Tools · Budget calculator

Can you afford it?

Tell us what lands in your account each month. We will set it against the four costs our city guides can actually source, rent, a desk, weekday lunches and getting around, and show you what is left for everything else.

Dubai, a month

£2,370 to £4,190 for the basics.

Add your take-home pay above to see what is left.

RentFurnished one-bed on monthly terms. AED 9,500 to 18,000
£1,940 to £3,680
A deskCoworking hot desk, plus VAT. AED 1,800
£368
Weekday lunchesShawarma, AED 6 to 15 each, 22 working days
£27 to £67
Getting aroundMetro 30-day pass, one zone to everywhere. AED 140 to 350
£29 to £72

United Arab Emirates's Dubai virtual work residence asks for about £2,630 a month in income. Check your own case

The Dubai guideCompare every city

What is counted. Four costs, and only four, because they are the ones every guide can source: rent, a desk, a lunch on each of 22 working days, and getting around. Food shopping, bills, a phone, insurance, tax and evenings out are not in it, which is why the answer is what is left for everything else, not what is left to save.

Where the figures come from. Each city's guide, checked against official statistics, the operators' own price pages and dated listings. Each line says what it is. Where a guide only publishes rent per square metre, the line says what size flat it assumes. Last copied from the guides on 3 October 2026.

The exchange rates. The same daily feed as the visa checker, from ExchangeRate-API, last updated 20 October 2026. Pesos are converted at the official rate.