Eating out in Dubai and the UAE can cost as little as AED 15 for a full meal or as much as AED 500 and more for a hotel brunch. Most residents eat somewhere in between: AED 40 to 80 a head at a casual restaurant. The figures below are typical ranges, and the biggest single saving is where you eat, not what.
What a single meal costs
- Karak tea: around AED 1 to 3 at a cafeteria
- Cafeteria meal, such as paratha and egg, a sandwich or a shawarma: AED 5 to 20
- Biryani or curry with bread at a community restaurant: AED 15 to 30
- Casual sit-down restaurant: AED 40 to 80 a head
- Mid-range or hotel restaurant: AED 100 to 200 a head
- Fine dining: AED 400 a head and up
- Hotel brunch: commonly AED 300 to 600, more with drinks packages
How much does food cost per day and per month?
A visitor eating one cafeteria meal, one casual meal and one mid-range dinner a day should budget around AED 150 to 250. A resident eating out often but sensibly might spend AED 1,500 to 3,000 a month on restaurants and delivery; cooking at home most days cuts that sharply.
Why the same food costs more in Dubai
Rent, service charges and licensing. Hotel restaurants commonly add service charge and municipality fees on top of menu prices, and venues with alcohol licences price for it. Sharjah has no alcohol licences and lower rents, so a family dinner there often costs much less than the same meal in central Dubai. Our Dubai vs Sharjah comparison shows it dish by dish.
How residents eat well for less
- Eat in the older food districts: Karama, Bur Dubai and Deira in Dubai, Rolla and Al Nahda in Sharjah
- Use buffets for groups: a full dinner buffet from AED 42 beats ordering à la carte for four or more
- Choose weekday deals: many restaurants price weekdays lower than weekends
- Order direct: calling or messaging the restaurant often beats app prices
- Share karahi and BBQ: Pakistani dishes come in half and full sizes made for sharing
A worked example: dinner for a family of four
Two adults and two children aged 5 to 10 at our weekday dinner buffet pay AED 128 in total, drinks included. Ordering à la carte instead, a full chicken karahi (AED 48), two chicken biryanis (AED 30), naan and dessert comes to around AED 100 to 110. Both are at Taier Al Monal, opposite Nesto Hypermarket in Abu Shagara, Sharjah. Prices for everything are on our offers page.
