Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Arab Emirates vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
United Arab Emirates is 14.2% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 49.5% less in United Arab Emirates
- Groceries
-
pay 35.8% less in United Arab Emirates
- Transportation
-
pay 12.8% less in United Arab Emirates
- Housing
-
pay 1.8% more in United Arab Emirates
- Childcare
-
pay 63.8% less in United Arab Emirates
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.0% more in United Arab Emirates
- Clothing
-
pay 31.4% more in United Arab Emirates
The cost of clothing, entertainment and sports, and housing in United Arab Emirates are more expensive than in North Carolina. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 49.5% less for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$7.91
AED29.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$8.65
AED31.75
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$1.04
AED3.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$0.50
AED1.85
|
|
North Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of restaurants
pay 35.8% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$1.47
AED5.39
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$5.36
AED19.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$6.96
AED25.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$2.81
AED10.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$3.68
AED13.51
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$0.98
AED3.59
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.75
AED2.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$0.73
AED2.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$0.59
AED2.15
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$0.48
AED1.76
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$0.53
AED1.93
|
|
North Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of groceries
pay 12.8% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$2.91
AED10.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$53.10
AED195.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$40,680.12
AED149,397.75
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$8.50
AED31.21
|
|
North Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of transportation
pay 1.8% more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$101.41
AED372.42
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$1,438.18
AED5,281.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$990.79
AED3,638.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$122.67
AED450.49
|
|
North Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of housing
pay 63.8% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$497.28
AED1,826.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$8,164.49
AED29,984.10
|
|
North Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of childcare
pay 29.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$10.43
AED38.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$4.99
AED18.32
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$6.23
AED22.88
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$75.55
AED277.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$13.19
AED48.44
|
|
North Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.4% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$75.04
AED275.58
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$59.50
AED218.51
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$105.66
AED388.03
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$106.53
AED391.23
|
|
North Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates - 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 States vs. United Arab Emirates.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and United Arab Emirates.
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 United Arab Emirates or North Carolina. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.