Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Dubai Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Dubai

🙂 Solo nomad: Santa Ana, CA is 1.6% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 12.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Ana, CA is 8.4% more expensive than Dubai without rent, and 7.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$11.03 AED 40.49

64.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 $85.6

$80.4 AED 295

6.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.81 $14.81

$9.3 AED 34.16

59.25%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$5.75 AED 21.12

-14.96%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$1.25 AED 4.59

112.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.94 AED 3.45

114.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$12.33 AED 45.28

-42.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$13.56 AED 49.8

-49.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.91 AED 7.02

-44.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.43 AED 5.24

186.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.28 AED 8.38

105.70%

Eggs

$7 $7

$3.31 AED 12.14

111.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

$10.03 AED 36.83

21.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$9.45 AED 34.71

72.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.62 $14.62

$12.46 AED 45.75

17.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.28 AED 8.37

95.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.89 AED 6.94

-12.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.91 AED 7.02

115.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.53 AED 5.62

262.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.18 AED 4.35

174.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.27 AED 4.68

123.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.46 AED 5.36

39.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.2 $2.2

$0.65 AED 2.4

238.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 $10.85

$6.64 AED 24.39

63.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 $13.35

$19.32 AED 70.9

-30.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2 $2

$2.74 AED 10.07

-27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.51 AED 12.89

2.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.67 AED 6.15

19.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 $70.3

$82.2 AED 302

-14.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 $6.63

$3.31 AED 12.17

100.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.8 $2.8

$0.86 AED 3.15

225.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.09 $29.09

$8.2 AED 30.1

254.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.73 AED 2.69

76.71%

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

$23.6K $23.6K

$33.1K AED 121.6K

-28.64%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$22.4K AED 82.3K

9.79%

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

$158 $158

$219 AED 804

-27.83%

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

$47.35 $47.35

$61.6 AED 226

-23.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 $57.8

$103 AED 377

-43.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.19 $25.19

$86.1 AED 316

-70.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.14 $10.14

$45.46 AED 167

-77.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 $14.15

$14.71 AED 54

-3.81%

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

$1,198 $1,198

$834 AED 3,061

43.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$14.3K AED 52.6K

61.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.19 $48.19

$83.5 AED 307

-42.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 $33.45

$62.5 AED 229

-46.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$111 AED 408

-23.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 $85.4

$123 AED 452

-30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,201 $2,201

$2,397 AED 8,802

-8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,919 $1,919

$1,592 AED 5,845

20.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 $2,973

$4,546 AED 16.7K

-34.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,251 $3,251

$3,003 AED 11K

8.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,319 $4,319

$7,221 AED 26.5K

-40.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,379 $4,379

$3,843 AED 14.1K

13.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,723 $3,723

$4,156 AED 15.3K

-10.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.58

4.49

46.55%

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

Last update for Santa Ana, CA: November 30, 2025

Last update for Dubai: November 30, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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