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Compare cities โบ Middle East Cities
Middle East Cities: Cost of Living Compared 2026
Monthly cost, daily budget and everyday prices โ meals, coffee, taxis, rent โ for 6 cities in one table. ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฆ๐ช DubaiUAE
๐ฆ๐ช Abu DhabiUAE
๐ถ๐ฆ DohaQatar
๐ธ๐ฆ RiyadhSaudi Arabia
๐ง๐ญ ManamaBahrain
๐ด๐ฒ MuscatOmanMuscat has the lowest monthly cost
A month in Dubai pays for about 76 days in Muscat
1๐ด๐ฒ Muscat$2,486/mo$138/daylowest2๐ธ๐ฆ Riyadh$3,041/mo$147/day+22%3๐ง๐ญ Manama$3,075/mo$188/day+24%4๐ถ๐ฆ Doha$4,531/mo$138/day+82%5๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi$4,768/mo$193/day+92%6๐ฆ๐ช Dubai$6,280/mo$229/day+153%Ranked by monthly cost (stay + living) ยท % vs the cheapest ยท tap a city for its price guide
Prices item by item
| ๐ฆ๐ช Dubai | ๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi | ๐ถ๐ฆ Doha | ๐ธ๐ฆ Riyadh | ๐ง๐ญ Manama | ๐ด๐ฒ Muscat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per day | $229 | $193 | $138 | $147 | $188 | $138 |
| Per month | $6,280 | $4,768 | $4,531 | $3,041 | $3,075 | $2,486 |
| Local meal | $9.54AED 35 | $8.17AED 30 | $8.24QR 30 | $8SAR 30 | $7.98BD 3 | $6.5OMR 2.5 |
| Restaurant dinner | $32.7AED 120 | $32.7AED 120 | $33QR 120 | $20SAR 75 | $26.6BD 10 | $18.2OMR 7 |
| Coffee | $5.99AED 22 | $5.45AED 20 | $5.49QR 20 | $4.27SAR 16 | $4.79BD 1.8 | $4.68OMR 1.8 |
| Beer | $12.3AED 45 | $10.9AED 40 | $13.7QR 50 | $2.67SAR 10 | $9.31BD 3.5 | $11.7OMR 4.5 |
| Water 500 ml | $0.41AED 2 | $0.41AED 2 | $0.41QR 1.5 | $0.27SAR 1 | $0.4BD 0.15 | $0.26OMR 0.1 |
| Taxi 5 km | $5.45AED 20 | $4.09AED 15 | $4.12QR 15 | $4.8SAR 18 | $6.65BD 2.5 | $6.5OMR 2.5 |
| Transit ride | $1.36AED 5 | $0.54AED 2 | $0.55QR 2 | $1.07SAR 4 | $0.8BD 0.3 | $0.78OMR 0.3 |
| Hotel night | $136AED 500 | $109AED 400 | $54.9QR 200 | $80SAR 300 | $106BD 40 | $72.8OMR 28 |
| Studio rent / mo | $1,771AED 6,500 | $1,499AED 5,500 | $1,374QR 5,000 | $880SAR 3,300 | $798BD 300 | $598OMR 230 |
| Massage 1 h | $54.5AED 200 | $54.5AED 200 | $54.9QR 200 | $53.3SAR 200 | $39.9BD 15 | $46.8OMR 18 |
| SIM 1 week | $22.9AED 84 | $20.4AED 75 | $20.6QR 75 | $10.7SAR 40 | $10.6BD 4 | $13OMR 5 |
Green = cheapest for that item ยท top: US$, below: local price
Change or add cities and compare yourself โบCompare on my lifestyle in the appCheapest city for each item
- Local meal: ๐ด๐ฒ Muscat ($6.5)
- Restaurant dinner: ๐ด๐ฒ Muscat ($18.2)
- Coffee: ๐ธ๐ฆ Riyadh ($4.27)
- Beer: ๐ธ๐ฆ Riyadh ($2.67)
- Water 500 ml: ๐ด๐ฒ Muscat ($0.26)
- Taxi 5 km: ๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi ($4.09)
- Transit ride: ๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi ($0.54)
- Hotel night: ๐ถ๐ฆ Doha ($54.9)
- Studio rent / mo: ๐ด๐ฒ Muscat ($598)
- Massage 1 h: ๐ง๐ญ Manama ($39.9)
- SIM 1 week: ๐ง๐ญ Manama ($10.6)
Muscat is cheapest on 4 of 11 items.
Head-to-head comparisons
๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi vs ๐ฆ๐ช Dubai๐ถ๐ฆ Doha vs ๐ฆ๐ช Dubai๐ฆ๐ช Dubai vs ๐ง๐ญ Manama๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi vs ๐ถ๐ฆ Doha๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi vs ๐ง๐ญ Manama๐ฆ๐ช Abu Dhabi vs ๐ด๐ฒ Muscat๐ถ๐ฆ Doha vs ๐ง๐ญ Manama๐ถ๐ฆ Doha vs ๐ด๐ฒ Muscat๐ด๐ฒ Muscat vs ๐ธ๐ฆ Riyadh
FAQ
Which of these 6 cities is cheapest?
By monthly cost, Muscat is lowest at about $2,486 and Dubai highest at about $6,280. For a travel day, Doha is $138 and Dubai $229.
How big is the monthly cost gap?
A month's spending in Dubai lasts about 76 days in Muscat. Figures combine a short-term studio with food, transport and daily costs.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports.
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