Dubai · Trip cost
Dubai trip cost: daily budget in AED and USD
| Item | Light spend | Medium spend | High spend | Price date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room share per person per night, before fees (half a double at the AED 579 city average for 2025, used in every tier) | 290 | 290 | 290 | 9 February 2026 |
| Hotel fees per person per night on the AED 579 room (service charge, municipality fee, VAT and an AED 20 Tourism Dirham, the top of the official range, in every tier) | 85 | 85 | 85 | 5 November 2026 |
| Getting around per person per day, Hey Ula estimates from official fares (light: metro and AED 1 abra; medium: metro and one taxi; high: taxis) | 21 | 60 | 150 | 5 November 2026 |
| Attraction tickets per person per day (light: Global Village weekday AED 25; medium: Miracle Garden AED 105; high: Burj Khalifa Gold AED 399) | 25 | 105 | 399 | 5 November 2026 |
| Silver nol card with AED 19 loaded, once per trip | 25 | 25 | 25 | 5 November 2026 |
A Dubai trip costs roughly AED 421 to 446 per person per day on light spend, about AED 540 on medium spend and about AED 924 on high spend, before food and flights, at 3.673 dirhams to the US dollar (USD 115 to 121, 147, and 252). All three share the same average hotel room, differ in transport and tickets, and are Hey Ula's arithmetic from the official fares, fees and ticket prices and the 2025 city average room rate in the table, plus a stated Hey Ula estimate for local transport. Nothing here is a package price, and no meal is priced because no source we could open prices one.
This is the all-traveller cost page for Dubai. Put your own numbers into the trip budget calculator. Sibling pages: where to stay, things to do, 3 day itinerary and best time to visit. Travelling with children? The Dubai with kids page covers free ages and cabins.
The exchange rate used
The US Treasury's reporting rate of exchange for the UAE dirham was 3.673 per dollar on 30 September 2026, per Fiscal Data. The dirham is pegged to the dollar, so the figure barely moves, and every USD figure on this page uses it. Euro readers can convert through the ECB's 1.1267 dollars per euro on 4 November 2026.
Hotel: the biggest line
The 2025 city-wide average daily rate was AED 579 (USD 158) per room, per Department of Economy and Tourism data reported by Gulf News. On top of the room, Dubai hotels charge a Tourism Dirham of AED 7 to 20 per room per night. The UAE government portal also lists charges UAE hotels may apply: a 10 percent tax on the room rate, a 10 percent service charge, 10 percent municipality fees, a city tax of 6 to 10 percent and a 6 percent tourism fee. VAT is 5 percent per the Federal Tax Authority. An AED 579 room with the service charge, the municipality fee, an AED 20 Tourism Dirham and VAT on the total comes to about AED 750; any other listed charge adds to that.
Hey Ula found no official or published room rate by hotel class or by area, so every tier uses the AED 579 city average as a shared double, AED 290 per person. The tiers differ in transport and tickets, not in the room or its fees.
Transport: cheap if you stay on the rails
A Silver nol card is AED 25 with AED 19 loaded, and rides cost AED 3, 5 or 7.50 by zones. A 7-day all-zone Silver pass is AED 110. Four rides a day on Silver is AED 12 to 30.
Taxis: minimum AED 12 on the street and AED 13 by app, with waiting at 50 fils a minute, per RTA. Khaleej Times, reporting RTA on 5 November 2025, gives flagfall at AED 5 off-peak and AED 5.50 at night, AED 1.97 per kilometre on app bookings, a weekday peak-hour booking fee of AED 7.50, and AED 25 to start from the airport. Salik toll gates are added to the meter. The abra across the Creek is AED 1 and the Marina water taxi AED 7 a stop.
Attractions: official prices only
Dubai Frame AED 50 adult. Global Village AED 25 Monday to Thursday, AED 30 any day. Miracle Garden AED 105 adult, VAT included. Jumeirah Mosque visit AED 45. The View at The Palm from AED 80 or AED 115 standard, as the official site shows both figures. The Dubai Fountain lists no ticket for the promenade.
At The Top, Burj Khalifa lists the Silver ticket, Levels 124 and 125, at AED 189 and the Gold ticket, which adds Level 148, at AED 399 on its official ticket site, listed prices on 5 November 2026. Confirm the price for your date and slot when booking, and buy there rather than from a reseller. The Museum of the Future is closed until the first quarter of 2027, so it costs nothing in 2026.
Food and drink: not in the tiers
No source we could open prices a meal, so Hey Ula prints no meal price and the tiers below leave food out. In Adu-Dhabi, Dubai itinerary planning suggestions and questions (r/travel, posted 2023, accessed 5 November 2026), replies said food costs swing with the area: small family-run places in the old districts are the cheap end, while malls, hotels and the Marina cost more. One reply added that local cafes often serve a cheap breakfast and karak chai shops are everywhere. Paraphrased, nothing embedded.
Three tiers, shown as arithmetic, before food
Light spend: AED 290 room share plus AED 85 in fees with an AED 20 Tourism Dirham, the top of the UAE government portal's range, about AED 20 of metro (a Hey Ula estimate inside the AED 12 to 30 range for four rides), AED 1 abra, one AED 25 to 50 ticket (Global Village weekday to Dubai Frame). Total AED 421 to 446.
Medium spend: AED 290 room share plus AED 85 in fees with an AED 20 Tourism Dirham, AED 60 of metro and one taxi (a Hey Ula estimate), one AED 105 ticket (Miracle Garden). Total AED 540.
High spend: AED 290 room share plus AED 85 in fees, AED 150 of taxis (a Hey Ula estimate), and the AED 399 Burj Khalifa Gold ticket with Level 148. Total AED 924.
Multiply by nights, add the AED 25 nol card once, then add food and flights. A three-night medium spend trip is about AED 1,645 (USD 448) per person on the ground before food.
What is not in the tiers
Food and drink, flights, visa fees, travel insurance, tips, a desert safari (Arabian Adventures, an Emirates Group company, lists its 6-hour evening safari from AED 649 per person and says the price varies by vehicle and group size), brunch, and shopping. Add a line for each in the calculator rather than inflating the tiers.
What travellers say
The same r/travel thread, about two travellers whose money had mostly gone on flights and rooms, adds money tips: buy a Silver nol card at a metro station, since the metro reaches most sights; ask whether the hotel runs free transfers to the public beach; look for bundled tickets, such as a Burj Khalifa and aquarium combo; and expect the rest of the city to be cheap once the headline sights are paid for. In Best Area to Stay in Dubai for First-Time Visitors? (r/dubai, posted 2024, accessed 5 November 2026), a commenter said visitors driving a rental car pay less for rooms in JVC, Motor City or Sports City. Paraphrased, nothing embedded.
Give Hey Ula your nights, your tier and your must-do tickets and it will return a dated total in AED and your own currency.
Questions
How much does a Dubai trip cost per day?
About AED 421 to 446 (USD 115 to 121) on light spend, about AED 540 (USD 147) on medium spend and about AED 924 (USD 252) on high spend, per person, before food and flights. Every tier uses the same 2025 city average room rate, because no official rate by hotel class could be sourced, so the tiers differ in local transport and tickets, not in the hotel you book. Local transport is a Hey Ula estimate from official fares.
Is Dubai expensive?
Transport is cheap: metro rides are AED 3 to 7.50 and the Creek abra is AED 1. Hotels are the big line, with a 2025 city average of AED 579 before fees; the service charge, municipality fee, Tourism Dirham and VAT take that to about AED 750, and some hotels add other listed charges. Official standard tickets we could open run from AED 25 at Global Village to AED 399 for the Burj Khalifa Gold ticket.
What fees are added to the hotel rate in Dubai?
A Tourism Dirham of AED 7 to 20 per room per night for up to 30 nights and 5 percent VAT. The UAE government portal also lists charges hotels may apply: a 10 percent tax on the room rate, a 10 percent service charge, 10 percent municipality fees, a city tax of 6 to 10 percent and a 6 percent tourism fee. An AED 579 room becomes about AED 750 with the service charge, municipality fee, an AED 20 Tourism Dirham and VAT.
What exchange rate should I use for AED?
3.673 dirhams per US dollar, the US Treasury reporting rate at 30 September 2026. The dirham is pegged to the dollar so the figure barely moves. Euro readers can convert through the ECB's 1.1267 dollars per euro on 4 November 2026.
How much is a taxi from Dubai airport?
The meter starts at AED 25 from DXB, then AED 1.97 per kilometre on app bookings, per Khaleej Times reporting RTA in November 2025. The Red Line serves Terminals 1 and 3 for AED 3 to 7.50 on a Silver nol card.
Which Burj Khalifa ticket does the high spend tier use?
The Gold ticket at AED 399 (USD 109), which adds Level 148 to Levels 124 and 125. The Silver ticket for Levels 124 and 125 is AED 189 (USD 51). Both are the listed prices on the official At The Top ticket site, checked 5 November 2026; confirm the price for your date and slot when booking, and buy there rather than from a reseller.
Keep planning
Dubai · Itinerary
Dubai itinerary: 3 days, with 2 and 4 day versions
A Dubai itinerary for 3 days built on official hours and fares checked 5 November 2026, with a 2 day cut and a 4 day extension: Downtown, the Creek, Marina and Palm.
Dubai · When to go
Best time to visit Dubai
Best time to visit Dubai by month: National Center of Meteorology normals for all 12 months, plus 2026 and 2027 dates for Global Village, Miracle Garden, DSF and Ramadan.
Dubai · Things to do
Things to do in Dubai
Things to do in Dubai with official prices and hours checked 5 November 2026: the Burj Khalifa and fountain, Dubai Frame, the AED 1 abra, two seasonal parks and the Palm.
Dubai · Where to stay
Where to stay in Dubai: areas compared
Where to stay in Dubai for a first or fifth visit: eight areas compared on metro and tram access, beach and airport time, with the AED 579 city average room rate.
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Sources
- US Treasury Fiscal Data: Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange (checked 5 November 2026)
The US Treasury reporting rate of exchange for the UAE dirham was 3.673 per US dollar at 30 September 2026, unchanged from 30 June 2026.
- European Central Bank: Euro foreign exchange reference rates, US dollar (checked 5 November 2026)
The European Central Bank euro reference rate was 1.1267 US dollars per euro on 4 November 2026.
- Gulf News: Dubai tourism hits record as 19.59m international visitors arrive in 2025 (checked 5 November 2026)
Dubai's average daily room rate was AED 579 in 2025 and revenue per available room AED 467, per Department of Economy and Tourism data reported on 9 February 2026.
- UAE Government portal: Other taxes (checked 5 November 2026)
Dubai hotels charge a Tourism Dirham Fee of AED 7 to 20 per room per night for up to 30 consecutive nights, depending on hotel grade. UAE hotels may also charge one or more of a 10 percent tax on the room rate, a 10 percent service charge, 10 percent municipality fees, a city tax of 6 to 10 percent and a 6 percent tourism fee.
- Federal Tax Authority: Value Added Tax (checked 5 November 2026)
The standard UAE VAT rate is 5 percent.
- Roads and Transport Authority: nol fares (checked 5 November 2026)
Silver nol single fares are AED 3 (one zone), AED 5 (two adjacent zones) and AED 7.50 (more than two). Red Ticket singles are AED 4, 6 and 8.50. A 7-day all-zone Silver pass is AED 110 and a 30-day all-zone Silver pass AED 350.
- Roads and Transport Authority: Choose nol (checked 5 November 2026)
A Silver nol card is AED 25 including AED 19 of balance; a Red Ticket is AED 2.
- Roads and Transport Authority: Taxi booking service details (checked 5 November 2026)
RTA lists the taxi minimum fare as AED 12 for road pickup and AED 13 for e-hail, with waiting charged at 50 fils per minute. Salik toll gates are added to the meter and an extra AED 20 applies for trips into Sharjah.
- Khaleej Times: Dubai taxi fare changes, peak-hour rates (checked 5 November 2026)
Khaleej Times, reporting RTA on 5 November 2025, gives taxi flagfall of AED 5 off-peak and AED 5.50 at night, AED 1.97 per kilometre on app bookings, a weekday peak-hour booking fee of AED 7.50, and a starting fare of AED 25 from Dubai airport.
- Roads and Transport Authority: About marine transport (checked 5 November 2026)
The cash abra across Dubai Creek is AED 1 per passenger per trip. The Marina water taxi is AED 7 per single stop.
- Dubai Frame: Plan your visit (checked 5 November 2026)
Dubai Frame is AED 50 for adults and AED 20 for children aged 3 to 12.
- Global Village: Season 31 (checked 5 November 2026)
Global Village Season 31 tickets are AED 25 on weekdays (Monday to Thursday, excluding public holidays) and AED 30 any day, VAT included.
- Dubai Miracle Garden: Season 15 tickets and timings (checked 5 November 2026)
Dubai Miracle Garden adult tickets are AED 105 and child tickets (3 to 12) AED 84, VAT included, for Season 15 (8 October 2026 to 31 May 2027).
- SMCCU: Jumeirah Mosque visit (checked 5 November 2026)
The Jumeirah Mosque visit run by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding is AED 45 per person.
- The View at The Palm: Tickets (checked 5 November 2026)
The View at The Palm shows standard admission from AED 80 and from AED 115 on its official site, without stating which applies to which time slot.
- At The Top, Burj Khalifa: Tickets (official ticket site) (checked 5 November 2026)
At The Top, Burj Khalifa's official ticket site lists the Silver ticket, Levels 124 and 125, at AED 189 with hours of 10:00am to 9:00pm and last entry at 8:15pm, and the Gold ticket, which adds Level 148, at AED 399.
- Arabian Adventures: Evening Desert Safari in Dubai (checked 5 November 2026)
Arabian Adventures, an Emirates Group company, lists its 6-hour Evening Desert Safari from AED 649 per person with hotel or residence pick-up anywhere in Dubai, and says the price varies by vehicle, group size and other selections.