Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah

For one person, living costs are similar in Ras al-Khaimah and in Sharjah: $1,840 and $1,838 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,840 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $1,838 in Sharjah, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,840
Sharjah $1,838

A couple spends around $2,803 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $2,578 in Sharjah, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,803
Sharjah $2,578

A family of three spends $3,767 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $3,318 in Sharjah, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,767
Sharjah $3,318

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

Both Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah sit above the global median – Ras al-Khaimah by 36%, Sharjah by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.76 AED 50.5

$5.96 AED 21.90

130.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 AED 148

$33.28 AED 122

20.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 AED 27.64

$7.96 AED 29.22

-5.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.68 AED 35.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Cappuccino

$5.51 AED 20.22

$3.17 AED 11.64

73.82%

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

$1.11 AED 4.08

$0.78 AED 2.87

42.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 AED 1.76

$0.29 AED 1.06

65.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.16 AED 37.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 AED 35.63

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 AED 6.00

$1.53 AED 5.63

6.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 AED 7.65

$1.14 AED 4.18

82.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$1.83 AED 6.71

7.10%

Eggs

$2.35 AED 8.62

$3.33 AED 12.22

-29.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 AED 46.57

$8.93 AED 32.80

41.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 AED 36.56

$6.82 AED 25.03

45.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.46 AED 56.8

$11.29 AED 41.46

36.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 AED 7.39

$2.17 AED 7.99

-7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 AED 6.14

$1.68 AED 6.15

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 AED 5.69

$1.35 AED 4.98

14.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 4.98

$1.24 AED 4.56

9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 AED 3.54

$1.03 AED 3.80

-6.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 AED 3.20

$1.08 AED 3.96

-19.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 AED 6.39

$1.49 AED 5.47

16.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$0.60 AED 2.21

-26.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.47 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 AED 8.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 AED 9.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 AED 25.61

$6.38 AED 23.42

9.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 AED 49.89

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 AED 10.56

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.80

$2.23 AED 8.18

-4.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 AED 419

$27.05 AED 99.3

322.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 AED 6.21

$3.66 AED 13.45

-53.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$0.55 AED 2.03

45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 AED 29.96

$11.78 AED 43.26

-30.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.41

$0.93 AED 3.40

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

$45.8K AED 168.2K

$46.1K AED 169.4K

-0.69%

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

$22.3K AED 82.0K

$21.7K AED 79.9K

2.70%

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

$121 AED 444

$211 AED 774

-42.65%

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

$44.73 AED 164

$49.45 AED 182

-9.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 AED 291

$98.0 AED 360

-18.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 AED 213

$53.9 AED 198

7.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.22 AED 148

$22.30 AED 81.9

80.36%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 AED 46.70

$13.86 AED 50.9

-8.23%

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

$299 AED 1,099

$329 AED 1,210

-9.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,462 AED 16.4K

$8,480 AED 31.1K

-47.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 AED 296

$59.1 AED 217

36.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 AED 195

$77.7 AED 285

-31.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 AED 438

$110 AED 404

8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 AED 430

$96.4 AED 354

21.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 AED 2,819

$826 AED 3,033

-7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 AED 2,413

$894 AED 3,285

-26.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 AED 6,095

$1,832 AED 6,730

-9.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 AED 4,563

$1,423 AED 5,228

-12.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,007 AED 18.4K

$8,099 AED 29.7K

-38.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,962 AED 7,207

$2,768 AED 10.2K

-29.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,577 AED 5,791

$2,187 AED 8,031

-27.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

4.5

9.33%

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 Sharjah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7%

Sharjah

$894 48.7% 36.1% $237

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5%

Sharjah

$193 10.5% 32.2% $92

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15%

Sharjah

$114 6.2% 58.6% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3%

Sharjah

$358 19.5% 46.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1%

Sharjah

$154 8.4% 7.4% $12

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7%

Sharjah

$42 2.3% 67% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5%

Sharjah

$82 4.4% 2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $767 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $826 in Sharjah. 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 39% higher in Sharjah. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $33.00 in Sharjah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $193 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

Same time as Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

1,400,000

💱 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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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 Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,760 per month in Ras al-Khaimah and $2,757 in Sharjah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sharjah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah and $33.00 in Sharjah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 322% less in Sharjah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharjah, where all-in costs run around $1,838, than in Ras al-Khaimah at $1,840. In Sharjah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ras al-Khaimah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sharjah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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