Cost of life in Dubai - How expensive is expa life in Dubai

Yes, you might have heard Dubai is very expensive. But how expensive you may ask. One of the most popular questions I have been asked is – ‘ How much money will I need for a decent life in Dubai?’ ‘What is the cost of life in Dubai?’. These have been some of the most difficult questions for me to answer. After all you that is your main consideration even before you will get a job.

A normal/decent life can be so different for different people. Some can survive on the minimum low-priced local food and go to the movies once a month. While others cannot imagine their life without weekly shopping and eating out. I decided to make a list of essential products and services to give you a real understanding of the cost of life in Dubai. All the prices have been taken from online stores and websites. Also, all the prices are listed in the national currency of The UAE – the dirham, in order to convert it to USD, divide by 3.68 and if you want to convert IT to your national currency visit http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter.

I do not want to say you will find all the types of food you want, but the selection is huge.

Here in Dubai, we even have supermarkets with food of certain nationalities, as well as all the big supermarkets have sections with national products. I’ve typed a list of essential grocery items below.

Vegetables:

Cucumbers 500 gr – AED 4.69
Tomatoes 500 gr – AED 3.68
Potatoes 500 gr – AED 2.63
Mushrooms 500gr – AED 7.3
Onions 1 kg – AED 5.25
Carrots 500gr – AED 3,95
Broccoli 500 gr – AED 10,5
Capsicum 250 gr – AED 4,99
Eggplant 500 gr – AED 4,59
Garlic 250 gr- AED 3,68
Cabbage 1 kg – AED 5,25
Beetroot 500 gr – AED 3,41
Radish 125 gr – AED 6,82
Sweet corn 500 gr – AED 9,45

Fruits:

Bananas 1 kg – AED 9.45
Lemon 500 gr – AED 5.74
Apples 500 gr – AED 4.73
Mandarins 500gr – AED 7.88
Kiwifruit 500 gr – AED 9.45
Grapes 500 gr – AED 11.45
Mangoes 500 gr – AED 7.88
Raspberry 150gr – AED 19,95
Oranges 500gr – AED 3,25
Blueberry 150 gr – AED 13,65
Watermelon – AED 11,81
Grapefruits 500 gr – AED 3,68
Peaches 500 gr – 12,6
Pomegranate 500 gr – AED 8,14
Blackberry 150 gr – AED 15,75
Red plumps – AED 11,55
Nectarines 500 gr – AED 10,5
Pineapple – AED 12,6
Mango 500 gr – AED 10,5
Papaya 1 kg – AED 12,6

Other products:

Milk 1 L – AED 5.8

Eggs (6 per pack) – AED 5.8

Butter 250gr – AED 12.1

Activia Stirred Yoghurt 120 gr – AED 2.1

Coca-Cola 600 ml – AED 3.2

Orange Juice 1.5 L – AED 9.5

Sliced white bread 600 gr – AED 5.5

Chicken breast 500 gr – AED 21

Fresh minced beef 500 gr – AED 15.75

Fresh salmon steak 500 gr – AED 31.5

Frozen cooked shrimps 1kg – AED 29.9

White rice 1 kg – AED 7.1

Pasta 500gr – AED 7.3

2. Beauty, Hygiene & household care.

I haven’t listed the premium products here, they can easily be found in Malls or online. There are a few affordable essentials below which can be found in the supermarkets or small shops.

Colgate Max Fresh oral care 100ml – AED 9.4

Toothbrush 1 pcs – AED 6.2

Colgate Protection Mouthwash 250ml – AED 18.8

Syoss Keratin Hair Perfection 250ml – AED20.5

Nivea Deo Spray 150ml – AED13.6

Body Razors 3 per pack – AED 6.2

Dove Soap 135gr – AED 6.2

Nivea Soft Cream 100ml – AED10.4

Palmolive Shower Gel 250ml – AED12.1

Pantene Shampoo – AED19.9

Fairy Dishwashing liquid – AED 8.1

Tide Washing powder 1.5kg – AED 19.9

Comfort Fabric Conditioner 750ml – AED 14.6

Kitchen Towels 22m – AED 7.9

3. Prices in Dubai for cloth and shoes.

I would say all the brands we used to wear at home can easily be found here. Zara, Top Shop, H&M, Hollister, Forever 21, Adidas, Nike, American Eagle.

Be prepared however, collections might look a little bit conservative sometimes, but overall you will see the same clothes. Prices are almost the same as the prices in online shops.

You can find a few big local chains such as Namshi.com which might be more affordable and have nice online offers from time to time. Generally speaking, don’t rely too much on the local producers, unless you want to change your style closer to The Middle Eastern style. I could definitely write another article about local ladies fashion, and Abaya particularly.

I found it extremely hard to find a good pair of shoes, I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m too picky, but the only shoes I like here start from AED3000, which I’m not ready to spend, So I ended up getting them from my home country.

4. Cleaning service and dry cleaning&laundry services are the most popular services in Dubai.

You can find plenty of companies offering their services online. Average prices in Dubai can be AED 40-50 for a cleaning service, but you really need to be careful with timing. I found, several companies which told me it would take 4 hours to clean my washroom. You can get your Shirts & Blouses laundered and ironed for AED7 per piece and Dresses for AED18.

5. Car rental

Car rental prices in Dubai start from 1500 per month. For this price, you can rent A Nissan Sunny or Kia Picanto – insurance will cost you a few hundred more. Furthermore, petrol is comparably cheap, so you may spend AED 300-500. Of course, do not forget about additional costs, such as salik (road tax), car wash (AED40 one time) and maintenance.

6. Public transportation.

All public transportation in Dubai (buses, metro, tram, taxi) belongs to one government company – RTA (The Roads and Transport Authority). In order to move around the city by metro, bus or tram you need to buy a card (which you can recharge). One trip can cost you a minimum of AED3 (1$=3,67dhr). The cost depends on the distance you want to travel, the highest price can be 7,5dhr. You need to check in and check out every time you travel, even when you want to change the mode of transport (for example using a metro first and then a tram).

There is an option to upgrade your traveling experience with RTA by metro and tram, you can just buy a gold card, so every trip will cost you twice as much as the silver card (the regular pass). Again, the interesting thing is that Dubai’s public transportation has an area dedicated only to women and children (men are really not allowed there!). Unfortunately, overall the public transportation is quite limited and will not allow you to reach many destinations in Dubai. You’ll need to get a cab unless you have your own car. In my personal opinion, public transportation prices in Dubai are more than reasonable.

7. Taxi

Of course, you can understand from the previous point, Taxi services in Dubai are regulated by the government. Except for RTA taxis, however, you might use another taxi services, such as Careem or Uber. Still, RTA is the most popular and powerful taxi company. The advantage of RTA is you can easily catch a taxi on the street, while Uber takes a while to select your driver and send him to you. On the other hand, Uber and Careem drivers have navigation and know exactly where to drive you.

I honestly do not know what the issue is with RTA and why it is so hard to install navigators, but I was stuck and late on a couple of the occasions just because my driver did not know the way. On top of this (in most of the cases) you will be charged for all the rounds your driver makes trying to find your destination.

Prices in Dubai for Taxi services

When it comes to price, Uber might be slightly cheaper, compared to RTA. The huge advantage of Uber is that you have the cost of the trip estimated in advance, while with RTA it’s always unpredictable. Also Uber offers premium cars, so even a low cost trip provides a new Lexus with a polite and friendly driver, wifi, and water. So, coming back to the prices – the minimum trip with RTA is AED11,5 no matter if he drives you around the corner or 6 km. The starting prices vary for 2 reasons: if you call a driver to come to the certain point (AED9 daytime) or if you just catch him on the street (AED5,50 daytime).

Pay attention to the timing! Peak hours can cost more than AED11,5 if you call a car and AED6 if you simply catch a taxi on the street. How to calculate your trip? Simply multiply the distance in kilometers by AED 1,60. I think considering how expensive is everything else in Dubai in general, the prices for a taxi are quite decent. Following the rule where ladies have separate areas in public transportation, RTA taxis have woman drivers, for those who feel insecure being accompanied by the strange man.

8. Property or rental accomodation/apartment

The cost of renting your living space is really high in Dubai. As usual, the price depends on the area. To rent one room (small size) in Marina, next to the tram and supermarket, with shared bathroom and kitchen can cost up to AED5000 (no joke). Of course, there are cheaper buildings, tinier rooms.

However, an apartment in such a posh area will cost a lot. Lots of young people prefer to share their apartment with friends (obviously cheaper and chirpy). You can find more information based on the areas, and facilities via https://dubai.dubizzle.com. To sum up, the minimum amount you need to share is at least AED1700-AED2000 (a good location, nice facilities). It’s possible to find something cheaper, but it might be disappointing. Minimum for living alone is – AED4000. Yep, as I said, it’s super expensive.

9. Food delivery

Well, food delivery is very popular in Dubai! I mean, really really -extremely- popular, people are not keen on cooking food here. The beauty about it is that it’s a very competitive niche hence you can find lots and lots of different cuisine (Indian, Arabic, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese). The type of food varies as well as the price, from affordable McDonald’s and KFC to more sophisticated dishes on Zomaro or UberEats. So, as you can see from the link, the prices in Dubai for a meal from a food delivery service might vary from AED35 to AED150 per person.

10. Eating out

Of course, eating out in Dubai seems like a separate culture to me. Can you imagine that on TripAdvisor alone, there are 10141 registered restaurants! Considering that nightclubs, beach bars, and bars are in a separate section. Moreover, there are a huge number of small places, which are not on the list.

Honestly, I still could write an article or two just about the variety of restaurants and eating places we have in Dubai. There are also unique dining experiences, for instance, breakfast at At.mosphere (the world’s tallest restaurant located at level 123 at the Burj Khalifa) for AED 325 per person; Dining in the Dark at Noire, Fairmont Dubai AED325 per person; Dinner Time Story by Le Petit Chef, World Trade Club AED 450 per person. The list, of choices goes on…

Affordable options

When you are looking for more affordable options, you might consider having a meal for one person for around AED100. Still, you will receive an authentic and great value meal, but just not in as fancy a location and fine dining place. As I mentioned before, the niche is super competitive, I feel like over the last 4 years it has started to be more affordable to eat out. You have got to be smart, though, and look for a good deal in advance. There are plenty of them.

I hope this information and a little guidance about cost of life in Dubai might be helpful for you. So, after all, you may consider and understand how much money you need to have for your basic needs while living in Dubai.

In addition, it’s worth to mention that during 4 years the prices for goods and services almost have not change. The only change is Value Added Tax (VAT) was implemented in January 2018. Which is kind of a tax, that obligates companies to pay 5% of their income to government. What immediately leads to the price increase.