Cost of Living score
Affordability, essential costs, and day-to-day financial pressure for residents.
Cost of Living in Dubai62/100
Cost of Living
Cost of Living in Dubai
Dubai is mid-tier on cost of living, with housing and services costs varying widely across districts and household profiles. Cost of Living in Dubai scores 62/100, placing it in the developing group of the indexed set.
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Module score
- 62/100
Affordability score
62/100
Mid-tier affordability with strong variation across districts.
Housing pressure
Moderate-high
Demand from international residents shapes rental markets.
Service offset
Strong
Health and digital services reach broad coverage.
Dubai cost of living data table
This HTML table mirrors the visible score cards so important comparison data is never trapped in a browser-only chart.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability score | 62/100 | Wide range across central and outer areas. |
| Housing pressure | Moderate-high | New supply has eased some pressure recently. |
| Service offset | Strong | Service quality supports household well-being. |
Cost of Living city comparison
A crawlable comparison across a selection of same-country and top-scoring cities. The complete set is reachable via the rankings, the cities index, and each city profile.
| City | Score | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai (this page) | 62/100 | Dubai is mid-tier on cost of living, with housing and services costs varying widely across districts and household profiles. |
| Sharjah | 72/100 | Sharjah's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Abu Dhabi | 66/100 | Abu Dhabi is moderately expensive on housing and central services, with food, transit, and household services balanced for residents. |
| Saint-Quentin | 82/100 | Saint-Quentin's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Brăila | 82/100 | Brăila's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Pleven | 82/100 | Pleven's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Galați | 82/100 | Galați's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Hanoi | 82/100 | Hanoi is comparatively affordable for housing and services across most districts. |
| Addis Ababa | 82/100 | Addis Ababa is comparatively affordable for housing and services across most districts. |
| Foggia | 81/100 | Foggia's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Wałbrzych | 81/100 | Wałbrzych's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bytom | 81/100 | Bytom's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Ruda Śląska | 81/100 | Ruda Śląska's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Teruel | 80/100 | Teruel's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Balti | 80/100 | Balti's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Béthune | 80/100 | Béthune's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bourges | 80/100 | Bourges's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Calais | 80/100 | Calais's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Boulogne-sur-Mer | 80/100 | Boulogne-sur-Mer's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Montbéliard | 80/100 | Montbéliard's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Cosenza | 80/100 | Cosenza's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Catanzaro | 80/100 | Catanzaro's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Dąbrowa Górnicza | 80/100 | Dąbrowa Górnicza's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Włocławek | 80/100 | Włocławek's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Kalisz | 80/100 | Kalisz's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Legnica | 80/100 | Legnica's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Halle | 80/100 | Halle's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Lens | 80/100 | Lens's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Valenciennes | 80/100 | Valenciennes's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Troyes | 80/100 | Troyes's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Radom | 80/100 | Radom's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
Interpretation
The cost-of-living model weighs essential spending against service-quality offsets. Dubai shows strong variation between residential districts. Across the indexed cities the cost of living average is 63/100, so Dubai is close to the median for this dimension. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 3 institutional references.
Read this module with the main open the dubai city profile and the read the scoring methodology page so single-topic pages do not hide tradeoffs across dimensions.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
3 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- UN-Habitat: World Cities Report 2024
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.
- Numbeo: Cost of Living Index
Used for directional affordability framing alongside official housing and price datasets.
Continue exploring
These links connect module pages back to city, ranking, and sibling topic paths with crawlable href values.
Dubai city profile
Return to the complete Dubai profile with all module scores and source context.
Air Quality in Dubai
Health-oriented air-quality conditions with context from WHO, EEA, and EPA benchmarks.
Energy in Dubai
Clean-energy readiness, grid resilience, and solar or efficiency opportunity signals.
Safety in Dubai
Personal safety, institutional trust, and resilience signals informed by international safety and crime data.
Internet Speed in Dubai
Broadband and mobile connectivity quality, latency, and digital-readiness signals for residents and remote workers.
Climate Risk in Dubai
Climate exposure, hazard frequency, and adaptation context for floods, heat, storms, and wildfires.
Overall Intelligence
A balanced ranking of cities across affordability, air quality, clean-energy readiness, and resilience.
Quality of Life
Cities that combine strong services, mobility, safety, clean air, and resilience into a healthy day-to-day profile.