Cost of Living Comparison Between United Arab Emirates and China Cost of Living Comparison Between United Arab Emirates and China

Name: China
Address: CN

😐 Solo nomad: United Arab Emirates is 102.8% more expensive than China without rent, and 195.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: United Arab Emirates is 99.7% more expensive than China without rent, and 184.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.10 AED 29.72

$2.82 ¥19.51

187.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 AED 249

$23.62 ¥163

186.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 AED 35.87

$4.97 ¥34.35

96.58%

Cappuccino

$5.50 AED 20.17

$3.14 ¥21.66

75.16%

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

$1.12 AED 4.13

$0.44 ¥3.07

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.15

$0.27 ¥1.84

118.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.46 AED 42.07

$0.93 ¥6.40

1132.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.34 AED 45.28

$2.08 ¥14.37

493.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 AED 6.67

$1.84 ¥12.70

-1.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 AED 5.36

$1.62 ¥11.17

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 AED 7.68

$0.96 ¥6.62

117.71%

Eggs

$3.16 AED 11.61

$1.56 ¥10.76

102.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 AED 37.59

$13.18 ¥91.1

-22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 AED 30.80

$3.21 ¥22.15

161.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.05

$10.89 ¥75.3

5.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 AED 8.38

$1.77 ¥12.20

28.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 AED 6.53

$1.25 ¥8.64

42.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 AED 6.20

$1.52 ¥10.53

11.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 AED 5.29

$1.15 ¥7.95

25.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.97

$0.76 ¥5.28

42.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 AED 4.66

$0.89 ¥6.14

42.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.61 ¥4.24

157.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.26

$0.54 ¥3.72

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.43

$3.38 ¥23.33

80.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 AED 55.8

$11.67 ¥80.6

30.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 AED 8.69

$0.78 ¥5.39

203.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 AED 10.95

$1.67 ¥11.54

78.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 AED 4.90

$0.43 ¥2.98

211.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 AED 200

$20.93 ¥145

160.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 AED 11.74

$1.41 ¥9.74

126.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 AED 2.45

$0.35 ¥2.44

91.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 AED 29.27

$6.48 ¥44.78

23.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 AED 2.75

$1.16 ¥8.04

-35.34%

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

$45.2K AED 166.0K

$19.3K ¥133.1K

134.81%

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

$22.5K AED 82.4K

$17.0K ¥117.4K

32.26%

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

$183 AED 670

$51.3 ¥354

256.00%

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

$59.1 AED 217

$9.84 ¥68.0

500.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 AED 379

$11.49 ¥79.4

798.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 AED 260

$40.28 ¥278

75.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.69 AED 142

$14.78 ¥102

161.77%

Cinema Ticket

$13.88 AED 51.0

$6.41 ¥44.30

116.54%

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

$672 AED 2,467

$403 ¥2,787

66.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K AED 43.5K

$17.9K ¥123.5K

-33.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.7 AED 249

$45.91 ¥317

47.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.4 AED 233

$32.39 ¥224

95.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 AED 364

$71.2 ¥492

39.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 AED 378

$74.0 ¥511

39.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 AED 6,282

$436 ¥3,013

292.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 AED 4,281

$254 ¥1,752

359.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,357 AED 12.3K

$900 ¥6,219

273.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,439 AED 8,951

$548 ¥3,787

345.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,926 AED 21.7K

$5,140 ¥35.5K

15.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,200 AED 11.7K

$2,676 ¥18.5K

19.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,069 AED 11.3K

$1,024 ¥7,079

199.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.63

4.06

14.04%

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

Last update for United Arab Emirates: March 3, 2026

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between United Arab Emirates and China Cost of Living Comparison Between United Arab Emirates and China

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

United Arab Emirates

China

United Arab Emirates

China

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