Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sidon and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidon: $1,001 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Sidon
Learn more

Sidon Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sidon

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,001

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,001 in Sidon versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Sidon $1,001
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,606 in Sidon versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Sidon $1,606
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,210 in Sidon versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Sidon $2,210
Dubai $5,872

Living in Sidon costs roughly 65% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sidon is 26% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 LBP 1.1M

$12.67 AED 46.55

-3.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 LBP 6.2M

$81.7 AED 300

-14.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 LBP 886.1K

$9.34 AED 34.30

6.00%

Cappuccino

$4.61 LBP 412.5K

$5.89 AED 21.62

-21.73%

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

$2.35 LBP 210.4K

$1.69 AED 6.20

39.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 LBP 74.6K

$0.78 AED 2.86

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 LBP 454.6K

$13.66 AED 50.2

-62.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 LBP 415.2K

$13.49 AED 49.54

-65.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 LBP 172.6K

$1.84 AED 6.78

4.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 LBP 75.6K

$1.50 AED 5.50

-44.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 LBP 202.7K

$2.57 AED 9.45

-11.67%

Eggs

$3.55 LBP 317.4K

$3.32 AED 12.18

6.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 LBP 976.8K

$12.60 AED 46.28

-13.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 LBP 947.8K

$9.66 AED 35.46

9.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

$12.78 AED 46.93

15.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 LBP 269.9K

$2.60 AED 9.54

16.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 151.8K

$1.90 AED 6.99

-10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 151.6K

$1.91 AED 7.02

-11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 137.0K

$1.37 AED 5.02

11.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 LBP 108.4K

$1.13 AED 4.14

7.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 138.0K

$1.01 AED 3.71

52.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 103.5K

$1.44 AED 5.30

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 LBP 65.6K

$0.67 AED 2.48

8.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 LBP 271.3K

$5.88 AED 21.59

-48.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 LBP 966.0K

$16.15 AED 59.3

-33.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 LBP 114.1K

$2.72 AED 10.00

-52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 LBP 221.0K

$3.08 AED 11.32

-19.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 LBP 450.2K

$3.24 AED 11.91

55.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 LBP 195.6K

$0.71 AED 2.61

208.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

$7.96 AED 29.22

179.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 LBP 98.2K

$0.98 AED 3.62

12.24%

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

$54.1K LBP 4.8B

$27.4K AED 100.6K

97.60%

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

$32.1K LBP 2.9B

$22.0K AED 80.9K

45.67%

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

$233 LBP 20.8M

$249 AED 913

-6.36%

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

$21.86 LBP 2.0M

$54.4 AED 200

-59.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.35 LBP 3.3M

$91.5 AED 336

-59.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$9.95 LBP 890.8K

$16.29 AED 59.8

-38.92%

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

$685 LBP 61.3M

$844 AED 3,098

-18.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 942.4M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-42.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

$67.0 AED 246

1.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 LBP 4.5M

$57.9 AED 213

-13.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 LBP 12.4M

$102 AED 375

35.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 LBP 10.7M

$98.7 AED 363

20.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

142.29%

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

Last update for Sidon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sidon

$292 29.2%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 35.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Sidon

$274 27.4%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 6.5% $18

Eating Out

Sidon

$230 23%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 32.6% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Sidon

$169 16.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 13.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sidon

$20 * 2%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 583% $116

Getting Around

Sidon

$16 * 1.6%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 459% $73

Accommodation & Living

Sidon

- * 0%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $70.0 in Sidon vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $292 per month, with Sidon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Sidon

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

1 h ahead of Sidon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

163,554

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sidon Dubai 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sidon
Dubai

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

Sidon vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sidon is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 189% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,501 in Sidon and $4,344 in Dubai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,001 per month in Sidon versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 189% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,001 in Sidon versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sidon but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sidon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sidon 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, Sidon 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 Sidon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.