Cost of living comparison

compared to

Dubai vs. Guangzhou Cost of Living Summary

Dubai is 2.7 times more expensive than Guangzhou.

Restaurants
pay 2.9 times more in Dubai
Groceries
pay 18.2% more in Dubai
Transportation
pay 90.6% more in Dubai
Housing
pay 5.2 times more in Dubai
Childcare
pay 61.2% more in Dubai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.2 times more in Dubai
Clothing
pay 2.1 times more in Dubai

The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, clothing, transportation, and childcare in Dubai are more expensive than in Guangzhou. Notably, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Dubai.

Dubai vs. Guangzhou Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Dubai instead of Guangzhou, you would:

pay 2.9 times more for restaurants

 
Guangzhou
Dubai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.80
CN¥19.78
$10.89
AED40.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.49
CN¥31.65
$9.53
AED35.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.49
CN¥3.46
$1.19
AED4.37

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pay 18.2% more for groceries

 
Guangzhou
Dubai
Bread
1 loaf
$2.21
CN¥15.62
$1.41
AED5.18
Local cheese (8 oz) $9.09
CN¥64.13
$5.45
AED20.01
Milk (1 gallon) $7.15
CN¥50.43
$7.12
AED26.15

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pay 90.6% more for transportation

 
Guangzhou
Dubai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.41
CN¥31.12
$2.82
AED10.37
Monthly public transit pass $22.43
CN¥158.24
$87.13
AED320.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,029.61
CN¥148,353.38
$27,229.41
AED100,000.00

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pay 5.2 times more for housing

 
Guangzhou
Dubai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$13.78
CN¥97.23
$98.23
AED360.76
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $506.58
CN¥3,573.67
$2,362.29
AED8,675.50
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $258.95
CN¥1,826.78
$1,533.56
AED5,632.00

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pay 61.2% more for childcare

 
Guangzhou
Dubai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $370.90
CN¥2,616.51
$823.12
AED3,022.92
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,840.90
CN¥104,695.10
$14,907.17
AED54,746.58

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pay 4.2 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Guangzhou
Dubai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.00
CN¥7.05
$13.61
AED50.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.98
CN¥21.00
$5.65
AED20.75
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.86
CN¥27.20
$6.13
AED22.50

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pay 2.1 times more for clothing

 
Guangzhou
Dubai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$38.39
CN¥270.84
$81.30
AED298.59
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$27.33
CN¥192.78
$63.28
AED232.39
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$69.29
CN¥488.82
$129.71
AED476.35

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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: December 2025
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