Asia · Dubai
Cost of living in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates is 36% cheaper than the US, ranking #49 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living. The local currency is AED (AED).
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In United Arab Emirates, communication is the priciest category relative to the world (212), while transport is the most affordable (77).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $64,500 in United Arab Emirates.
Quality of life
97/100 · #10 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About United Arab Emirates
The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th-century treaties. In 1971, six of these states -- Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn -- merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ra's al Khaymah joined in 1972. The UAE's per-capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy.
Read the full background
In 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE did not experience the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East in 2010-11, partly because of the government's multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates, and its aggressive pursuit of advocates for political reform. The UAE in recent years has played a growing role in regional affairs. In addition to donating billions of dollars in economic aid to help stabilize Egypt, the UAE was one of the first countries to join the Defeat ISIS coalition, and to participate as a key partner in a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. In 2020, the UAE and Bahrain signed a peace agreement (the Abraham Accords) with Israel -- brokered by the US -- in Washington, D.C. The UAE and Bahrain thus became the third and fourth Middle Eastern countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to recognize Israel.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is United Arab Emirates expensive to live in?
United Arab Emirates is 36% cheaper than the US, ranking #49 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is communication; transport costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in United Arab Emirates?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $64,500 in United Arab Emirates, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is United Arab Emirates cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 64.4, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in United Arab Emirates?
United Arab Emirates scores 97 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#10 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 83 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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