Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain

For one person, living is cheaper in Umm Al Quwain: $1,447 a month against $1,726 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sharjah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Umm Al Quwain
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Umm Al Quwain Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Umm Al Quwain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sharjah and in Umm Al Quwain

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 Umm Al Quwain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Sharjah versus $1,447 in Umm Al Quwain.

Sharjah $1,726
Umm Al Quwain $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Sharjah versus $2,034 in Umm Al Quwain.

Sharjah $2,594
Umm Al Quwain $2,034

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,462 in Sharjah versus $2,620 in Umm Al Quwain.

Sharjah $3,462
Umm Al Quwain $2,620

Living in Sharjah is roughly 19% more expensive than in Umm Al Quwain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sharjah 27% above, Umm Al Quwain 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.58

$5.76 AED 21.15

2.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.16 AED 118

$26.98 AED 99.1

19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.87

$8.39 AED 30.80

-3.10%

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

$3.86 AED 14.19

-19.17%

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

$0.75 AED 2.75

$0.86 AED 3.16

-12.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.36 AED 1.33

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.04 AED 40.54

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.29 AED 45.14

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.86 AED 6.84

-14.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.36 AED 4.99

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.70

$1.46 AED 5.37

24.66%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.20

$2.11 AED 7.76

57.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 AED 31.77

$7.61 AED 27.94

13.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 AED 24.01

$6.52 AED 23.94

0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$9.42 AED 34.59

21.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$1.90 AED 6.99

18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$1.39 AED 5.12

25.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.83

$1.56 AED 5.73

-15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 AED 4.50

$0.98 AED 3.60

25.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$1.01 AED 3.71

6.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.06

$1.00 AED 3.66

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 AED 5.20

$1.19 AED 4.38

19.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.18

$0.51 AED 1.87

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

$6.16 AED 22.63

6.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 AED 40.20

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 AED 6.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 AED 8.49

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.55 AED 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 AED 13.26

$3.28 AED 12.06

10.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

$0.66 AED 2.42

-15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 AED 44.19

$8.01 AED 29.40

50.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.58

$0.83 AED 3.06

16.87%

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

$44.1K AED 162.1K

$25.8K AED 94.6K

71.30%

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

$21.0K AED 77.1K

$22.0K AED 80.7K

-4.47%

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

$212 AED 779

$150 AED 550

41.66%

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

$48.90 AED 180

$50.0 AED 184

-2.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$86.6 AED 318

13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 199

$44.50 AED 163

21.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.44 AED 82.4

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 AED 50.8

$13.53 AED 49.69

2.14%

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

$340 AED 1,250

$491 AED 1,803

-30.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 AED 30.7K

$5,705 AED 21.0K

46.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 AED 216

$58.3 AED 214

0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AED 288

$61.5 AED 226

27.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 AED 396

$86.5 AED 318

24.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 AED 344

$95.2 AED 349

-1.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 AED 2,996

$683 AED 2,509

19.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 AED 2,879

$534 AED 1,962

46.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 AED 6,723

$1,037 AED 3,807

76.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 AED 5,795

$829 AED 3,045

90.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 AED 27.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 AED 9,368

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,219 AED 8,149

$3,327 AED 12.2K

-33.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.75

-5.26%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Umm Al Quwain: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$784 45.4%

Umm Al Quwain

$534 36.9% 31.8% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$359 20.8%

Umm Al Quwain

$286 19.8% 20.2% $73

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 11.2%

Umm Al Quwain

$210 14.5% 8.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$152 8.8%

Umm Al Quwain

$136 9.4% 11% $17

Eating Out

Sharjah

$113 6.6%

Umm Al Quwain

$202 14% 78.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.8%

Umm Al Quwain

$72 5% 12.6% $10

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.5%

Umm Al Quwain

$6.6 * 0.5% 84.5% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $816 in Sharjah and $683 in Umm Al Quwain. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Umm Al Quwain pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Sharjah vs $27 in Umm Al Quwain. Groceries flip the comparison at $193 vs $210, with Sharjah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇦🇪 Umm Al Quwain

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

Same time as Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

34,637

💱 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

On the map

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Sharjah Umm Al Quwain 26 km

From you

Sharjah
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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 Umm Al Quwain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,726 in Sharjah and $1,447 in Umm Al Quwain, so Umm Al Quwain is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $683 in Umm Al Quwain. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $340 in Sharjah versus $491 in Umm Al Quwain. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Umm Al Quwain – a meal for two runs $27 versus $32 in Sharjah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Umm Al Quwain is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.