Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roman and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $840 in Roman versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Roman $840
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,393 in Roman versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Roman $1,393
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,946 in Roman versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Roman $1,946
Dubai $5,872

Living in Roman costs roughly 71% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Roman is 38% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$12.67 AED 46.55

-17.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.99 RON 161

$81.7 AED 300

-58.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 RON 34.59

$9.34 AED 34.30

-21.73%

Cappuccino

$2.43 RON 11.49

$5.89 AED 21.62

-58.74%

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

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.69 AED 6.20

-18.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.03

$0.78 AED 2.86

35.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 RON 9.69

$13.66 AED 50.2

-84.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 RON 10.29

$13.49 AED 49.54

-83.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$1.84 AED 6.78

-35.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$1.50 AED 5.50

-56.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.75

$2.57 AED 9.45

-44.36%

Eggs

$2.89 RON 13.65

$3.32 AED 12.18

-12.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 RON 35.72

$12.60 AED 46.28

-40.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 RON 27.05

$9.66 AED 35.46

-40.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 RON 40.85

$12.78 AED 46.93

-32.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$2.60 AED 9.54

-58.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.15

$1.90 AED 6.99

-20.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.71

$1.91 AED 7.02

-25.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.37 AED 5.02

27.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.39

$1.13 AED 4.14

-36.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$1.01 AED 3.71

-12.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.44 AED 5.30

-38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.41

$0.67 AED 2.48

7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 RON 26.58

$5.88 AED 21.59

-4.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 RON 25.25

$16.15 AED 59.3

-66.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.59

$2.72 AED 10.00

-64.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$3.08 AED 11.32

-61.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.62

$1.60 AED 5.87

-52.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.67 RON 103

$76.0 AED 279

-71.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.13

$3.24 AED 11.91

-79.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$0.71 AED 2.61

-9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 RON 33.30

$7.96 AED 29.22

-11.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.22

$0.98 AED 3.62

77.55%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

2.73%

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

$25.1K RON 118.6K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

13.80%

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

$146 RON 691

$249 AED 913

-41.25%

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

$6.96 RON 32.93

$54.4 AED 200

-87.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 RON 36.88

$91.5 AED 336

-91.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 RON 176

$103 AED 380

-64.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 RON 94.9

$42.32 AED 155

-52.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 RON 30.40

$16.29 AED 59.8

-60.59%

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

$295 RON 1,397

$844 AED 3,098

-65.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,901 RON 23.2K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-73.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 RON 456

$67.0 AED 246

43.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.51 RON 121

$57.9 AED 213

-55.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 RON 290

$102 AED 375

-39.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 RON 274

$98.7 AED 363

-41.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 RON 1,008

$2,393 AED 8,788

-91.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 RON 745

$1,533 AED 5,630

-89.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 RON 2,863

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-86.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 RON 2,146

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-84.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,862 RON 8,812

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-73.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 RON 6,413

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-67.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$820 RON 3,880

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-76.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.54

58.59%

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

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roman

$176 20.9%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 66.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roman

$161 19.1%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 145% $234

Eating Out

Roman

$159 18.9%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 92.2% $146

Accommodation & Living

Roman

$157 18.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 874% $1.4K

Clothing & Footwear

Roman

$109 12.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 35.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Roman

$50 6%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 172% $86

Getting Around

Roman

$29 3.4%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 212% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $213 in Roman and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 322% 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: $34.00 in Roman vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $292 per month, with Roman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Roman

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

1 h ahead of Roman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,328

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Roman Dubai 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Roman
Dubai

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

Roman vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roman is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 245% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 322% 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: $213 in Roman 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 Roman runs roughly 250% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $295 in Roman versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

For families, Roman 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, Roman 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 Roman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 245% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.