Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Dubai Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 2.0 times more expensive than Dubai.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.3 times more in New York City
- Groceries
- pay 2.5 times more in New York City
- Transportation
- pay 66.2% more in New York City
- Housing
- pay 24.5% more in New York City
- Childcare
- pay 3.8 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 56.2% more in New York City
- Clothing
- pay 3.3% less in New York City
New York City vs. Dubai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Dubai, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
Dubai | New York City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $10.89 AED40.00 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.53 AED35.00 | $13.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.19 AED4.37 | $3.09 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.90 AED3.31 | $2.61 | |
Dubai vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.5 times more for groceries
Dubai | New York City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.41 AED5.18 | $4.75 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.45 AED20.01 | $8.89 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.12 AED26.15 | $6.05 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.39 AED12.43 | $7.20 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.21 AED15.45 | $7.07 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.05 AED3.86 | $3.29 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.86 AED3.16 | $1.08 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.78 AED2.88 | $2.60 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.65 AED2.40 | $2.68 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.53 AED1.94 | $1.63 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.52 AED1.92 | $1.78 | |
Dubai vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 66.2% more for transportation
Dubai | New York City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.82 AED10.37 | $3.47 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $87.13 AED320.00 | $132.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $27,229.41 AED100K | $36,344.69 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $8.71 AED32.00 | $22.39 | |
Dubai vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 24.5% more for housing
Dubai | New York City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $98.23 AED360.76 | $67.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,362.29 AED8,675.50 | $4,037.06 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,533.56 AED5,632.00 | $2,496.67 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $159.06 AED584.17 | $151.98 | |
Dubai vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 3.8 times more for childcare
Dubai | New York City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $823.12 AED3,022.92 | $3,154.10 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $14,907.17 AED54,746.58 | $57,250.00 | |
Dubai vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 56.2% more for entertainment and sports
Dubai | New York City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $13.61 AED50.00 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.65 AED20.75 | $5.71 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $6.13 AED22.50 | $19.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $84.61 AED310.71 | $150.04 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.98 AED55.00 | $20.00 | |
Dubai vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.3% less for clothing
Dubai | New York City | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $81.30 AED298.59 | $67.80 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $63.28 AED232.39 | $49.94 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $129.71 AED476.35 | $115.58 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $124.75 AED458.15 | $168.76 | |
Dubai vs. New York City - Cost of clothing
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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