Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
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.
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
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.13TND 15.27
$12.94AED 47.54
-60.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.27TND 69.2
$83.2AED 306
-72.04%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$6.64TND 19.75
$9.35AED 34.32
-28.98%
Cappuccino
$1.17TND 3.47
$5.88AED 21.60
-80.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78TND 2.32
$1.57AED 5.77
-50.32%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37TND 1.11
$0.94AED 3.47
-60.64%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.66TND 4.93
$13.44AED 49.38
-87.65%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64TND 4.86
$13.57AED 49.84
-87.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.48TND 1.42
$1.86AED 6.83
-74.19%
White Bread(500g)
$0.13TND 0.39
$1.56AED 5.73
-91.67%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.30TND 3.86
$2.64AED 9.68
-50.76%
Eggs
$1.64TND 4.87
$3.53AED 12.96
-53.54%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.78TND 40.96
$12.97AED 47.62
6.25%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$5.55TND 16.50
$9.94AED 36.51
-44.16%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$14.00TND 41.64
$12.92AED 47.45
8.36%
Apples(1kg)
$2.07TND 6.14
$2.55AED 9.36
-18.82%
Banana(1kg)
$3.58TND 10.65
$2.05AED 7.54
74.63%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.97TND 2.89
$1.84AED 6.77
-47.28%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.74TND 2.20
$1.54AED 5.64
-51.95%
Potato(1kg)
$0.83TND 2.46
$1.17AED 4.31
-29.06%
Onion(1kg)
$0.68TND 2.02
$1.02AED 3.76
-33.33%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.41TND 1.21
$1.57AED 5.75
-73.89%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30TND 0.88
$0.67AED 2.46
-55.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.76TND 11.19
$6.31AED 23.17
-40.41%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.04TND 17.94
$16.16AED 59.4
-62.62%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07TND 3.18
$2.58AED 9.48
-58.53%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16TND 3.46
$2.89AED 10.60
-59.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.32TND 0.94
$1.40AED 5.15
-77.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$9.92TND 29.50
$82.4AED 303
-87.97%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.31TND 0.94
$3.29AED 12.07
-90.58%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.70TND 2.09
$0.65AED 2.40
7.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$3.95TND 11.73
$8.13AED 29.84
-51.41%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.86TND 2.57
$1.00AED 3.68
-14.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.9KTND 118.6K
$26.3KAED 96.6K
51.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7KTND 109.1K
$22.0KAED 81.0K
66.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$74.8TND 222
$239AED 877
-68.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.79TND 40.99
$56.9AED 209
-75.76%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.54TND 58.1
$93.9AED 345
-79.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$28.74TND 85.5
$90.8AED 334
-68.36%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.00TND 80.3
$46.38AED 170
-41.79%
Cinema Ticket
$6.24TND 18.54
$16.24AED 59.6
-61.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$92.4TND 275
$934AED 3,429
-90.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$3,605TND 10.7K
$20.9KAED 76.8K
-82.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.7TND 154
$70.7AED 260
-26.88%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$72.8TND 216
$61.3AED 225
18.67%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$153TND 455
$103AED 377
49.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.3TND 289
$116AED 426
-16.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$243TND 724
$2,487AED 9,134
-90.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$161TND 480
$1,520AED 5,581
-89.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$510TND 1,517
$5,234AED 19.2K
-90.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$347TND 1,032
$3,028AED 11.1K
-88.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$920TND 2,736
$6,982AED 25.6K
-86.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$659TND 1,960
$4,433AED 16.3K
-85.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sousse
Dubai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$373TND 1,108
$3,553AED 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.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sousse
$197 25.2%
Dubai
$297 10.3% ↑ 50.8%$100
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sousse
$169 21.6%
Dubai
$158 5.5% ↓ 6.4%$11
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sousse
$161 20.6%
Dubai
$1.5K 52.6% ↑ 842%$1.4K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sousse
$108 13.8%
Dubai
$390 13.5% ↑ 260%$281
🍽Eating Out
Sousse
$91 11.7%
Dubai
$307 10.6% ↑ 236%$215
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sousse
$41 5.3%
Dubai
$123 4.3% ↑ 199%$82
🚌Getting Around
Sousse
$15 1.9%
Dubai
$95 3.3% ↑ 530%$80
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sousse
$470 26.9%
Dubai
$675 11.2% ↑ 43.4%$204
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sousse
$375 21.4%
Dubai
$351 5.9% ↓ 6.4%$24
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sousse
$347 19.8%
Dubai
$3K 50.5% ↑ 772%$2.7K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sousse
$122 7%
Dubai
$447 7.4% ↑ 266%$325
🍽Eating Out
Sousse
$297 17%
Dubai
$1K 16.9% ↑ 242%$717
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sousse
$109 6.3%
Dubai
$293 4.9% ↑ 168%$184
🚌Getting Around
Sousse
$31 1.8%
Dubai
$192 3.2% ↑ 526%$161
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.
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.