Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Rome: $1,982 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,982

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,982 in Rome versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Rome $1,982
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,148 in Rome versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Rome $3,148
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,314 in Rome versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Rome $4,314
Dubai $5,788

Living in Rome costs roughly 31% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rome 48% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 €15.05

$13.04 AED 47.89

29.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$81.4 AED 299

-17.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.84

$9.32 AED 34.25

18.45%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$5.97 AED 21.93

-65.66%

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

$3.05 €2.72

$1.63 AED 5.98

87.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.81 AED 2.99

87.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.11

$13.65 AED 50.1

-58.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$13.38 AED 49.15

-48.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.81 AED 6.64

-5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.57 AED 5.78

43.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$2.49 AED 9.16

24.50%

Eggs

$4.81 €4.29

$3.28 AED 12.04

46.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$12.67 AED 46.52

19.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.53 €11.18

$9.75 AED 35.80

28.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.67

$13.18 AED 48.39

50.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.61 AED 9.57

1.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.93 AED 7.09

20.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.92 AED 7.05

27.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.36 AED 5.00

70.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.17 AED 4.29

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.01 AED 3.71

51.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.51 AED 5.56

-10.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.47

$0.62 AED 2.29

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.40 €6.60

$5.85 AED 21.50

26.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$16.14 AED 59.3

-66.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.65 AED 9.74

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.95 AED 10.82

-10.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.64 AED 6.03

5.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.99 €35.66

$73.6 AED 270

-45.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.91 €6.16

$3.17 AED 11.66

117.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.71 AED 2.63

129.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 €30.48

$7.96 AED 29.23

329.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.99 AED 3.64

116.16%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

28.35%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

52.65%

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

$209 €186

$250 AED 920

-16.71%

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

$11.57 €10.31

$54.2 AED 199

-78.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.42

$91.8 AED 337

-65.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 €58.6

$98.6 AED 362

-33.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.73 €21.15

$42.61 AED 156

-44.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 €9.98

$16.03 AED 58.9

-30.13%

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

$483 €431

$843 AED 3,098

-42.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.1K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-7.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 €63.0

$68.0 AED 250

3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.81

$57.9 AED 212

-38.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 €73.3

$101 AED 370

-18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$101 AED 371

21.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,074

$2,380 AED 8,741

-49.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 €795

$1,506 AED 5,531

-40.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 €2,253

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-43.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 €1,504

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-43.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,407 €7,495

$7,121 AED 26.2K

18.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,096 €2,760

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-25.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,980 €1,766

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-41.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

4.54

-22.47%

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

Last update for Rome: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$892 44.2%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 68.8% $614

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$331 16.4%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 11.5% $38

Eating Out

Rome

$253 12.6%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 21.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$252 12.5%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 57.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$140 7%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 5.1% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 48.3% $43

Getting Around

Rome

$62 3.1%

Dubai

$87 3% 40.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,205 in Rome and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 71% 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: $68.0 in Rome vs $81.0 in Dubai. Groceries flip the comparison at $331 vs $293, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

2 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Rome Dubai 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Rome vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rome is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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: $1,205 in Rome versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rome runs roughly 84% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $483 in Rome versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,982 in Rome versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rome but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Rome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rome 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, Rome 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 Rome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.