2,554

$2,935 £2,191

-76.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 AED 2,352

$2,258 £1,686

-71.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$5,250 £3,919

-71.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 AED 4,621

$3,859 £2,881

-67.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,452 AED 23.7K

$17.2K £12.8K

-62.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,170 AED 11.6K

$8,278 £6,179

-61.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 AED 5,878

$5,621 £4,196

-71.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

4.78

2.93%

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

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: November 2, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ras al-Khaimah

$641 35.1%

London

$2.3K 55.8% 253% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$282 15.4%

London

$360 8.9% 27.9% $79

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$274 15%

London

$396 9.8% 44.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$241 13.2%

London

$432 10.7% 78.9% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$165 9.1%

London

$205 5.1% 23.9% $39

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$142 7.8%

London

$305 7.6% 115% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$82 4.5%

London

$92 2.3% 11.6% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $2,935 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $109 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $360 – making Ras al-Khaimah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

4 h behind Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ras al-Khaimah London 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ras al-Khaimah
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah, $4,048 in London – Ras al-Khaimah comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,740 per month in Ras al-Khaimah and $6,072 in London. 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 $695 there versus $2,935 in London.

Groceries cost about 28% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Ras al-Khaimah and $109 in London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ras al-Khaimah, where all-in costs run around $1,827, than in London at $4,048. In Ras al-Khaimah it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ras al-Khaimah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah to $4,048 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ras al-Khaimah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.