Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Fujairah

For one person, living is cheaper in Fujairah: $1,440 a month against $1,831 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sharjah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
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Fujairah Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,831

/mo nomad

Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,440

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sharjah and in Fujairah

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 Fujairah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,831 per month in Sharjah vs $1,440 in Fujairah, rent included.

Sharjah $1,831
Fujairah $1,440

A couple spends around $2,551 per month in Sharjah vs $4,010 in Fujairah, rent included.

Sharjah $2,551
Fujairah $4,010

A family of three spends $3,270 per month in Sharjah vs $6,579 in Fujairah, rent included.

Sharjah $3,270
Fujairah $6,579

Sharjah costs about 27% more than Fujairah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sharjah and Fujairah sit above the global median – Sharjah by 35%, Fujairah by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.81 AED 21.35

$7.55 AED 27.74

-23.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.73 AED 120

$40.89 AED 150

-19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.36 AED 30.69

$7.50 AED 27.54

11.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 AED 35.99

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.27 AED 34.03

Cappuccino

$3.15 AED 11.57

$5.68 AED 20.87

-44.54%

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

$0.80 AED 2.92

$1.14 AED 4.20

-29.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 AED 1.06

$0.40 AED 1.47

-27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.89 AED 32.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 AED 34.06

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 AED 5.55

$1.70 AED 6.24

-11.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 AED 4.21

$1.39 AED 5.09

-17.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 AED 6.51

$1.86 AED 6.84

-4.84%

Eggs

$3.23 AED 11.88

$2.33 AED 8.56

38.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.56 AED 31.43

$12.61 AED 46.30

-32.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 AED 23.82

$9.48 AED 34.81

-31.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 AED 42.04

$8.00 AED 29.37

43.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 AED 8.05

$1.82 AED 6.69

20.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 AED 6.16

$1.66 AED 6.10

1.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 AED 5.07

$1.54 AED 5.65

-10.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 AED 4.73

$0.91 AED 3.34

41.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.79

$0.85 AED 3.10

21.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$0.89 AED 3.26

21.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 AED 5.18

$0.81 AED 2.96

74.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 AED 2.02

$0.44 AED 1.61

25.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.38 AED 56.5

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 AED 8.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.64

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 AED 23.59

$5.47 AED 20.11

17.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 AED 49.43

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 AED 7.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 AED 8.74

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 AED 7.95

$3.37 AED 12.36

-35.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.56 AED 101

$40.88 AED 150

-32.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 AED 13.61

$2.80 AED 10.30

32.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 AED 2.08

$0.53 AED 1.93

7.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.20 AED 44.79

$7.97 AED 29.29

53.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 AED 3.44

$0.90 AED 3.31

4.44%

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

$44.2K AED 162.2K

$25.9K AED 95.1K

70.60%

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

$21.8K AED 80.0K

$20.2K AED 74.0K

8.01%

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

$210 AED 771

$123 AED 450

71.28%

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

$49.69 AED 182

$44.62 AED 164

11.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.4 AED 361

$76.7 AED 282

28.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 AED 194

$47.80 AED 176

10.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.04 AED 81.0

$13.70 AED 50.3

60.88%

Cinema Ticket

$13.67 AED 50.2

$11.04 AED 40.53

23.82%

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

$328 AED 1,206

$261 AED 959

25.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,338 AED 30.6K

$4,476 AED 16.4K

86.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 AED 213

$21.89 AED 80.4

164.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.8 AED 282

$13.77 AED 50.6

457.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 AED 402

$76.0 AED 279

43.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 AED 355

$62.0 AED 228

55.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 AED 2,947

$584 AED 2,145

37.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 AED 3,283

$527 AED 1,934

69.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 AED 6,615

$5,276 AED 19.4K

-65.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 AED 5,115

$4,659 AED 17.1K

-70.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,286 AED 30.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,770 AED 10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,195 AED 8,061

$3,751 AED 13.8K

-41.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

2.5

80.00%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 20, 2026

Last update for Fujairah: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$894 48.8%

Fujairah

$527 36.6% 41.1% $367

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$358 19.6%

Fujairah

$244 16.9% 31.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$190 10.4%

Fujairah

$242 16.8% 27.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$153 8.4%

Fujairah

$78 5.4% 49% $75

Eating Out

Sharjah

$114 6.2%

Fujairah

$220 15.3% 93.7% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$80 4.4%

Fujairah

$70 4.9% 12.9% $10

Getting Around

Sharjah

$43 2.3%

Fujairah

$60 4.2% 39.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Sharjah versus $584 in Fujairah. 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 71% higher in Fujairah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Sharjah versus $41.00 in Fujairah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $242 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

Same time as Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

93,673

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sharjah Fujairah 95 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

Sharjah vs Fujairah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,831 in Sharjah, $1,440 in Fujairah – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,747 per month in Sharjah and $2,161 in Fujairah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fujairah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $328 per month in Sharjah and $261 in Fujairah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Sharjah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fujairah, where all-in costs run around $1,440, than in Sharjah at $1,831. In Fujairah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sharjah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sharjah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,440 in Fujairah to $1,831 in Sharjah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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