Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Jiu and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $1,012 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,012

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Targu Jiu versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Targu Jiu $1,012
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,570 in Targu Jiu versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Targu Jiu $1,570
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,128 in Targu Jiu versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Targu Jiu $2,128
Dubai $5,872

Living in Targu Jiu costs roughly 65% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Targu Jiu is 25% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 RON 69.8

$12.67 AED 46.55

16.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 RON 266

$81.7 AED 300

-31.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 RON 33.74

$9.34 AED 34.30

-23.66%

Cappuccino

$3.59 RON 16.98

$5.89 AED 21.62

-39.05%

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

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.69 AED 6.20

-36.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 RON 10.58

$0.78 AED 2.86

187.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RON 17.75

$13.66 AED 50.2

-72.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.81

$13.49 AED 49.54

-68.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.84 AED 6.78

-7.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$1.50 AED 5.50

-13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.01

$2.57 AED 9.45

-34.24%

Eggs

$2.79 RON 13.22

$3.32 AED 12.18

-15.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.54

$12.60 AED 46.28

-40.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.01 RON 14.26

$9.66 AED 35.46

-68.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 RON 34.22

$12.78 AED 46.93

-43.43%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 RON 4.68

$2.60 AED 9.54

-61.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.06

$1.90 AED 6.99

-21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$1.91 AED 7.02

-40.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.09

$1.37 AED 5.02

-5.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$1.13 AED 4.14

-31.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.69

$1.01 AED 3.71

-22.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$1.44 AED 5.30

-54.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 RON 2.45

$0.67 AED 2.48

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 RON 24.25

$5.88 AED 21.59

-12.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.99 RON 14.13

$16.15 AED 59.3

-81.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$2.72 AED 10.00

-67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 RON 4.90

$3.08 AED 11.32

-66.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$1.60 AED 5.87

-51.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.85 RON 103

$76.0 AED 279

-71.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.86

$3.24 AED 11.91

-81.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.71 AED 2.61

-12.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 RON 29.92

$7.96 AED 29.22

-20.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 RON 7.21

$0.98 AED 3.62

55.10%

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

$28.3K RON 133.9K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

3.34%

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

$26.6K RON 125.9K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

20.80%

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

$195 RON 924

$249 AED 913

-21.39%

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

$6.03 RON 28.53

$54.4 AED 200

-88.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$91.5 AED 336

-90.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.69 RON 178

$103 AED 380

-63.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.62 RON 97.6

$42.32 AED 155

-51.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 RON 40.36

$16.29 AED 59.8

-47.64%

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

$630 RON 2,978

$844 AED 3,098

-25.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,998 RON 33.1K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-61.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 RON 240

$67.0 AED 246

-24.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.22 RON 119

$57.9 AED 213

-56.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 RON 252

$102 AED 375

-47.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 RON 405

$98.7 AED 363

-13.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 RON 1,636

$2,393 AED 8,788

-85.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 RON 1,143

$1,533 AED 5,630

-84.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$479 RON 2,266

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-89.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 RON 1,898

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-86.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 RON 8,838

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-73.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 RON 6,454

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-67.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 RON 2,452

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-85.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

4.54

48.46%

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

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Jiu

$242 23.9%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 535% $1.3K

Eating Out

Targu Jiu

$223 22%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 37% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Jiu

$210 20.8%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 87.4% $184

Groceries & Markets

Targu Jiu

$157 15.5%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 85.5% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Jiu

$97 9.6%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 51.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Jiu

$55 5.4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 148% $81

Getting Around

Targu Jiu

$29 2.8%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 211% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $346 in Targu Jiu and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 568% 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: $56.0 in Targu Jiu vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $157 vs $292 per month, with Targu Jiu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h ahead of Targu Jiu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,504

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Targu Jiu Dubai 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Targu Jiu
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

Targu Jiu vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Jiu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 186% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 568% 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: $346 in Targu Jiu 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 Targu Jiu runs roughly 248% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $630 in Targu Jiu versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,012 in Targu Jiu versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Targu Jiu but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Jiu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Targu Jiu 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, Targu Jiu 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 Targu Jiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.