Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ruwais and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $1,825 in Ruwais, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Ruwais despite lower rent and utilities.

87

Cost of Living Index in Ruwais
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Ruwais Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Ruwais

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,825

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Ruwais versus $1,726 in Sharjah.

Ruwais $1,825
Sharjah $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,369 in Ruwais versus $2,594 in Sharjah.

Ruwais $3,369
Sharjah $2,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,913 in Ruwais versus $3,462 in Sharjah.

Ruwais $4,913
Sharjah $3,462

Living in Ruwais is roughly 6% more expensive than in Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ruwais 34% above, Sharjah 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.31 AED 34.20

$5.88 AED 21.58

58.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 AED 202

$32.16 AED 118

71.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 AED 31.08

$8.13 AED 29.87

4.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$4.69 AED 17.22

$3.12 AED 11.46

50.32%

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

$0.70 AED 2.58

$0.75 AED 2.75

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 AED 1.29

$0.31 AED 1.15

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.28 AED 30.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 AED 24.67

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 AED 6.48

$1.59 AED 5.84

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 AED 6.09

$1.20 AED 4.40

38.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 AED 8.40

$1.82 AED 6.70

25.82%

Eggs

$2.89 AED 10.62

$3.32 AED 12.20

-12.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 AED 34.28

$8.65 AED 31.77

7.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.37 AED 41.77

$6.54 AED 24.01

73.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 AED 34.18

$11.46 AED 42.09

-18.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 AED 10.54

$2.26 AED 8.28

26.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 AED 7.39

$1.75 AED 6.44

14.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.08

$1.32 AED 4.83

46.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 AED 6.90

$1.23 AED 4.50

52.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.37

$1.08 AED 3.96

10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 AED 4.71

$1.10 AED 4.06

16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$1.42 AED 5.20

-43.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 AED 1.90

$0.59 AED 2.18

-11.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$6.57 AED 24.14

-3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 AED 44.26

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 AED 9.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 AED 10.22

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.15 AED 7.90

$2.12 AED 7.79

1.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.45 AED 127

$27.55 AED 101

25.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 AED 8.64

$3.61 AED 13.26

-34.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 AED 4.17

$0.56 AED 2.07

103.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 AED 29.51

$12.03 AED 44.19

-33.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 AED 3.13

$0.97 AED 3.58

-12.37%

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

$45.6K AED 167.3K

$44.1K AED 162.1K

3.23%

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

$21.9K AED 80.3K

$21.0K AED 77.1K

4.10%

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

$114 AED 419

$212 AED 779

-46.25%

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

$48.60 AED 178

$48.90 AED 180

-0.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$96.7 AED 355

$98.0 AED 360

-1.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 AED 213

$54.3 AED 199

6.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.93 AED 106

$22.44 AED 82.4

28.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 AED 49.87

$13.82 AED 50.8

-1.74%

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

$570 AED 2,094

$340 AED 1,250

67.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,432 AED 27.3K

$8,356 AED 30.7K

-11.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.54 AED 160

$58.8 AED 216

-25.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 AED 204

$78.4 AED 288

-29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 AED 257

$108 AED 396

-35.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 375

$93.8 AED 344

8.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 AED 2,979

$816 AED 2,996

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 AED 3,022

$784 AED 2,879

4.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,854 AED 6,808

$1,831 AED 6,723

1.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 AED 9,971

$1,578 AED 5,795

72.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,946 AED 18.2K

$7,442 AED 27.3K

-33.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 AED 8,424

$2,551 AED 9,368

-10.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,760 AED 10.1K

$2,219 AED 8,149

24.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.11%

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

Last update for Ruwais: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ruwais

$823 45.1%

Sharjah

$784 45.4% 4.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

Ruwais

$269 14.8%

Sharjah

$193 11.2% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ruwais

$259 14.2%

Sharjah

$359 20.8% 38.5% $100

Eating Out

Ruwais

$215 11.8%

Sharjah

$113 6.6% 47.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Ruwais

$122 6.7%

Sharjah

$152 8.8% 24.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ruwais

$85 4.7%

Sharjah

$82 4.8% 3.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Ruwais

$51 2.8%

Sharjah

$42 2.5% 16.9% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $811 in Ruwais and $816 in Sharjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ruwais pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Ruwais vs $32 in Sharjah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $193 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ruwais

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

Same time as Ruwais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

1,400,000

💱 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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Ruwais Sharjah 300 km

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

Ruwais vs Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharjah wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Ruwais. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sharjah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Ruwais, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $811 in Ruwais versus $816 in Sharjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $570 in Ruwais versus $340 in Sharjah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Ruwais. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sharjah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ruwais and Sharjah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sharjah wins on affordability, Ruwais on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.