Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suwon and Al Ain

For one person, living is cheaper in Suwon: $1,372 a month against $1,804 in Al Ain, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Suwon
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Suwon Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Al Ain
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Al Ain Living Index

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Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,372

/mo nomad

Al Ain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suwon and in Al Ain

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Suwon and in Al Ain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Suwon vs $1,804 in Al Ain, rent included.

Suwon $1,372
Al Ain $1,804

A couple spends around $2,163 per month in Suwon vs $2,558 in Al Ain, rent included.

Suwon $2,163
Al Ain $2,558

A family of three spends $2,954 per month in Suwon vs $3,312 in Al Ain, rent included.

Suwon $2,954
Al Ain $3,312

Suwon is about 24% cheaper than Al Ain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 ₩8,118

$8.33 AED 30.59

-27.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 ₩40.1K

$53.5 AED 197

-44.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ₩10.3K

$8.57 AED 31.47

-10.74%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ₩4,572

$4.74 AED 17.41

-28.06%

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

$1.57 ₩2,100

$0.73 AED 2.70

115.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₩790

$0.33 AED 1.20

78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,136

$8.23 AED 30.24

-53.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 ₩6,390

$6.61 AED 24.26

-27.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 ₩3,491

$1.84 AED 6.75

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ₩3,482

$1.58 AED 5.80

64.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 ₩4,510

$2.20 AED 8.09

52.73%

Eggs

$3.17 ₩4,249

$2.78 AED 10.22

14.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 ₩14.9K

$9.55 AED 35.08

16.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 ₩15.6K

$10.13 AED 37.19

14.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.3K

$8.88 AED 32.59

28.27%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 ₩8,338

$2.51 AED 9.21

147.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 ₩3,925

$1.98 AED 7.26

47.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 ₩7,100

$1.88 AED 6.90

181.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ₩5,904

$1.53 AED 5.62

187.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 ₩4,646

$1.17 AED 4.31

196.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 ₩3,669

$1.15 AED 4.23

138.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.94 ₩6,619

$0.84 AED 3.07

488.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₩1,821

$0.51 AED 1.89

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ₩5,000

$6.21 AED 22.79

-39.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 ₩18.0K

$12.49 AED 45.86

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 ₩3,393

$2.57 AED 9.43

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 ₩5,169

$2.49 AED 9.15

55.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ₩1,658

$0.62 AED 2.27

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.67 ₩65.2K

$26.05 AED 95.7

86.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 ₩3,861

$2.36 AED 8.67

22.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩842

$0.56 AED 2.07

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.98 ₩12.0K

$8.11 AED 29.80

10.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₩1,771

$0.93 AED 3.42

41.94%

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

$28.7K ₩38.5M

$25.6K AED 94.0K

12.13%

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

$25.2K ₩33.8M

$21.5K AED 79.0K

17.18%

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

$186 ₩248.9K

$113 AED 416

63.81%

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

$18.20 ₩24.4K

$48.02 AED 176

-62.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.99 ₩24.1K

$91.8 AED 337

-80.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 ₩58.6K

$56.5 AED 207

-22.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₩15.8K

$27.38 AED 101

-56.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 ₩15.0K

$13.81 AED 50.7

-18.97%

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

$691 ₩926.5K

$849 AED 3,120

-18.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ₩24.5M

$7,464 AED 27.4K

144.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.03 ₩49.6K

$43.83 AED 161

-15.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$109 ₩146.5K

$49.40 AED 181

121.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₩102.5K

$71.1 AED 261

7.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ₩80.4K

$103 AED 378

-41.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ₩587.3K

$876 AED 3,217

-49.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ₩471.8K

$847 AED 3,111

-58.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ₩1.6M

$1,665 AED 6,114

-28.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₩1.1M

$1,220 AED 4,479

-32.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ₩16.9M

$2,645 AED 9,714

376.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,074 ₩9.5M

$1,548 AED 5,687

356.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,638 ₩3.5M

$2,670 AED 9,805

-1.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.55

42.86%

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

Last update for Suwon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al Ain: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suwon

$395 28.8%

Al Ain

$258 14.3% 34.8% $137

Accommodation & Living

Suwon

$352 25.7%

Al Ain

$847 47% 141% $495

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suwon

$222 16.2%

Al Ain

$253 14% 14.1% $31

Eating Out

Suwon

$150 10.9%

Al Ain

$208 11.5% 38.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Suwon

$127 9.3%

Al Ain

$120 6.7% 5.5% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Suwon

$66 4.8%

Al Ain

$84 4.7% 27.2% $18

Getting Around

Suwon

$60 4.4%

Al Ain

$34 1.9% 43.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Suwon versus $876 in Al Ain. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Suwon versus $54 in Al Ain. Groceries tell a different story – $395 in Suwon vs $258 in Al Ain – so Al Ain wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Suwon

🇦🇪 Al Ain

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

10:28 10:28 AM

5 h behind Suwon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,203,000

631,005

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Suwon Al Ain 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Suwon
Al Ain

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

Suwon vs Al Ain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Ain costs about 32% more than Suwon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,057 per month in Suwon and $2,706 in Al Ain. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suwon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $438 there versus $876 in Al Ain.

Kindergarten costs $691 per month in Suwon and $849 in Al Ain. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 35% cheaper in Al Ain – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,372 in Suwon and $1,804 in Al Ain, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Suwon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.