Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain

For one person, living is cheaper in Umm Al Quwain: $1,447 a month against $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Umm Al Quwain
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Umm Al Quwain Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,834

/mo nomad

Umm Al Quwain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,834 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $1,447 in Umm Al Quwain, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,834
Umm Al Quwain $1,447

A couple spends around $2,800 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $2,034 in Umm Al Quwain, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,800
Umm Al Quwain $2,034

A family of three spends $3,765 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $2,620 in Umm Al Quwain, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,765
Umm Al Quwain $2,620

Ras al-Khaimah costs about 27% more than Umm Al Quwain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ras al-Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain sit above the global median – Ras al-Khaimah by 35%, Umm Al Quwain by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 AED 49.36

$5.76 AED 21.15

133.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.94 AED 150

$26.98 AED 99.1

51.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 AED 27.24

$8.39 AED 30.80

-11.56%

Cappuccino

$5.59 AED 20.52

$3.86 AED 14.19

44.82%

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

$1.10 AED 4.03

$0.86 AED 3.16

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 AED 1.64

$0.36 AED 1.33

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.39 AED 38.16

$11.04 AED 40.54

-5.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 AED 35.28

$12.29 AED 45.14

-21.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 AED 6.31

$1.86 AED 6.84

-7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 AED 7.45

$1.36 AED 4.99

49.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$1.46 AED 5.37

34.25%

Eggs

$2.39 AED 8.77

$2.11 AED 7.76

13.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.54

$7.61 AED 27.94

66.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 AED 35.08

$6.52 AED 23.94

46.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 AED 57.5

$9.42 AED 34.59

66.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 AED 7.60

$1.90 AED 6.99

8.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 AED 6.09

$1.39 AED 5.12

19.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.66

$1.56 AED 5.73

-1.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 AED 4.76

$0.98 AED 3.60

32.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 AED 3.35

$1.01 AED 3.71

-9.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 AED 3.26

$1.00 AED 3.66

-11.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 AED 6.37

$1.19 AED 4.38

45.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 AED 1.70

$0.51 AED 1.87

-9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 AED 24.54

$6.16 AED 22.63

8.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.16

$10.95 AED 40.20

22.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$1.68 AED 6.17

56.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 AED 10.53

$2.31 AED 8.49

24.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 AED 487

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 AED 6.06

$3.28 AED 12.06

-49.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 AED 2.97

$0.66 AED 2.42

22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 AED 30.86

$8.01 AED 29.40

4.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 AED 3.35

$0.83 AED 3.06

9.64%

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

$26.4K AED 97.1K

$25.8K AED 94.6K

2.61%

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

$21.7K AED 79.5K

$22.0K AED 80.7K

-1.48%

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

$125 AED 460

$150 AED 550

-16.45%

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

$38.58 AED 142

$50.0 AED 184

-22.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.2 AED 291

$86.6 AED 318

-8.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 AED 199

$44.50 AED 163

21.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.88 AED 150

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 AED 48.38

$13.53 AED 49.69

-2.66%

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

$328 AED 1,203

$491 AED 1,803

-33.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,478 AED 16.4K

$5,705 AED 21.0K

-21.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 AED 296

$58.3 AED 214

38.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 AED 192

$61.5 AED 226

-14.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 AED 428

$86.5 AED 318

34.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 418

$95.2 AED 349

19.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 AED 2,714

$683 AED 2,509

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 AED 2,362

$534 AED 1,962

20.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 AED 5,722

$1,037 AED 3,807

50.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 AED 4,506

$829 AED 3,045

47.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,263 AED 23.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,138 AED 11.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 AED 5,831

$3,327 AED 12.2K

-52.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

4.75

3.58%

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 Umm Al Quwain: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ras al-Khaimah

$643 35.1%

Umm Al Quwain

$534 36.9% 16.9% $109

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$283 15.4%

Umm Al Quwain

$210 14.5% 25.8% $73

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$274 15%

Umm Al Quwain

$202 14% 26.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$243 13.2%

Umm Al Quwain

$286 19.8% 17.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$163 8.9%

Umm Al Quwain

$136 9.4% 17% $28

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$147 8%

Umm Al Quwain

$6.6 * 0.5% 95.5% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$80 4.4%

Umm Al Quwain

$72 5% 11% $8.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $739 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $683 in Umm Al Quwain. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Umm Al Quwain are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $27 in Umm Al Quwain. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $210 – making Umm Al Quwain the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 Umm Al Quwain

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

Same time as Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

34,637

💱 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 Umm Al Quwain 46 km

From you

Ras al-Khaimah
Umm Al Quwain

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 Umm Al Quwain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ras al-Khaimah is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,751 per month in Ras al-Khaimah and $2,170 in Umm Al Quwain. 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 $683 in Umm Al Quwain. 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 $27 in Umm Al Quwain. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Ras al-Khaimah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah and $1,447 in Umm Al Quwain. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Ras al-Khaimah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,447 in Umm Al Quwain 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.