Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sousse and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sousse: $783 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sousse, Tunisia
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Sousse
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$783
/mo nomad
Dubai
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$2,889
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $783 in Sousse versus $2,889 in Dubai.

  • Sousse $783
  • Dubai $2,889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,267 in Sousse versus $4,444 in Dubai.

  • Sousse $1,267
  • Dubai $4,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,751 in Sousse versus $5,999 in Dubai.

  • Sousse $1,751
  • Dubai $5,999

Living in Sousse costs roughly 73% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sousse is 42% below, Dubai is 114% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.13 TND 15.27
$12.94 AED 47.54
-60.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.27 TND 69.2
$83.2 AED 306
-72.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.64 TND 19.75
$9.35 AED 34.32
-28.98%
Cappuccino
$1.17 TND 3.47
$5.88 AED 21.60
-80.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 TND 2.32
$1.57 AED 5.77
-50.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 TND 1.11
$0.94 AED 3.47
-60.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 TND 4.93
$13.44 AED 49.38
-87.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 TND 4.86
$13.57 AED 49.84
-87.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.48 TND 1.42
$1.86 AED 6.83
-74.19%
White Bread (500g)
$0.13 TND 0.39
$1.56 AED 5.73
-91.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 TND 3.86
$2.64 AED 9.68
-50.76%
Eggs
$1.64 TND 4.87
$3.53 AED 12.96
-53.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.78 TND 40.96
$12.97 AED 47.62
6.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.55 TND 16.50
$9.94 AED 36.51
-44.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.00 TND 41.64
$12.92 AED 47.45
8.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.07 TND 6.14
$2.55 AED 9.36
-18.82%
Banana (1kg)
$3.58 TND 10.65
$2.05 AED 7.54
74.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.97 TND 2.89
$1.84 AED 6.77
-47.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.74 TND 2.20
$1.54 AED 5.64
-51.95%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 TND 2.46
$1.17 AED 4.31
-29.06%
Onion (1kg)
$0.68 TND 2.02
$1.02 AED 3.76
-33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.41 TND 1.21
$1.57 AED 5.75
-73.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 TND 0.88
$0.67 AED 2.46
-55.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.76 TND 11.19
$6.31 AED 23.17
-40.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.04 TND 17.94
$16.16 AED 59.4
-62.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 TND 3.18
$2.58 AED 9.48
-58.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 TND 3.46
$2.89 AED 10.60
-59.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.32 TND 0.94
$1.40 AED 5.15
-77.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.92 TND 29.50
$82.4 AED 303
-87.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.31 TND 0.94
$3.29 AED 12.07
-90.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.70 TND 2.09
$0.65 AED 2.40
7.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 TND 11.73
$8.13 AED 29.84
-51.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 TND 2.57
$1.00 AED 3.68
-14.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.9K TND 118.6K
$26.3K AED 96.6K
51.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K TND 109.1K
$22.0K AED 81.0K
66.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.8 TND 222
$239 AED 877
-68.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.79 TND 40.99
$56.9 AED 209
-75.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.54 TND 58.1
$93.9 AED 345
-79.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.74 TND 85.5
$90.8 AED 334
-68.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.00 TND 80.3
$46.38 AED 170
-41.79%
Cinema Ticket
$6.24 TND 18.54
$16.24 AED 59.6
-61.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.4 TND 275
$934 AED 3,429
-90.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,605 TND 10.7K
$20.9K AED 76.8K
-82.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.7 TND 154
$70.7 AED 260
-26.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$72.8 TND 216
$61.3 AED 225
18.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$153 TND 455
$103 AED 377
49.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.3 TND 289
$116 AED 426
-16.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$243 TND 724
$2,487 AED 9,134
-90.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$161 TND 480
$1,520 AED 5,581
-89.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$510 TND 1,517
$5,234 AED 19.2K
-90.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$347 TND 1,032
$3,028 AED 11.1K
-88.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$920 TND 2,736
$6,982 AED 25.6K
-86.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$659 TND 1,960
$4,433 AED 16.3K
-85.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$373 TND 1,108
$3,553 AED 13.0K
-89.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
4.57
140.70%

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

Last update for Sousse: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sousse
$197
Dubai
$297 50.8% $100
Clothing & Footwear
Sousse
$169
Dubai
$158 6.4% $11
Accommodation & Living
Sousse
$161
Dubai
$1.5K 842% $1.4K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sousse
$108
Dubai
$390 260% $281
Eating Out
Sousse
$91
Dubai
$307 236% $215
Sport & Entertainment
Sousse
$41
Dubai
$123 199% $82
Getting Around
Sousse
$15
Dubai
$95 530% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $243 in Sousse and $2,487 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 9.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Sousse vs $83 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $297 per month, with Sousse cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Sousse
🇦🇪 Dubai
🕒 Local time
19:38 7:38 PM
22:38 10:38 PM
3 h ahead of Sousse
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
221,530
3,790,000
💱 Currency
UAE Dirham AED د.إ
Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.97 TND (1 TND = 0.336 USD). 1 EUR = 3.34 TND (1 TND = 0.299 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sousse Dubai 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sousse
  • 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
Sousse vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sousse cheaper than Dubai?
Sousse is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Sousse or Dubai?
On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Sousse. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Sousse and Dubai?
Rent for a central apartment: $243 in Sousse versus $2,487 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Sousse runs roughly 88% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $92 in Sousse versus $934 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Sousse or in Dubai?
At $783 in Sousse versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sousse but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sousse the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Sousse or in Dubai?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Sousse gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Sousse vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?