Cost of Living in Dubai, 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $2,315 $1,770 $3,404 $1,225 $123

Utilities $272 $327 $599 $204 —

Internet & Mobile $204 $177 $259 $114 $7

Groceries $163 $599 $1,307 $327 $11

Transportation $381 $599 $953 $95 $41

Dining Out $1,225 $762 $1,089 $218 $109

Leisure Activities $490 $408 $817 $109 $68

Health Insurance $82 $163 $599 $41 $4

Visa & Legal Fees $109 $68 $218 — —

Total $5,241 $4,873 $9,245 $2,333 $363

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $2,042.21 per month

Coworking Space $326.75 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $3,948.26 per month

Coliving Space $1,497.62 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $6.54 per cup

Beer $13.61 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $12.25 per meal

Fast Food Combo $9.53 per meal

Apples $2.59 per kg

Bread $1.50 per loaf

Milk $1.97 per liter

Rice $2.18 per kg

Chicken Fillets $8.71 per kg

Beef $14.98 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $23.14 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $95.30 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.68 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.27 per trip

Taxi per km $0.60 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $95.30 per month

Gasoline $0.84 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $9.53 per trip

Scooter Rental $8.17 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $59.90 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $103.47 per month

Gym Membership $108.92 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $40.84 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $27.23 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $14.98 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $76.24 per pair

Summer Dress $59.90 per dress

Running Shoes $122.53 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $29.95 per visit

Laundry $3.27 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $122.53 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $9.53 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 3.6725 AED

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Dubai cost of living