Moving to United Arab Emirates from Sri Lanka
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Sri Lanka to United Arab Emirates — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Sri Lanka to United Arab Emirates, you would find that United Arab Emirates is 4.7 times more expensive than Sri Lanka overall. A LKR24,752,613 salary in Sri Lanka would need to be roughly AED602,444 in United Arab Emirates to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Sri Lanka to United Arab Emirates.
What does your salary buy?
LKR24,752,613 → AED602,444
To maintain the same standard of living in United Arab Emirates
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 54.0% more
Groceries
pay 27.2% more
Transportation
pay 2.5 times more
Housing
pay 5.6 times more
Childcare
pay 16.1 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.4 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Sri Lanka to United Arab Emirates, and how the trend has changed.
people born in Sri Lanka live in United Arab Emirates · UN DESA
Who's moving to United Arab Emirates?
Top countries of origin for United Arab Emirates's foreign-born residents.
- 3,471,300
- 1,095,231
- 996,288
- 899,612
- 564,769
- 318,809
- · · ·
-
10.120,491
Sri Lanka
Key Indicator Comparison
How Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Sri Lanka across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
United Arab Emirates generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sri Lanka leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Sri Lanka performs better than United Arab Emirates across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
United Arab Emirates generally does better on infrastructure, though Sri Lanka leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Sri Lanka across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Sri Lanka across all family life metrics.
Data: Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Colombo | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 88°/73°F (31°/23°C) | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 88°/77°F (31°/25°C) | 99°/72°F (37°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/77°F (30°/25°C) | 106°/81°F (41°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 86°/74°F (30°/23°C) | 87°/64°F (31°/18°C) |
View all months
| Month | Colombo | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88°/72°F (30.9°/22.3°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.8°C) |
| Feb | 88°/73°F (31.2°/22.6°C) | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.2°C) |
| Mar | 89°/75°F (31.7°/23.7°C) | 83°/60°F (28.6°/15.8°C) |
| Apr | 89°/76°F (31.8°/24.6°C) | 92°/66°F (33.4°/19.1°C) |
| May | 88°/78°F (31.1°/25.5°C) | 101°/73°F (38.4°/22.8°C) |
| Jun | 87°/78°F (30.4°/25.5°C) | 103°/77°F (39.6°/24.8°C) |
| Jul | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.2°C) | 108°/82°F (42.0°/27.6°C) |
| Aug | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.1°C) | 107°/84°F (41.5°/28.7°C) |
| Sep | 86°/77°F (30.2°/24.8°C) | 104°/78°F (40.1°/25.6°C) |
| Oct | 86°/75°F (30.0°/24.0°C) | 96°/71°F (35.8°/21.8°C) |
| Nov | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.2°C) | 87°/64°F (30.6°/17.5°C) |
| Dec | 87°/73°F (30.3°/22.8°C) | 78°/57°F (25.7°/14.1°C) |
National Meteorological CentreVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates. To live, work, or study long-term in United Arab Emirates, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United Arab Emirates's immigration authority.
Sri Lanka passport holder visiting United Arab Emirates
Visa Required
United Arab Emirates passport holder visiting Sri Lanka
Electronic Travel AuthorisationData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in United Arab Emirates than Sri Lanka?
Day-to-day costs in United Arab Emirates run about 119% higher than Sri Lanka on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to United Arab Emirates?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a LKR24,752,613 comparable salary, that's around AED150,611 in United Arab Emirates for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from United Arab Emirates?
With 40.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United Arab Emirates can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.
Is United Arab Emirates safe for expats?
United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Sri Lanka across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in United Arab Emirates is 0.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.4 in Sri Lanka.
How is healthcare in United Arab Emirates compared to Sri Lanka?
United Arab Emirates generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sri Lanka leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 29.1 doctors per 10,000 people in United Arab Emirates, compared to 11.9 in Sri Lanka. United Arab Emirates scores 82 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sri Lanka: 67).
What's the weather like in United Arab Emirates compared to Sri Lanka?
The average high temperature in Abu Dhabi is 93°F, compared to 87°F in Colombo. Abu Dhabi receives around 3.5 in of rainfall per year, while Colombo gets 99.4 in.
What language do they speak in United Arab Emirates?
The official language in United Arab Emirates is Arabic. In Sri Lanka, the official languages are Sinhala and Tamil.
