Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary
United States is 66.5% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.5 times more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 2.1 times more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 32.0% more in United States
- Housing
- pay 12.2% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 2.8 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.1% less in United States
- Clothing
- pay 18.4% less in United States
The cost of childcare, restaurants, groceries, transportation, and housing in United States are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Expenses including clothing and entertainment and sports are lower in United States. Notably, childcare, restaurants, and groceries are significantly more expensive in United States.
United States vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
pay 2.5 times more for restaurants
United Arab Emirates | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $7.91 AED29.06 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $8.65 AED31.75 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.04 AED3.83 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.50 AED1.85 | $2.00 | |
United Arab Emirates vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.1 times more for groceries
United Arab Emirates | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.47 AED5.39 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.36 AED19.68 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.96 AED25.56 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.81 AED10.34 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.68 AED13.51 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.98 AED3.59 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.75 AED2.75 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.73 AED2.69 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.59 AED2.15 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.48 AED1.76 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.53 AED1.93 | $1.38 | |
United Arab Emirates vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 32.0% more for transportation
United Arab Emirates | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.91 AED10.69 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $53.10 AED195.00 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $40,680.12 AED149K | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $8.50 AED31.21 | $17.61 | |
United Arab Emirates vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 12.2% more for housing
United Arab Emirates | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $101.41 AED372.42 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,438.18 AED5,281.71 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $990.79 AED3,638.67 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $122.67 AED450.49 | $150.19 | |
United Arab Emirates vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 2.8 times more for childcare
United Arab Emirates | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $497.28 AED1,826.25 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $8,164.49 AED29,984.10 | $23,196.46 | |
United Arab Emirates vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 2.1% less for entertainment and sports
United Arab Emirates | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $10.43 AED38.31 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.99 AED18.32 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $6.23 AED22.88 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $75.55 AED277.45 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.19 AED48.44 | $13.64 | |
United Arab Emirates vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.4% less for clothing
United Arab Emirates | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $75.04 AED275.58 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $59.50 AED218.51 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $105.66 AED388.03 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $106.53 AED391.23 | $112.04 | |
United Arab Emirates vs. United States - 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: June 2026
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