Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
United Arab Emirates is 14.3% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.5% more in United Arab Emirates
- Groceries
-
pay 55.1% less in United Arab Emirates
- Transportation
-
pay 7.6% less in United Arab Emirates
- Housing
-
pay 2.3 times more in United Arab Emirates
- Childcare
-
pay 40.2% less in United Arab Emirates
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 57.1% more in United Arab Emirates
- Clothing
-
pay 3.3% less in United Arab Emirates
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in United Arab Emirates are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including groceries, childcare, transportation, and clothing are lower in United Arab Emirates. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 9.5% more for restaurants
|
South Korea
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.06
₩9,627
|
$8.43
AED30.94
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.17
₩8,410
|
$8.55
AED31.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.53
₩2,083
|
$1.07
AED3.94
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.88
₩1,207
|
$0.45
AED1.66
|
|
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of restaurants
pay 55.1% less for groceries
|
South Korea
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.04
₩4,143
|
$1.46
AED5.38
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.12
₩8,352
|
$4.94
AED18.13
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.23
₩11,221
|
$6.75
AED24.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.94
₩4,009
|
$2.80
AED10.28
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.11
₩5,604
|
$3.68
AED13.51
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$4.00
₩5,458
|
$0.97
AED3.58
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.55
₩2,114
|
$0.76
AED2.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.00
₩4,087
|
$0.72
AED2.65
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
₩3,590
|
$0.58
AED2.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.03
₩2,774
|
$0.48
AED1.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
₩1,722
|
$0.47
AED1.74
|
|
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of groceries
pay 7.6% less for transportation
|
South Korea
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.01
₩6,830
|
$3.40
AED12.50
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.10
₩62,878
|
$49.01
AED179.98
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,394.53
₩39M
|
$33,745.09
AED124K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.59
₩11,720
|
$7.71
AED28.30
|
|
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of transportation
pay 2.3 times more for housing
|
South Korea
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$24.34
₩33,198
|
$87.46
AED321.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$561.73
₩766K
|
$1,419.61
AED5,213.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$387.83
₩529K
|
$1,087.32
AED3,993.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.72
₩210K
|
$131.39
AED482.53
|
|
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of housing
pay 40.2% less for childcare
|
South Korea
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$545.93
₩745K
|
$481.84
AED1,769.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,214.53
₩28M
|
$8,191.72
AED30,084.11
|
|
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of childcare
pay 57.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Korea
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.30
₩4,499
|
$10.81
AED39.72
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.66
₩4,995
|
$4.99
AED18.33
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.35
₩4,565
|
$6.20
AED22.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.32
₩78,173
|
$69.98
AED256.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.28
₩15,390
|
$13.30
AED48.83
|
|
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.3% less for clothing
|
South Korea
|
United Arab Emirates
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.53
₩92,101
|
$53.49
AED196.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.43
₩72,869
|
$52.36
AED192.30
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.10
₩107K
|
$95.31
AED350.04
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.84
₩140K
|
$94.82
AED348.22
|
|
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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Compare further: South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates
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Quality of Life Comparison · 19 statistics
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Size Comparison · See true size
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Moving from South Korea to United Arab Emirates · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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