Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in The Hague: $2,685 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

133

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,685

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,685 in The Hague versus $2,854 in Dubai.

The Hague $2,685
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,047 in The Hague versus $4,321 in Dubai.

The Hague $4,047
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,409 in The Hague versus $5,788 in Dubai.

The Hague $5,409
Dubai $5,788

Living in The Hague costs roughly 6% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 100% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.83

$13.04 AED 47.89

70.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.2

$81.4 AED 299

10.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.31 €13.66

$9.32 AED 34.25

64.27%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.86

$5.97 AED 21.93

-27.64%

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

$4.26 €3.80

$1.63 AED 5.98

161.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 €3.74

$0.81 AED 2.99

417.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 €6.37

$13.65 AED 50.1

-47.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 €6.97

$13.38 AED 49.15

-41.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.81 AED 6.64

-17.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.57 AED 5.78

45.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.49 AED 9.16

1.61%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.06

$3.28 AED 12.04

38.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 €13.30

$12.67 AED 46.53

17.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.82 €11.44

$9.75 AED 35.80

31.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.97

$13.18 AED 48.40

44.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.61 AED 9.57

0.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.93 AED 7.09

14.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.92 AED 7.05

6.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 €3.20

$1.36 AED 5.00

163.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.17 AED 4.29

16.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.01 AED 3.71

27.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.51 AED 5.56

-21.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.62 AED 2.29

40.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.60 €13.03

$5.85 AED 21.50

149.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 €5.18

$16.14 AED 59.3

-64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.65 AED 9.74

-51.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.95 AED 10.82

-35.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.95

$1.64 AED 6.03

170.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.7 €83.6

$73.6 AED 270

27.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 €4.12

$3.17 AED 11.66

45.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.07

$0.71 AED 2.63

384.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.53

$7.96 AED 29.23

329.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.99 AED 3.64

165.66%

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

$41.2K €36.8K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

50.61%

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

$39.2K €35.0K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

73.94%

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

$280 €250

$250 AED 920

11.84%

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

$28.43 €25.37

$54.2 AED 199

-47.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 €48.40

$91.8 AED 337

-40.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €44.82

$98.6 AED 362

-49.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.51 €21.87

$42.61 AED 156

-42.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.20

$16.03 AED 58.9

6.24%

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

$2,418 €2,157

$843 AED 3,098

186.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-34.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.3

$68.0 AED 250

37.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 €38.65

$57.9 AED 213

-25.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$101 AED 370

5.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$101 AED 371

37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 €1,487

$2,380 AED 8,741

-30.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,160

$1,506 AED 5,531

-13.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,498

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-36.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 €2,030

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-24.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,156 €5,494

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-13.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,536 €4,048

$4,135 AED 15.2K

9.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,034 €3,600

$3,391 AED 12.5K

18.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

4.54

-25.11%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47.4%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 15.9% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$363 13.2%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 9.3% $34

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 14.4% $52

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$328 12%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 10.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$172 6.3%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 14.1% $24

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Dubai

$87 3% 34.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 55% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,666 in The Hague and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90.0 in The Hague vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $293 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

2 h ahead of The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

The Hague Dubai 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

The Hague
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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

The Hague vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Hague is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 19% higher in The Hague, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,666 in The Hague versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in The Hague runs roughly 27% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,418 in The Hague versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. The Hague is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, The Hague 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, The Hague 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 The Hague gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.