Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umm Al Quwain and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living is cheaper in Umm Al Quwain: $1,447 a month against $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Umm Al Quwain
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Umm Al Quwain Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index

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Umm Al Quwain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,447

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Umm Al Quwain and in Ras al-Khaimah

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

A single person spends $1,447 per month in Umm Al Quwain vs $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Umm Al Quwain $1,447
Ras al-Khaimah $1,834

A couple spends around $2,034 per month in Umm Al Quwain vs $2,800 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Umm Al Quwain $2,034
Ras al-Khaimah $2,800

A family of three spends $2,620 per month in Umm Al Quwain vs $3,765 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Umm Al Quwain $2,620
Ras al-Khaimah $3,765

Umm Al Quwain is about 21% cheaper than Ras al-Khaimah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Umm Al Quwain and Ras al-Khaimah sit above the global median – Umm Al Quwain by 6%, Ras al-Khaimah by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.76 AED 21.15

$13.44 AED 49.36

-57.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.98 AED 99.1

$40.94 AED 150

-34.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 AED 30.80

$7.42 AED 27.24

13.07%

Cappuccino

$3.86 AED 14.19

$5.59 AED 20.52

-30.95%

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

$0.86 AED 3.16

$1.10 AED 4.03

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 AED 1.33

$0.45 AED 1.64

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.04 AED 40.54

$10.39 AED 38.16

6.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.29 AED 45.14

$9.61 AED 35.28

27.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.84

$1.72 AED 6.31

8.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 AED 4.99

$2.03 AED 7.45

-33.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 AED 5.37

$1.96 AED 7.20

-25.51%

Eggs

$2.11 AED 7.76

$2.39 AED 8.77

-11.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.61 AED 27.94

$12.67 AED 46.54

-39.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 AED 23.94

$9.55 AED 35.08

-31.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.42 AED 34.59

$15.66 AED 57.5

-39.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.07 AED 7.60

-8.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 AED 5.12

$1.66 AED 6.09

-16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$1.54 AED 5.66

1.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 AED 3.60

$1.30 AED 4.76

-24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.91 AED 3.35

10.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 AED 3.66

$0.89 AED 3.26

12.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 AED 4.38

$1.73 AED 6.37

-31.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 AED 1.87

$0.46 AED 1.70

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 AED 22.63

$6.68 AED 24.54

-7.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 AED 40.20

$13.38 AED 49.16

-18.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 AED 6.17

$2.63 AED 9.67

-36.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 AED 8.49

$2.87 AED 10.53

-19.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 AED 487

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 AED 12.06

$1.65 AED 6.06

98.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 AED 2.42

$0.81 AED 2.97

-18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 AED 29.40

$8.40 AED 30.86

-4.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 AED 3.06

$0.91 AED 3.35

-8.79%

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

$25.8K AED 94.6K

$26.4K AED 97.1K

-2.54%

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

$22.0K AED 80.7K

$21.7K AED 79.5K

1.51%

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

$150 AED 550

$125 AED 460

19.68%

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

$50.0 AED 184

$38.58 AED 142

29.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AED 318

$79.2 AED 291

9.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.50 AED 163

$54.1 AED 199

-17.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.88 AED 150

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 AED 49.69

$13.17 AED 48.38

2.73%

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

$491 AED 1,803

$328 AED 1,203

49.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,705 AED 21.0K

$4,478 AED 16.4K

27.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 AED 214

$80.6 AED 296

-27.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 AED 226

$52.4 AED 192

17.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 AED 318

$116 AED 428

-25.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 AED 349

$114 AED 418

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 AED 2,509

$739 AED 2,714

-7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 AED 1,962

$643 AED 2,362

-16.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 AED 3,807

$1,558 AED 5,722

-33.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 AED 3,045

$1,227 AED 4,506

-32.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,263 AED 23.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,138 AED 11.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,327 AED 12.2K

$1,588 AED 5,831

109.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.75

4.92

-3.46%

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

Last update for Umm Al Quwain: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umm Al Quwain

$534 36.9%

Ras al-Khaimah

$643 35.1% 20.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umm Al Quwain

$286 19.8%

Ras al-Khaimah

$243 13.2% 15.2% $43

Groceries & Markets

Umm Al Quwain

$210 14.5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$283 15.4% 34.8% $73

Eating Out

Umm Al Quwain

$202 14%

Ras al-Khaimah

$274 15% 35.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Umm Al Quwain

$136 9.4%

Ras al-Khaimah

$163 8.9% 20.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Umm Al Quwain

$72 5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$80 4.4% 12.4% $8.9

Getting Around

Umm Al Quwain

$6.6 * 0.5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$147 8% 2135% $140

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $683 in Umm Al Quwain versus $739 in Ras al-Khaimah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Umm Al Quwain are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Umm Al Quwain versus $41 in Ras al-Khaimah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $283 – making Umm Al Quwain the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Umm Al Quwain

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

Same time as Umm Al Quwain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,637

241,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Umm Al Quwain Ras al-Khaimah 46 km

From you

Umm Al Quwain
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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

Umm Al Quwain vs Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ras al-Khaimah is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,170 per month in Umm Al Quwain and $2,751 in Ras al-Khaimah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $683 in Umm Al Quwain and $739 in Ras al-Khaimah. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Umm Al Quwain and $41 in Ras al-Khaimah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Ras al-Khaimah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,447 in Umm Al Quwain and $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Ras al-Khaimah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,447 in Umm Al Quwain to $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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