Cost of Living · PT vs AE
🇵🇹 Lisbon vs 🇦🇪 Dubai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,298 in Portugal vs $1,546 in United Arab Emirates — 19.14% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United Arab Emirates
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 5.13%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 5.88%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 5.89%
Closest to Portugal prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +22.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +22.16%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +22.16%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Portugal | United Arab Emirates | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $866 | $1,058 (3,886 AED) | +22.16% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $693 | $846 (3,108 AED) | +22.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,583 | $1,934 (7,105 AED) | +22.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.36 | $12.12 (45 AED) | +16.99% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $43.15 | $50.50 (185 AED) | +17.03% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $6.65 | $7.68 (28 AED) | +15.49% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.74 | $0.83 (3 AED) | +12.16% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.14 | $2.40 (9 AED) | +12.15% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.27 | $2.55 (9 AED) | +12.33% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.69 | $7.50 (28 AED) | +12.11% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.68 | $3.00 (11 AED) | +11.94% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.21 | $3.60 (13 AED) | +12.15% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.03 | $9.00 (33 AED) | +12.08% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.34 | $1.50 (6 AED) | +11.94% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.45 | $4.04 (15 AED) | +17.1% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.54 | $6.93 (25 AED) | +5.96% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.88 | $3.37 (12 AED) | +17.01% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.54 | $1.73 (6 AED) | +12.34% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $39.32 | $45.37 (167 AED) | +15.39% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.66 | $1.92 (7 AED) | +15.66% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.30 | $2.69 (10 AED) | +16.96% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.04 | $1.21 (4 AED) | +16.35% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.78 | $0.82 (3 AED) | +5.13% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $121 | $140 (513 AED) | +15.37% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $42.35 | $48.86 (179 AED) | +15.37% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $27.23 | $31.41 (115 AED) | +15.35% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $28.77 | $33.67 (124 AED) | +17.03% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.05 | $9.43 (35 AED) | +17.14% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $17.26 | $20.20 (74 AED) | +17.03% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $44.98 | $47.63 (175 AED) | +5.89% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $73.61 | $77.94 (286 AED) | +5.88% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $144 | $168 (618 AED) | +17.03% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is United Arab Emirates than Portugal?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,546 in United Arab Emirates versus $1,298 in Portugal — 19.14% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United Arab Emirates?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.04 in United Arab Emirates (≈ 14.84 AED), versus about $3.45 in Portugal.
- How much is rent in United Arab Emirates compared to Portugal?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,058/month in United Arab Emirates versus $866/month in Portugal (+22.16%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.