Cost of living comparison

South Africa

compared to

United Arab Emirates

Al Ain vs. Johannesburg Cost of Living Summary

Al Ain is 37.8% more expensive than Johannesburg.

Restaurants: pay 12.7% less in Al Ain
Groceries: pay 23.3% more in Al Ain
Transportation: pay 12.2% less in Al Ain
Housing: pay 76.0% more in Al Ain
Childcare: pay 92.2% more in Al Ain
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.0 times more in Al Ain
Clothing: pay 6.4% less in Al Ain

The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, and groceries in Al Ain are more expensive than in Johannesburg. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, and clothing are lower in Al Ain. Notably, entertainment and sports, childcare, and housing are significantly more expensive in Al Ain.

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Al Ain vs. Johannesburg Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Al Ain instead of Johannesburg, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 12.7% less for restaurants

	Johannesburg	Al Ain
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$11.47 ZAR188.63	$7.49 AED27.50	-34.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.93 ZAR81.11	$8.44 AED31.00	+71.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.06 ZAR17.46	$0.77 AED2.81	-27.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 ZAR13.74	$0.34 AED1.25	-59.3%
Average			-12.7%

Johannesburg vs. Al Ain - Cost of restaurants

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pay 23.3% more for groceries

	Johannesburg	Al Ain
Bread 1 loaf	$1.11 ZAR18.21	$1.60 AED5.89	+44.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.31 ZAR70.95	$5.28 AED19.39	+22.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.73 ZAR77.85	$6.96 AED25.55	+46.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.37 ZAR39.00	$3.64 AED13.37	+53.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.30 ZAR37.89	$4.12 AED15.11	+78.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.78 ZAR12.89	$1.15 AED4.21	+46.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.72 ZAR11.77	$0.82 AED3.00	+14.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.72 ZAR11.80	$0.83 AED3.05	+15.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.80 ZAR13.12	$0.67 AED2.46	-15.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.66 ZAR10.83	$0.52 AED1.93	-20.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.70 ZAR11.57	$0.49 AED1.81	-29.8%
Average			+23.3%

Johannesburg vs. Al Ain - Cost of groceries

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pay 12.2% less for transportation

	Johannesburg	Al Ain
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.84 ZAR79.54	$2.91 AED10.69	-39.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$86.04 ZAR1,414.69	$24.51 AED90.00	-71.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$22,943.68 ZAR377K	$44,639.07 AED164K	+94.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$11.24 ZAR184.85	$7.62 AED28.00	-32.2%
Average			-12.2%

Johannesburg vs. Al Ain - Cost of transportation

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pay 76.0% more for housing

	Johannesburg	Al Ain
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$41.63 ZAR684.54	$100.96 AED370.79	+142.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$434.32 ZAR7,141.37	$717.04 AED2,633.33	+65.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$380.92 ZAR6,263.23	$778.22 AED2,858.00	+104.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$94.21 ZAR1,549.04	$86.72 AED318.49	-7.9%
Average			+76.0%

Johannesburg vs. Al Ain - Cost of housing

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pay 92.2% more for childcare

	Johannesburg	Al Ain
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$218.24 ZAR3,588.38	$625.43 AED2,296.88	+186.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$5,560.97 ZAR91,436.33	$5,445.88 AED20,000.00	-2.1%
Average			+92.2%

Johannesburg vs. Al Ain - Cost of childcare

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pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports

	Johannesburg	Al Ain
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.58 ZAR42.44	$8.17 AED30.00	+216.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.24 ZAR36.87	$4.77 AED17.50	+112.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.15 ZAR51.87	$5.31 AED19.50	+68.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$35.07 ZAR576.59	$49.16 AED180.56	+40.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.31 ZAR120.25	$13.61 AED50.00	+86.2%
Average			+104.7%

Johannesburg vs. Al Ain - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 6.4% less for clothing

	Johannesburg	Al Ain
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$53.86 ZAR885.64	$60.62 AED222.62	+12.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$41.32 ZAR679.48	$28.59 AED105.00	-30.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$92.73 ZAR1,524.72	$71.25 AED261.67	-23.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$82.91 ZAR1,363.18	$96.21 AED353.33	+16.0%
Average			-6.4%

Johannesburg vs. Al Ain - 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: July 2026

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