Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taif and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,239 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,239

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,239 in Taif versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Taif $1,239
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,827 in Taif versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Taif $1,827
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,416 in Taif versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Taif $2,416
Dubai $5,872

Living in Taif costs roughly 57% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taif is 8% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.28 SAR 19.82

$12.67 AED 46.55

-58.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.38 SAR 140

$81.7 AED 300

-54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 SAR 27.41

$9.34 AED 34.30

-21.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$2.23 SAR 8.37

$5.89 AED 21.62

-62.14%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.64

$1.69 AED 6.20

-58.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 SAR 0.64

$0.78 AED 2.86

-78.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.84 AED 6.78

-4.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 SAR 0.97

$1.50 AED 5.50

-82.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.80

$2.57 AED 9.45

-8.95%

Eggs

$2.74 SAR 10.26

$3.32 AED 12.18

-17.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 SAR 22.40

$12.60 AED 46.28

-52.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 SAR 26.68

$9.66 AED 35.46

-26.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 SAR 35.50

$12.78 AED 46.93

-25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 SAR 8.94

$2.60 AED 9.54

-8.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.90 AED 6.99

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 SAR 6.90

$1.91 AED 7.02

-3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

$1.37 AED 5.02

33.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 SAR 4.92

$1.13 AED 4.14

15.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 SAR 5.33

$1.01 AED 3.71

40.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 SAR 3.54

$1.44 AED 5.30

-34.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 SAR 3.07

$0.67 AED 2.48

22.39%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.20 SAR 11.99

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 SAR 5.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 SAR 7.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.36 SAR 27.63

$5.88 AED 21.59

25.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$1.60 AED 5.87

-33.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.19 SAR 136

$76.0 AED 279

-52.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 SAR 4.86

$3.24 AED 11.91

-59.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SAR 7.68

$0.71 AED 2.61

188.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.42 SAR 35.34

$7.96 AED 29.22

18.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$0.98 AED 3.62

-38.78%

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

$44.6K SAR 167.3K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

62.81%

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

$20.8K SAR 78.1K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-5.52%

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

$138 SAR 519

$249 AED 913

-44.39%

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

$28.04 SAR 105

$54.4 AED 200

-48.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 SAR 253

$91.5 AED 336

-26.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$145 SAR 543

$103 AED 380

39.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.23 SAR 49.64

$42.32 AED 155

-68.74%

Cinema Ticket

$19.68 SAR 73.9

$16.29 AED 59.8

20.81%

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

$185 SAR 693

$844 AED 3,098

-78.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,342 SAR 12.5K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-81.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.10 SAR 158

$67.0 AED 246

-37.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 SAR 208

$57.9 AED 213

-4.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 SAR 358

$102 AED 375

-6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 SAR 324

$98.7 AED 363

-12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 SAR 2,187

$2,393 AED 8,788

-75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 SAR 1,380

$1,533 AED 5,630

-76.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 SAR 3,012

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-82.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 SAR 2,124

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-80.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,395 SAR 8,986

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-66.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,368 SAR 5,132

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-67.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,567 SAR 5,880

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-54.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

4.54

22.03%

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

Last update for Taif: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taif

$368 29.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 317% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taif

$234 18.9%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 68.9% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Taif

$184 14.9%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 26.1% $48

Groceries & Markets

Taif

$181 14.6%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 60.8% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Taif

$126 10.2%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 16.6% $21

Eating Out

Taif

$94 7.6%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 223% $211

Getting Around

Taif

$52 4.2%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 71.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $583 in Taif and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 121% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Taif vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $292 per month, with Taif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Taif

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of Taif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,970

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

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Between locations

Taif Dubai 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Taif
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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

Taif vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taif is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 134% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 121% lower in Dubai. 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: $583 in Taif versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taif runs roughly 110% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $185 in Taif versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,239 in Taif versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taif but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Taif the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taif 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, Taif 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 Taif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.