Dubai budget calculator
Estimate your daily costs based on travel style, duration and planned activities. All prices in AED (UAE dirham), with a USD estimate alongside.
Estimated budget
How much does a Dubai trip cost?
Dubai has a reputation for luxury, but it can be done on a budget too. Backpackers sharing a hostel dorm and eating at food courts or small Karama/Deira eateries (a full meal is AED 15–25, about $4–7) can get by on around AED 250–350 (roughly $70–95) per person per day. Mid-range travelers — a 3–4-star hotel, casual restaurants and a paid activity or two — should budget AED 600–900 (about $165–245) per person per day. Comfort travel with 5-star hotels and fine dining pushes well past AED 1,500 ($410) per day.
Key costs to plan for: Burj Khalifa "At the Top" (124th/125th floor) is around AED 179 per adult; a desert safari with dune bashing, camel ride and BBQ dinner is AED 150–250; the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is around AED 120; a Nol day pass for unlimited metro/bus/tram is AED 20; Dubai Mall and most souks and beaches are free to walk around. Alcohol is taxed heavily and only served in licensed hotel bars/restaurants, so a beer can run AED 35–45.
Day trips add cost: an organised Abu Dhabi day tour (Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi) runs AED 150–300; a Hatta mountain day trip is around AED 150–250; a Jebel Jais zipline day from Ras Al Khaimah is AED 400–600 including the zipline ticket; renting a car for a self-drive day trip is around AED 150–250/day plus fuel (fuel is cheap in the UAE, roughly AED 2.7–3/litre).