Cost of living comparison

 United Arab Emirates
compared to
 Boston (MA), United States
Boston vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary

Boston is 2.2 times more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall.

Restaurants
pay 3.0 times more in Boston
Groceries
pay 2.9 times more in Boston
Transportation
pay 44.1% more in Boston
Housing
pay 71.8% more in Boston
Childcare
pay 3.9 times more in Boston
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.9% more in Boston
Clothing
pay 9.0% more in Boston

The cost of childcare, restaurants, groceries, housing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Boston are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Notably, childcare, restaurants, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Boston.

Boston vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Boston instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:

pay 3.0 times more for restaurants

 
United Arab Emirates
Boston
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.01
AED29.43
$22.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.22
AED30.18
$12.55
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.02
AED3.73
$3.14
 

Improve prices ·

pay 2.9 times more for groceries

 
United Arab Emirates
Boston
Bread
1 loaf
$1.26
AED4.64
$4.39
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.08
AED18.66
$9.48
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.80
AED24.96
$4.97
 

Improve prices ·

pay 44.1% more for transportation

 
United Arab Emirates
Boston
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.06
AED11.23
$3.64
 
Monthly public transit pass $48.60
AED178.48
$90.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $42,240.06
AED155,132.97
$32,000.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 71.8% more for housing

 
United Arab Emirates
Boston
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$95.75
AED351.66
$70.88
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,395.59
AED5,125.50
$3,280.96
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $985.52
AED3,619.49
$2,453.85
 

Improve prices ·

pay 3.9 times more for childcare

 
United Arab Emirates
Boston
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $507.75
AED1,864.80
$2,428.57
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,162.28
AED29,977.20
$25,000.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 27.9% more for entertainment and sports

 
United Arab Emirates
Boston
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.55
AED38.75
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.03
AED18.46
$5.79
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.23
AED22.87
$13.83
 

Improve prices ·

pay 9.0% more for clothing

 
United Arab Emirates
Boston
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$64.14
AED235.57
$64.32
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$64.91
AED238.40
$43.83
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$93.31
AED342.68
$98.17
 

Improve prices ·
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: March 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in United Arab Emirates vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Arab Emirates and United States.

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 Boston 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.