Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Ruwais

For one person, living costs are similar in Ras al-Khaimah and in Ruwais: $1,834 and $1,825 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 Ruwais
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Ruwais Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,834

/mo nomad

Ruwais

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,834 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $1,825 in Ruwais, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,834
Ruwais $1,825

A couple spends around $2,800 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $3,369 in Ruwais, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,800
Ruwais $3,369

A family of three spends $3,765 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $4,913 in Ruwais, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,765
Ruwais $4,913

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

Both Ras al-Khaimah and Ruwais sit above the global median – Ras al-Khaimah by 35%, Ruwais by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 AED 49.36

$9.31 AED 34.20

44.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.94 AED 150

$55.1 AED 202

-25.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 AED 27.24

$8.46 AED 31.08

-12.29%

Cappuccino

$5.59 AED 20.52

$4.69 AED 17.22

19.19%

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

$1.10 AED 4.03

$0.70 AED 2.58

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 AED 1.64

$0.35 AED 1.29

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.39 AED 38.16

$8.28 AED 30.39

25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 AED 35.28

$6.72 AED 24.67

43.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 AED 6.31

$1.76 AED 6.48

-2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 AED 7.45

$1.66 AED 6.09

22.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$2.29 AED 8.40

-14.41%

Eggs

$2.39 AED 8.77

$2.89 AED 10.62

-17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.54

$9.33 AED 34.28

35.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 AED 35.08

$11.37 AED 41.77

-16.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 AED 57.5

$9.31 AED 34.18

68.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 AED 7.60

$2.87 AED 10.54

-27.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 AED 6.09

$2.01 AED 7.39

-17.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.66

$1.93 AED 7.08

-20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 AED 4.76

$1.88 AED 6.90

-30.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 AED 3.35

$1.19 AED 4.37

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 AED 3.26

$1.28 AED 4.71

-30.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 AED 6.37

$0.80 AED 2.93

116.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 AED 1.70

$0.52 AED 1.90

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 AED 24.54

$6.31 AED 23.17

5.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$12.05 AED 44.26

11.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$2.54 AED 9.31

3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 AED 10.53

$2.78 AED 10.22

3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.77

$2.15 AED 7.90

-1.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 AED 487

$34.45 AED 127

285.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 AED 6.06

$2.35 AED 8.64

-29.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 AED 2.97

$1.14 AED 4.17

-28.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 AED 30.86

$8.03 AED 29.51

4.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 AED 3.35

$0.85 AED 3.13

7.06%

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

$26.4K AED 97.1K

$45.6K AED 167.3K

-41.98%

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

$21.7K AED 79.5K

$21.9K AED 80.3K

-0.94%

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

$125 AED 460

$114 AED 419

9.74%

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

$38.58 AED 142

$48.60 AED 178

-20.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 AED 291

$96.7 AED 355

-18.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 AED 199

$58.0 AED 213

-6.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.88 AED 150

$28.93 AED 106

41.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 AED 48.37

$13.58 AED 49.87

-3.02%

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

$328 AED 1,203

$570 AED 2,094

-42.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,478 AED 16.4K

$7,432 AED 27.3K

-39.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 AED 296

$43.54 AED 160

85.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 AED 192

$55.6 AED 204

-5.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 AED 427

$70.1 AED 257

66.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 418

$102 AED 375

11.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 AED 2,714

$811 AED 2,979

-8.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 AED 2,362

$823 AED 3,022

-21.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 AED 5,722

$1,854 AED 6,808

-15.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 AED 4,506

$2,715 AED 9,971

-54.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,263 AED 23.0K

$4,946 AED 18.2K

26.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,138 AED 11.5K

$2,294 AED 8,424

36.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 AED 5,831

$2,760 AED 10.1K

-42.48%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Ruwais: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ras al-Khaimah

$643 35.1%

Ruwais

$823 45.1% 27.9% $180

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$283 15.4%

Ruwais

$269 14.8% 5% $14

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$274 15%

Ruwais

$215 11.8% 21.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$243 13.2%

Ruwais

$259 14.2% 6.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$163 8.9%

Ruwais

$122 6.7% 25.3% $41

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$147 8%

Ruwais

$51 2.8% 65.2% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$80 4.4%

Ruwais

$85 4.7% 5.9% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $739 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $811 in Ruwais. 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 74% higher in Ruwais. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $55 in Ruwais. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Ras al-Khaimah vs $269 in Ruwais – so Ruwais wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 Ruwais

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

Same time as Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

25,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ras al-Khaimah Ruwais 370 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 Ruwais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,751 per month in Ras al-Khaimah and $2,737 in Ruwais. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $739 in Ras al-Khaimah and $811 in Ruwais. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Ras al-Khaimah and $55 in Ruwais. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Ruwais. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Ras al-Khaimah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,825 in Ruwais 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.