Cost of living comparison

 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
compared to
 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai vs. Riyadh Cost of Living Summary

Dubai is 54.1% more expensive than Riyadh.

Restaurants
pay 98.3% more in Dubai
Groceries
pay 5.2% more in Dubai
Transportation
pay 27.1% more in Dubai
Housing
pay 78.2% more in Dubai
Childcare
pay 70.7% more in Dubai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 94.0% more in Dubai
Clothing
pay 5.2% more in Dubai

The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, childcare, transportation, and groceries in Dubai are more expensive than in Riyadh. Notably, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Dubai.

Dubai vs. Riyadh Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Dubai instead of Riyadh, you would:

pay 98.3% more for restaurants

 
Riyadh
Dubai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.39
SAR31.45
$10.89
AED40.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.99
SAR29.95
$9.53
AED35.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.76
SAR2.86
$1.30
AED4.78

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pay 5.2% more for groceries

 
Riyadh
Dubai
Bread
1 loaf
$1.24
SAR4.64
$1.48
AED5.43
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.91
SAR14.66
$4.37
AED16.07
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
SAR24.91
$6.78
AED24.89

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pay 27.1% more for transportation

 
Riyadh
Dubai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.31
SAR8.67
$3.16
AED11.59
Monthly public transit pass $37.27
SAR139.77
$81.68
AED300.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $33,280.09
SAR124,796.53
$33,487.61
AED123,001.67

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pay 78.2% more for housing

 
Riyadh
Dubai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$74.70
SAR280.10
$101.47
AED372.72
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,116.87
SAR4,188.13
$2,224.54
AED8,170.86
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $782.38
SAR2,933.85
$1,400.70
AED5,144.83

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pay 70.7% more for childcare

 
Riyadh
Dubai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $360.22
SAR1,350.78
$775.09
AED2,846.95
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,375.93
SAR38,908.56
$13,081.61
AED48,049.42

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pay 94.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
Riyadh
Dubai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.13
SAR7.99
$12.25
AED45.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.25
SAR15.94
$6.02
AED22.10
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.45
SAR27.95
$6.53
AED24.00

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pay 5.2% more for clothing

 
Riyadh
Dubai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$52.20
SAR195.76
$62.51
AED229.62
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$54.44
SAR204.14
$56.33
AED206.90
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$107.53
SAR403.22
$99.15
AED364.17

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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: April 2025
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See the cost of living in Saudi Arabia vs. United Arab Emirates. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

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