Cost of living comparison
compared to
Dubai vs. Chennai Cost of Living Summary
Dubai is 5.3 times more expensive than Chennai.
Dubai vs. Chennai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Dubai instead of Chennai, you would:
pay 3.7 times more for restaurants
Chennai | Dubai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $2.25 ₹212.78 | $10.89 AED40.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $3.95 ₹372.36 | $9.53 AED35.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.47 ₹44.28 | $1.19 AED4.37 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.18 ₹16.96 | $0.90 AED3.31 | |
Chennai vs. Dubai - Cost of restaurants
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pay 2.4 times more for groceries
Chennai | Dubai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $0.49 ₹46.15 | $1.41 AED5.18 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.32 ₹313.74 | $5.45 AED20.01 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $2.21 ₹208.33 | $7.12 AED26.15 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $0.87 ₹81.82 | $3.39 AED12.43 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $1.61 ₹151.53 | $4.21 AED15.45 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.36 ₹128.22 | $1.05 AED3.86 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.40 ₹37.43 | $0.86 AED3.16 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.62 ₹58.15 | $0.78 AED2.88 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.20 ₹18.98 | $0.65 AED2.40 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.23 ₹21.46 | $0.53 AED1.94 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.22 ₹21.12 | $0.52 AED1.92 | |
Chennai vs. Dubai - Cost of groceries
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pay 3.1 times more for transportation
Chennai | Dubai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.35 ₹410.20 | $2.82 AED10.37 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $11.27 ₹1,063.89 | $87.13 AED320.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $16,912.06 ₹2M | $27,229.41 AED100K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $3.61 ₹340.44 | $8.71 AED32.00 | |
Chennai vs. Dubai - Cost of transportation
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pay 10.0 times more for housing
Chennai | Dubai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $8.99 ₹848.32 | $98.23 AED360.76 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $193.40 ₹18,249.75 | $2,362.29 AED8,675.50 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $121.20 ₹11,436.78 | $1,533.56 AED5,632.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $37.31 ₹3,521.05 | $159.06 AED584.17 | |
Chennai vs. Dubai - Cost of housing
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pay 10.1 times more for childcare
Chennai | Dubai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $71.36 ₹6,733.52 | $823.12 AED3,022.92 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $1,725.52 ₹163K | $14,907.17 AED54,746.58 | |
Chennai vs. Dubai - Cost of childcare
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pay 4.4 times more for entertainment and sports
Chennai | Dubai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $1.97 ₹186.18 | $13.61 AED50.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $1.98 ₹186.97 | $5.65 AED20.75 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.61 ₹340.44 | $6.13 AED22.50 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $15.97 ₹1,507.17 | $84.61 AED310.71 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $2.82 ₹265.97 | $14.98 AED55.00 | |
Chennai vs. Dubai - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 3.1 times more for clothing
Chennai | Dubai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $24.75 ₹2,335.50 | $81.30 AED298.59 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $20.94 ₹1,975.79 | $63.28 AED232.39 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $50.07 ₹4,725.09 | $129.71 AED476.35 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $35.41 ₹3,341.39 | $124.75 AED458.15 | |
Chennai vs. Dubai - Cost of clothing
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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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Compare further: Chennai vs. Dubai
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in India vs. United Arab Emirates. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within India and United Arab Emirates.
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