City comparison
Cost of living in Dubai vs Singapore
One person needs about €2,794 a month in Dubai and €3,070 in Singapore, rent included — Dubai is 10% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Singapore the way you live in Dubai on €3,000, you need
€3,296/ month net
10% more than today (+€296)
- Dubai today
- Basket €2,794 · left over €206 (7%)
- Singapore at the matched salary
- Basket €3,070 · left over €226 (7%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 195% over in Singapore (strong) vs 186% in Dubai. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇦🇪 Dubai
Zero income tax pulls net pay up; housing and schooling pull disposable income back down.
Monthly budget: €2,794
Sources: Dubai Statistics Center + DLD, CPI & Dubai Land Department rent index (2025) · 187 community reports
🇸🇬 Singapore
Low tax and a great base for Asia, undone by rent and car costs.
Monthly budget: €3,070
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Dubai or Singapore?
On salary, Singapore pays more for tech roles (€6,000 versus €5,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,930 in Singapore at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,900 in Dubai against €2,300 in Singapore. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Dubai at 69 and Singapore at 68 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.