Last update: Nov 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Arab Emirates and London
For one person, living is cheaper in the United Arab Emirates: $2,227 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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United Arab Emirates Living Index106Cost of Living Index in the United Arab EmiratesLearn more -
London Living Index196Cost of Living Index in LondonLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: The United Arab Emirates is 31.9% cheaper than London without rent, and 45% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: The United Arab Emirates is 35.4% cheaper than London without rent, and 41.4% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.69 AED 35.59
$26.36 £19.59
-63.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.7 AED 230
$109 £80.7
-42.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.51 AED 34.91
$10.71 £7.96
-11.20%
Cappuccino
$5.36 AED 19.69
$5.59 £4.15
-4.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 AED 3.89
$3.00 £2.23
-64.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 AED 1.78
$2.22 £1.65
-78.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.34 AED 41.66
$9.65 £7.17
17.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.40 AED 45.53
$8.26 £6.14
50.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 AED 6.38
$1.97 £1.46
-11.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 AED 5.36
$2.09 £1.55
-30.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 AED 8.23
$2.59 £1.93
-13.51%
Eggs
$3.32 AED 12.19
$5.37 £3.99
-38.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.84 AED 39.81
$13.12 £9.75
-17.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.89 AED 32.65
$11.03 £8.20
-19.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.30 AED 41.51
$17.73 £13.18
-36.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 AED 8.51
$3.17 £2.36
-26.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.86 AED 6.84
$1.38 £1.03
34.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.76 AED 6.45
$2.82 £2.10
-37.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.41 AED 5.18
$3.36 £2.50
-58.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 AED 3.95
$1.70 £1.26
-36.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 AED 3.78
$1.78 £1.32
-42.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 AED 5.54
$1.49 £1.11
1.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 AED 2.21
$1.82 £1.35
-67.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.24 AED 22.93
$23.85 £17.73
-73.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.79 AED 50.6
$13.44 £9.99
2.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.38 AED 8.75
$3.11 £2.31
-23.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 AED 9.89
$4.49 £3.34
-40.09%
🚌 Getting Around
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 AED 5.14
$4.13 £3.07
-66.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.12 AED 147
$266 £198
-84.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 AED 11.97
$5.98 £4.45
-45.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.55 AED 2.04
$3.39 £2.52
-83.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.25 AED 30.29
$56.6 £42.03
-85.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 AED 3.41
$2.21 £1.64
-57.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K AED 120.6K
$38.3K £28.4K
-14.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K AED 79.9K
$41.0K £30.5K
-46.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$186 AED 683
$372 £277
-50.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$53.3 AED 196
$18.66 £13.87
185.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$92.8 AED 341
$40.53 £30.13
128.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.7 AED 260
$56.0 £41.63
26.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.31 AED 126
$17.10 £12.71
100.64%
Cinema Ticket
$13.84 AED 50.8
$17.95 £13.34
-22.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$622 AED 2,285
$2,946 £2,189
-78.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K AED 45.7K
$47.6K £35.4K
-73.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.5 AED 222
$116 £86.4
-47.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.6 AED 219
$56.9 £42.29
4.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 AED 370
$128 £95.1
-21.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 AED 376
$154 £114
-33.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,494 AED 5,487
$2,935 £2,182
-49.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,076 AED 3,952
$2,258 £1,678
-52.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,604 AED 9,564
$5,250 £3,902
-50.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,082 AED 7,645
$3,859 £2,868
-46.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,532 AED 20.3K
$17.2K £12.8K
-67.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,058 AED 11.2K
$8,278 £6,153
-63.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Arab Emirates
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,862 AED 10.5K
$5,621 £4,177
-49.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.66
4.78
-2.51%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for the United Arab Emirates: November 3, 2026
Last update for London: November 1, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United Arab Emirates $1.1K 48.3%
London $2.3K 55.8% 110% $1.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Arab Emirates $332 14.9%
London $432 10.7% 30% $100
Groceries & Markets
United Arab Emirates $265 11.9%
London $360 8.9% 35.8% $95
Eating Out
United Arab Emirates $258 11.6%
London $396 9.8% 53.3% $138
Clothing & Footwear
United Arab Emirates $145 6.5%
London $205 5.1% 40.7% $59
Sport & Entertainment
United Arab Emirates $98 4.4%
London $92 2.3% 6.6% $6.5
Getting Around
United Arab Emirates $52 2.3%
London $305 7.6% 490% $254
Accommodation & Living
United Arab Emirates $2.1K 45.8%
London $3.9K 49.7% 85.4% $1.8K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Arab Emirates $385 8.5%
London $450 5.8% 16.9% $65
Groceries & Markets
United Arab Emirates $603 13.3%
London $827 10.7% 37.1% $224
Eating Out
United Arab Emirates $814 17.9%
London $1.3K 17.4% 65.5% $533
Clothing & Footwear
United Arab Emirates $323 7.1%
London $455 5.9% 40.8% $132
Sport & Entertainment
United Arab Emirates $231 5.1%
London $201 2.6% 13% $30
Getting Around
United Arab Emirates $106 2.3%
London $619 8% 482% $513
Good to know
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
🇬🇧 London
Weather
Population
9,890,400
8,908,083 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- United Arab Emirates London 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
- United Arab Emirates
- London
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
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