Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Arab Emirates and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,804 a month against $2,266 in the United Arab Emirates, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in the United Arab Emirates
Learn more

United Arab Emirates Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,266

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Arab Emirates and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Arab Emirates and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,266 in the United Arab Emirates versus $1,804 in Italy.

United Arab Emirates $2,266
Italy $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in the United Arab Emirates versus $2,778 in Italy.

United Arab Emirates $3,384
Italy $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,501 in the United Arab Emirates versus $3,752 in Italy.

United Arab Emirates $4,501
Italy $3,752

The United Arab Emirates ($1,446–$3,252) and Italy ($1,035–$2,560) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in the United Arab Emirates is roughly 26% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United Arab Emirates 68% above, Italy 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.45 AED 34.69

$19.89 €17.70

-52.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 AED 218

$77.0 €68.5

-22.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 AED 34.09

$11.00 €9.78

-15.64%

Cappuccino

$5.36 AED 19.67

$1.99 €1.77

169.35%

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

$1.11 AED 4.08

$2.96 €2.63

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 AED 1.83

$1.41 €1.25

-64.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.07 AED 44.33

$5.60 €4.98

115.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.22 AED 44.87

$5.67 €5.05

115.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 AED 6.42

$1.61 €1.43

8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$2.30 €2.05

-36.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 AED 7.85

$2.99 €2.66

-28.43%

Eggs

$3.11 AED 11.44

$4.06 €3.61

-23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.85 AED 39.84

$17.23 €15.33

-37.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 AED 33.09

$12.68 €11.28

-28.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 AED 42.47

$20.36 €18.11

-43.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 AED 8.75

$2.54 €2.26

-6.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 AED 6.85

$2.15 €1.91

-13.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$2.56 €2.28

-31.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 AED 5.08

$3.22 €2.86

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 AED 3.93

$1.92 €1.70

-44.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.95

$1.84 €1.64

-41.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 AED 5.32

$1.51 €1.34

-3.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.17

$0.55 €0.49

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.39 AED 23.47

$6.81 €6.06

-6.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 AED 50.5

$8.03 €7.15

71.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 AED 8.60

$1.72 €1.53

36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 AED 9.69

$2.37 €2.11

11.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 AED 5.93

$1.88 €1.67

-14.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 AED 172

$43.31 €38.52

7.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 AED 12.05

$5.57 €4.95

-41.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.37

$1.63 €1.45

-60.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 AED 30.40

$33.78 €30.04

-75.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.56

$2.04 €1.81

-52.45%

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

$43.9K AED 161.1K

$35.6K €31.7K

23.13%

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

$22.2K AED 81.5K

$35.4K €31.5K

-37.31%

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

$195 AED 714

$222 €198

-12.55%

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

$53.6 AED 197

$11.43 €10.17

368.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.7 AED 330

$30.65 €27.26

192.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.0 AED 275

$52.7 €46.89

42.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.77 AED 120

$23.82 €21.19

37.57%

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 AED 50.4

$10.51 €9.35

30.64%

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

$583 AED 2,142

$541 €481

7.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K AED 44.4K

$11.7K €10.4K

3.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 AED 221

$90.0 €80.0

-33.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 AED 208

$39.08 €34.76

44.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 AED 366

$101 €90.2

-1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 AED 365

$132 €117

-24.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 AED 5,767

$805 €716

95.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 AED 4,040

$619 €550

77.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 AED 9,743

$1,388 €1,235

91.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,032 AED 7,464

$1,050 €934

93.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,737 AED 21.1K

$3,623 €3,223

58.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,888 AED 10.6K

$2,229 €1,983

29.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,782 AED 10.2K

$1,889 €1,680

47.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.63

3.56

30.06%

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

Last update for the United Arab Emirates: October 11, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Arab Emirates

$1.1K 48.5%

Italy

$619 34.3% 43.8% $481

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Arab Emirates

$338 14.9%

Italy

$265 14.7% 21.7% $73

Groceries & Markets

United Arab Emirates

$265 11.7%

Italy

$347 19.2% 30.8% $82

Eating Out

United Arab Emirates

$259 11.4%

Italy

$273 15.1% 5.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

United Arab Emirates

$142 6.3%

Italy

$163 9% 14.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

United Arab Emirates

$102 4.5%

Italy

$74 4.1% 28% $29

Getting Around

United Arab Emirates

$60 2.6%

Italy

$65 3.6% 8.1% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,267 in the United Arab Emirates, $721 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,947 in Abu Dhabi vs $1,222 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,854 in the United Arab Emirates, $1,888 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 76% higher in the United Arab Emirates.

Dining out costs 49% more in Italy.

Salaries are 51% higher in the United Arab Emirates, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Arab Emirates.

Good to know

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

2 h behind the United Arab Emirates

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,890,400

58,850,717

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Arab Emirates Italy 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

United Arab Emirates
Italy

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

United Arab Emirates vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $2,266 in the United Arab Emirates, there's a 26% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,267 in the United Arab Emirates and $721 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United Arab Emirates it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Italy wins on affordability; the United Arab Emirates may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.