Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Sharjah versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Sharjah $1,726
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Sharjah versus $4,468 in Dubai.

Sharjah $2,594
Dubai $4,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,462 in Sharjah versus $6,040 in Dubai.

Sharjah $3,462
Dubai $6,040

Living in Sharjah costs roughly 40% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sharjah 27% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.58

$12.73 AED 46.74

-53.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.16 AED 118

$81.5 AED 299

-60.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.87

$9.68 AED 35.55

-16.01%

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

$5.97 AED 21.93

-47.74%

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

$0.75 AED 2.75

$1.66 AED 6.10

-54.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.82 AED 3.00

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.81 AED 6.66

-12.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.55 AED 5.68

-22.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.70

$2.60 AED 9.57

-30.00%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.20

$3.58 AED 13.16

-7.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 AED 31.77

$12.12 AED 44.52

-28.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 AED 24.01

$9.50 AED 34.90

-31.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$13.88 AED 51.0

-17.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$2.63 AED 9.67

-14.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$1.90 AED 6.97

-7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.83

$1.85 AED 6.81

-28.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 AED 4.50

$1.50 AED 5.51

-18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$1.19 AED 4.36

-9.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.06

$1.01 AED 3.70

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 AED 5.20

$1.66 AED 6.10

-14.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.18

$0.62 AED 2.27

-4.84%

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

$6.11 AED 22.42

7.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.79

$1.47 AED 5.39

44.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.55 AED 101

$67.0 AED 246

-58.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 AED 13.26

$3.35 AED 12.31

7.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

$0.68 AED 2.48

-17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 AED 44.19

$8.24 AED 30.24

46.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.58

$0.92 AED 3.40

5.43%

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

$44.1K AED 162.1K

$26.0K AED 95.5K

69.80%

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

$21.0K AED 77.1K

$21.5K AED 79.0K

-2.43%

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

$212 AED 779

$248 AED 910

-14.35%

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

$48.90 AED 180

$56.2 AED 206

-12.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$93.8 AED 344

4.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 199

$91.1 AED 335

-40.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.44 AED 82.4

$45.35 AED 167

-50.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 AED 50.8

$16.58 AED 60.9

-16.65%

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

$340 AED 1,250

$949 AED 3,486

-64.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 AED 30.7K

$17.1K AED 62.8K

-51.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 AED 216

$70.5 AED 259

-16.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AED 288

$61.7 AED 227

26.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 AED 396

$101 AED 370

6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 AED 344

$114 AED 419

-17.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 AED 2,996

$2,510 AED 9,217

-67.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 AED 2,879

$1,537 AED 5,643

-48.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 AED 6,723

$5,106 AED 18.8K

-64.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 AED 5,795

$3,110 AED 11.4K

-49.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 AED 27.3K

$7,216 AED 26.5K

3.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 AED 9,368

$4,383 AED 16.1K

-41.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,219 AED 8,149

$3,556 AED 13.1K

-37.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.54

-0.88%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$784 45.4%

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1% 96% $753

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$359 20.8%

Dubai

$398 13.7% 10.8% $39

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 11.2%

Dubai

$295 10.2% 52.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$152 8.8%

Dubai

$156 5.4% 2.5% $3.7

Eating Out

Sharjah

$113 6.6%

Dubai

$307 10.6% 171% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.8%

Dubai

$124 4.3% 51.7% $42

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.5%

Dubai

$80 2.8% 87.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $816 in Sharjah and $2,510 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 60% 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: $32 in Sharjah vs $81 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $295 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

Same time as Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharjah is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Sharjah. 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: $816 in Sharjah versus $2,510 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sharjah runs roughly 59% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $340 in Sharjah versus $949 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, Sharjah 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, Sharjah 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 Sharjah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.