Cost of living comparison
compared to
Australia vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary
Australia is 61.4% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.5 times more in Australia
- Groceries
-
pay 66.4% more in Australia
- Transportation
-
pay 48.5% more in Australia
- Housing
-
pay 14.3% less in Australia
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in Australia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 52.5% more in Australia
- Clothing
-
pay 7.6% less in Australia
The cost of restaurants, childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Australia are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Expenses including housing and clothing are lower in Australia. Notably, restaurants and childcare are significantly more expensive in Australia.
Australia vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Australia instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
pay 2.5 times more for restaurants
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.91
AED29.06
|
$17.15
A$26.23
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.65
AED31.75
|
$9.64
A$14.74
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.04
AED3.83
|
$2.63
A$4.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
AED1.85
|
$2.14
A$3.28
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Australia - Cost of restaurants
pay 66.4% more for groceries
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.47
AED5.39
|
$2.39
A$3.66
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.36
AED19.68
|
$4.21
A$6.45
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.96
AED25.56
|
$5.84
A$8.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.81
AED10.34
|
$4.36
A$6.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.68
AED13.51
|
$3.87
A$5.92
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
AED3.59
|
$1.48
A$2.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
AED2.75
|
$1.27
A$1.94
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.73
AED2.69
|
$1.32
A$2.01
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
AED2.15
|
$1.93
A$2.95
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
AED1.76
|
$1.10
A$1.68
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.93
|
$0.97
A$1.49
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Australia - Cost of groceries
pay 48.5% more for transportation
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.91
AED10.69
|
$4.48
A$6.85
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.10
AED195.00
|
$86.18
A$131.83
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$40,680.12
AED149,397.75
|
$27,666.22
A$42,322.49
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.50
AED31.21
|
$17.83
A$27.28
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Australia - Cost of transportation
pay 14.3% less for housing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$101.41
AED372.42
|
$54.93
A$84.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,438.18
AED5,281.71
|
$1,188.50
A$1,818.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$990.79
AED3,638.67
|
$962.42
A$1,472.26
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$122.67
AED450.49
|
$133.71
A$204.55
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Australia - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.28
AED1,826.25
|
$1,475.00
A$2,256.38
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,164.49
AED29,984.10
|
$13,848.50
A$21,184.78
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Australia - Cost of childcare
pay 52.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.43
AED38.31
|
$6.47
A$9.90
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
AED18.32
|
$3.56
A$5.45
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.23
AED22.88
|
$28.78
A$44.02
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$75.55
AED277.45
|
$51.13
A$78.22
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.19
AED48.44
|
$13.10
A$20.04
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Australia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.6% less for clothing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.04
AED275.58
|
$69.65
A$106.54
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.50
AED218.51
|
$48.53
A$74.24
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.66
AED388.03
|
$99.22
A$151.78
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.53
AED391.23
|
$107.98
A$165.18
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. Australia - 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:
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 Australia or United Arab Emirates. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.