Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabratha and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
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Sabratha Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Sabratha versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Sabratha $406
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $597 in Sabratha versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Sabratha $597
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $787 in Sabratha versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Sabratha $787
Dubai $5,872

Living in Sabratha costs roughly 86% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sabratha is 70% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 LYD 19.46

$12.67 AED 46.55

-76.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LYD 59.1

$81.7 AED 300

-88.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$1.52 LYD 9.75

$9.34 AED 34.30

-83.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

Cappuccino

$0.48 LYD 3.09

$5.89 AED 21.62

-91.85%

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

$0.30 LYD 1.90

$1.69 AED 6.20

-82.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.07 LYD 0.44

$0.78 AED 2.86

-91.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 LYD 5.67

$1.84 AED 6.78

-51.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 LYD 1.41

$1.50 AED 5.50

-85.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 LYD 7.07

$2.57 AED 9.45

-57.20%

Eggs

$1.37 LYD 8.76

$3.32 AED 12.18

-58.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.27 LYD 33.79

$12.60 AED 46.28

-58.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 LYD 22.32

$9.66 AED 35.46

-63.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 LYD 61.4

$12.78 AED 46.93

-25.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 LYD 12.79

$2.60 AED 9.54

-23.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 LYD 9.89

$1.90 AED 6.99

-18.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

$1.91 AED 7.02

-61.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 LYD 3.64

$1.37 AED 5.02

-58.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 LYD 3.13

$1.13 AED 4.14

-56.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 LYD 1.89

$1.01 AED 3.71

-71.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 LYD 2.06

$1.44 AED 5.30

-77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 LYD 1.06

$0.67 AED 2.48

-74.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 LYD 5.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 LYD 5.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 LYD 11.79

$5.88 AED 21.59

-68.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 LYD 4.80

$1.60 AED 5.87

-53.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 LYD 4.88

$3.24 AED 11.91

-76.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LYD 1.89

$0.71 AED 2.61

-57.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 LYD 5.22

$7.96 AED 29.22

-89.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.14

$0.98 AED 3.62

-97.96%

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

$22.9K LYD 146.9K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

-16.30%

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

$21.3K LYD 136.5K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-3.35%

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

$92.0 LYD 590

$249 AED 913

-62.97%

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

$3.99 LYD 25.56

$54.4 AED 200

-92.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.73 LYD 88.0

$91.5 AED 336

-84.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LYD 69.5

$103 AED 380

-89.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.74 LYD 49.62

$42.32 AED 155

-81.71%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

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

$39.51 LYD 253

$844 AED 3,098

-95.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$945 LYD 6,055

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-94.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.54 LYD 125

$67.0 AED 246

-70.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.60 LYD 113

$57.9 AED 213

-69.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.6 LYD 414

$102 AED 375

-36.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.66 LYD 100

$98.7 AED 363

-84.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$158 LYD 1,011

$2,393 AED 8,788

-93.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.2 LYD 501

$1,533 AED 5,630

-94.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 LYD 1,466

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-95.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 LYD 705

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-96.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$281 LYD 1,802

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-96.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$185 LYD 1,183

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-95.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$189 LYD 1,212

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-94.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Sabratha: 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

Sabratha

$113 27.9%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 158% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabratha

$110 27%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 259% $285

Accommodation & Living

Sabratha

$78 19.3%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 1860% $1.5K

Clothing & Footwear

Sabratha

$53 13%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 177% $94

Eating Out

Sabratha

$36 8.9%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 745% $269

Sport & Entertainment

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 1153% $125

Getting Around

Sabratha

$5.2 * 1.3%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 1601% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $158 in Sabratha and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1730% 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: $9.00 in Sabratha vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $292 per month, with Sabratha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

2 h ahead of Sabratha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,398

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sabratha Dubai 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sabratha
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

Sabratha vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sabratha is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 613% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1730% 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: $158 in Sabratha versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 158% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Sabratha versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 613% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $406 in Sabratha versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sabratha but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sabratha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sabratha 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, Sabratha 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 Sabratha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 613% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.