Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Al Ain

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $1,804 in Al Ain, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. The total is higher in Al Ain despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Al Ain
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Al Ain Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Al Ain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sharjah and in Al Ain

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

A single person spends $1,726 per month in Sharjah vs $1,804 in Al Ain, rent included.

Sharjah $1,726
Al Ain $1,804

A couple spends around $2,594 per month in Sharjah vs $2,558 in Al Ain, rent included.

Sharjah $2,594
Al Ain $2,558

A family of three spends $3,462 per month in Sharjah vs $3,312 in Al Ain, rent included.

Sharjah $3,462
Al Ain $3,312

Sharjah is about 4% cheaper than Al Ain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sharjah and Al Ain sit above the global median – Sharjah by 27%, Al Ain by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.58

$8.33 AED 30.59

-29.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.16 AED 118

$53.5 AED 197

-39.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.87

$8.57 AED 31.47

-5.13%

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

$3.12 AED 11.46

$4.74 AED 17.41

-34.18%

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

$0.75 AED 2.75

$0.73 AED 2.70

2.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.33 AED 1.20

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 AED 30.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 AED 24.26

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.84 AED 6.75

-13.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.58 AED 5.80

-24.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.70

$2.20 AED 8.09

-17.27%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.20

$2.78 AED 10.22

19.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 AED 31.77

$9.55 AED 35.09

-9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 AED 24.01

$10.13 AED 37.19

-35.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$8.88 AED 32.60

29.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$2.51 AED 9.21

-9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$1.98 AED 7.26

-11.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.83

$1.88 AED 6.90

-29.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 AED 4.50

$1.53 AED 5.62

-19.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$1.17 AED 4.31

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.06

$1.15 AED 4.23

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 AED 5.20

$0.84 AED 3.07

69.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.18

$0.51 AED 1.89

15.69%

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)

$6.57 AED 24.14

$6.21 AED 22.79

5.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.49 AED 45.86

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 AED 9.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 AED 9.15

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.79

$0.62 AED 2.27

241.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.55 AED 101

$26.05 AED 95.7

5.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 AED 13.26

$2.36 AED 8.67

52.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 AED 44.19

$8.11 AED 29.80

48.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.58

$0.93 AED 3.42

4.30%

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

$44.1K AED 162.1K

$25.6K AED 94.0K

72.41%

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

$21.0K AED 77.1K

$21.5K AED 79.0K

-2.46%

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

$212 AED 779

$113 AED 416

87.16%

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

$48.90 AED 180

$48.02 AED 176

1.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$91.8 AED 337

6.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 199

$56.5 AED 207

-3.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.44 AED 82.4

$27.38 AED 101

-18.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 AED 50.8

$13.81 AED 50.7

0.07%

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

$340 AED 1,250

$849 AED 3,120

-59.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 AED 30.7K

$7,464 AED 27.4K

11.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 AED 216

$43.83 AED 161

34.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AED 288

$49.40 AED 181

58.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 AED 396

$71.1 AED 261

51.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 AED 344

$103 AED 378

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 AED 2,996

$876 AED 3,218

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 AED 2,879

$847 AED 3,111

-7.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 AED 6,723

$1,665 AED 6,114

9.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 AED 5,795

$1,220 AED 4,479

29.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 AED 27.3K

$2,645 AED 9,714

181.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 AED 9,368

$1,548 AED 5,687

64.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,219 AED 8,149

$2,670 AED 9,806

-16.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.55

-1.10%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al Ain: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$784 45.4%

Al Ain

$847 47% 8.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$359 20.8%

Al Ain

$253 14% 29.5% $106

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 11.2%

Al Ain

$258 14.3% 33.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$152 8.8%

Al Ain

$120 6.7% 21.1% $32

Eating Out

Sharjah

$113 6.6%

Al Ain

$208 11.5% 83.8% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.8%

Al Ain

$84 4.7% 2.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.5%

Al Ain

$34 1.9% 20.6% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $816 in Sharjah versus $876 in Al Ain. 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 20% higher in Al Ain. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Sharjah versus $54 in Al Ain. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $258 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇦🇪 Al Ain

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

Same time as Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

631,005

💱 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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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

Sharjah vs Al Ain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Ain costs about 5% more than Sharjah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,589 per month in Sharjah and $2,706 in Al Ain. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $816 in Sharjah and $876 in Al Ain. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $340 per month in Sharjah and $849 in Al Ain. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Al Ain, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,726 in Sharjah and $1,804 in Al Ain, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sharjah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Sharjah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al Ain makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.