Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living costs are similar in Sharjah and in Ras al-Khaimah: $1,838 and $1,840 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,838

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sharjah and in Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,838 per month in Sharjah vs $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Sharjah $1,838
Ras al-Khaimah $1,840

A couple spends around $2,578 per month in Sharjah vs $2,803 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Sharjah $2,578
Ras al-Khaimah $2,803

A family of three spends $3,318 per month in Sharjah vs $3,767 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Sharjah $3,318
Ras al-Khaimah $3,767

Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah sit above the global median – Sharjah by 36%, Ras al-Khaimah by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 AED 21.90

$13.76 AED 50.5

-56.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.28 AED 122

$40.26 AED 148

-17.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$7.53 AED 27.64

5.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.68 AED 35.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Cappuccino

$3.17 AED 11.64

$5.51 AED 20.22

-42.47%

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

$0.78 AED 2.87

$1.11 AED 4.08

-29.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 AED 1.06

$0.48 AED 1.76

-39.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.16 AED 37.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 AED 35.63

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 AED 5.63

$1.63 AED 6.00

-6.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 AED 4.18

$2.08 AED 7.65

-45.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 AED 6.71

$1.96 AED 7.20

-6.63%

Eggs

$3.33 AED 12.22

$2.35 AED 8.62

41.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 AED 32.80

$12.68 AED 46.57

-29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 AED 25.03

$9.95 AED 36.56

-31.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.29 AED 41.46

$15.46 AED 56.8

-26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 AED 7.99

$2.01 AED 7.39

7.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 AED 6.15

$1.67 AED 6.14

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 AED 4.98

$1.55 AED 5.69

-12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 AED 4.56

$1.36 AED 4.98

-8.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.80

$0.96 AED 3.54

7.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$0.87 AED 3.20

24.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 AED 5.47

$1.74 AED 6.39

-14.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 AED 2.21

$0.44 AED 1.61

36.36%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.47 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 AED 8.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 AED 9.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 AED 23.42

$6.97 AED 25.61

-8.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 AED 49.89

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 AED 10.56

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 AED 8.18

$2.12 AED 7.80

5.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.05 AED 99.3

$114 AED 419

-76.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 AED 13.45

$1.69 AED 6.21

116.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 AED 2.03

$0.80 AED 2.93

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.78 AED 43.26

$8.16 AED 29.96

44.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.40

$0.93 AED 3.41

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

$46.1K AED 169.4K

$45.8K AED 168.2K

0.69%

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

$21.7K AED 79.9K

$22.3K AED 82.0K

-2.63%

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

$211 AED 774

$121 AED 444

74.35%

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

$49.45 AED 182

$44.73 AED 164

10.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$79.4 AED 291

23.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 AED 198

$57.9 AED 213

-6.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.30 AED 81.9

$40.22 AED 148

-44.55%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 AED 50.9

$12.72 AED 46.70

8.96%

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

$329 AED 1,210

$299 AED 1,099

10.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,480 AED 31.1K

$4,462 AED 16.4K

90.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 AED 217

$80.6 AED 296

-26.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 AED 285

$53.1 AED 195

46.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 AED 404

$119 AED 438

-7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 AED 354

$117 AED 430

-17.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 AED 3,033

$767 AED 2,819

7.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 AED 3,285

$657 AED 2,413

36.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 AED 6,730

$1,660 AED 6,095

10.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 AED 5,228

$1,243 AED 4,563

14.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,099 AED 29.7K

$5,007 AED 18.4K

61.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 AED 10.2K

$1,962 AED 7,207

41.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,187 AED 8,031

$1,577 AED 5,791

38.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.92

-8.54%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$894 48.7%

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7% 26.5% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$358 19.5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3% 31.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 10.5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5% 47.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$154 8.4%

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1% 7.9% $12

Eating Out

Sharjah

$114 6.2%

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15% 142% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.4%

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5% 2.1% $1.7

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.3%

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7% 203% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $826 in Sharjah versus $767 in Ras al-Khaimah. 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 39% higher in Sharjah. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Sharjah versus $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $285 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

Same time as Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

241,000

💱 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

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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 Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,757 per month in Sharjah and $2,760 in Ras al-Khaimah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Sharjah and $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 322% less in Sharjah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharjah, where all-in costs run around $1,838, than in Ras al-Khaimah at $1,840. In Sharjah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ras al-Khaimah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 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 Sharjah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ras al-Khaimah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.