Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ruwais and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living costs are similar in Ruwais and in Ras al-Khaimah: $1,825 and $1,834 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Ruwais
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Ruwais Living Index
89

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

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Ruwais

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,825

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ruwais and in Ras al-Khaimah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.31 AED 34.20

$13.44 AED 49.36

-30.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 AED 202

$40.94 AED 150

34.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 AED 31.08

$7.42 AED 27.24

14.02%

Cappuccino

$4.69 AED 17.22

$5.59 AED 20.52

-16.10%

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

$0.70 AED 2.58

$1.10 AED 4.03

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 AED 1.29

$0.45 AED 1.64

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.28 AED 30.39

$10.39 AED 38.16

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 AED 24.67

$9.61 AED 35.28

-30.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 AED 6.48

$1.72 AED 6.31

2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 AED 6.09

$2.03 AED 7.45

-18.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 AED 8.40

$1.96 AED 7.20

16.84%

Eggs

$2.89 AED 10.62

$2.39 AED 8.77

20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 AED 34.28

$12.67 AED 46.54

-26.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.37 AED 41.77

$9.55 AED 35.08

19.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 AED 34.18

$15.66 AED 57.5

-40.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 AED 10.54

$2.07 AED 7.60

38.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 AED 7.39

$1.66 AED 6.09

21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.08

$1.54 AED 5.66

25.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 AED 6.90

$1.30 AED 4.76

44.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.37

$0.91 AED 3.35

30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 AED 4.71

$0.89 AED 3.26

43.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$1.73 AED 6.37

-53.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 AED 1.90

$0.46 AED 1.70

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$6.68 AED 24.54

-5.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 AED 44.26

$13.38 AED 49.15

-9.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 AED 9.31

$2.63 AED 9.67

-3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 AED 10.22

$2.87 AED 10.53

-3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 AED 7.90

$2.12 AED 7.77

1.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.45 AED 127

$133 AED 487

-74.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 AED 8.64

$1.65 AED 6.06

42.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 AED 4.17

$0.81 AED 2.97

40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 AED 29.51

$8.40 AED 30.86

-4.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 AED 3.13

$0.91 AED 3.35

-6.59%

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

$45.6K AED 167.3K

$26.4K AED 97.1K

72.34%

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

$21.9K AED 80.3K

$21.7K AED 79.5K

0.95%

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

$114 AED 419

$125 AED 460

-8.88%

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

$48.60 AED 178

$38.58 AED 142

25.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$96.7 AED 355

$79.2 AED 291

22.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 AED 213

$54.1 AED 199

7.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.93 AED 106

$40.88 AED 150

-29.23%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 AED 49.87

$13.17 AED 48.37

3.11%

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

$570 AED 2,094

$328 AED 1,203

74.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,432 AED 27.3K

$4,478 AED 16.4K

65.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.54 AED 160

$80.6 AED 296

-45.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 AED 204

$52.4 AED 192

6.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 AED 257

$116 AED 427

-39.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 375

$114 AED 418

-10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 AED 2,979

$739 AED 2,714

9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 AED 3,022

$643 AED 2,362

27.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,854 AED 6,808

$1,558 AED 5,722

18.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 AED 9,971

$1,227 AED 4,506

121.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,946 AED 18.2K

$6,263 AED 23.0K

-21.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 AED 8,424

$3,138 AED 11.5K

-26.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,760 AED 10.1K

$1,588 AED 5,831

73.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

1.63%

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

Last update for Ruwais: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ruwais

$823 45.1%

Ras al-Khaimah

$643 35.1% 21.8% $180

Groceries & Markets

Ruwais

$269 14.8%

Ras al-Khaimah

$283 15.4% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ruwais

$259 14.2%

Ras al-Khaimah

$243 13.2% 6.3% $16

Eating Out

Ruwais

$215 11.8%

Ras al-Khaimah

$274 15% 27.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Ruwais

$122 6.7%

Ras al-Khaimah

$163 8.9% 33.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Ruwais

$85 4.7%

Ras al-Khaimah

$80 4.4% 5.6% $4.8

Getting Around

Ruwais

$51 2.8%

Ras al-Khaimah

$147 8% 187% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $811 in Ruwais versus $739 in Ras al-Khaimah. 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 $55 in Ruwais versus $41 in Ras al-Khaimah. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Ruwais vs $283 in Ras al-Khaimah – so Ruwais wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ruwais

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

Same time as Ruwais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

241,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ruwais Ras al-Khaimah 370 km

From you

Ruwais
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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

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

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

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Ruwais and $41 in Ras al-Khaimah. 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.