Cost of living comparison
compared to
Singapore vs. Dubai Cost of Living Summary
Singapore is 44.1% more expensive than Dubai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.8% more in Singapore
- Groceries
-
pay 74.3% more in Singapore
- Transportation
-
pay 2.6 times more in Singapore
- Housing
-
pay 2.7% less in Singapore
- Childcare
-
pay 73.7% more in Singapore
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.8% more in Singapore
- Clothing
-
pay 11.6% less in Singapore
The cost of transportation, groceries, childcare, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Singapore are more expensive than in Dubai. Expenses including clothing and housing are lower in Singapore. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Singapore.
Singapore vs. Dubai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Singapore instead of Dubai, you would:
pay 6.8% more for restaurants
|
Dubai
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$9.28
SGD12.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
AED35.00
|
$7.73
SGD10.02
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.19
AED4.37
|
$1.58
SGD2.04
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.90
AED3.31
|
$1.16
SGD1.50
|
|
Dubai vs. Singapore - Cost of restaurants
pay 74.3% more for groceries
|
Dubai
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.41
AED5.18
|
$2.36
SGD3.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.45
AED20.01
|
$8.89
SGD11.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.12
AED26.15
|
$11.53
SGD14.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.39
AED12.43
|
$3.24
SGD4.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.21
AED15.45
|
$5.05
SGD6.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.05
AED3.86
|
$1.95
SGD2.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.86
AED3.16
|
$1.36
SGD1.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.78
AED2.88
|
$2.22
SGD2.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.65
AED2.40
|
$1.19
SGD1.54
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.94
|
$1.12
SGD1.45
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.52
AED1.92
|
$0.98
SGD1.26
|
|
Dubai vs. Singapore - Cost of groceries
pay 2.6 times more for transportation
|
Dubai
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.82
AED10.37
|
$8.27
SGD10.71
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$87.13
AED320.00
|
$92.79
SGD120.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,229.41
AED100,000.00
|
$139,191.98
SGD180,323.20
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.71
AED32.00
|
$9.74
SGD12.62
|
|
Dubai vs. Singapore - Cost of transportation
pay 2.7% less for housing
|
Dubai
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$98.23
AED360.76
|
$35.10
SGD45.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,362.29
AED8,675.50
|
$3,116.78
SGD4,037.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,533.56
AED5,632.00
|
$2,276.91
SGD2,949.73
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.06
AED584.17
|
$116.26
SGD150.61
|
|
Dubai vs. Singapore - Cost of housing
pay 73.7% more for childcare
|
Dubai
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$823.12
AED3,022.92
|
$1,253.76
SGD1,624.24
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,907.17
AED54,746.58
|
$29,085.74
SGD37,680.58
|
|
Dubai vs. Singapore - Cost of childcare
pay 12.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Dubai
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$13.61
AED50.00
|
$7.73
SGD10.02
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.65
AED20.75
|
$4.68
SGD6.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.13
AED22.50
|
$12.76
SGD16.53
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$84.61
AED310.71
|
$117.15
SGD151.77
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.98
AED55.00
|
$11.60
SGD15.03
|
|
Dubai vs. Singapore - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.6% less for clothing
|
Dubai
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$81.30
AED298.59
|
$84.93
SGD110.03
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$63.28
AED232.39
|
$42.58
SGD55.16
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$129.71
AED476.35
|
$104.51
SGD135.40
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.75
AED458.15
|
$126.20
SGD163.49
|
|
Dubai vs. Singapore - 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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United Arab Emirates vs. Singapore.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Singapore or Dubai. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.