Dubai can eat money fast-or feel surprisingly reasonable-depending on how you travel. You clicked to get a number you can trust, not a vague shrug. Here’s the straight answer, backed by real prices, quick formulas, and scenarios (solo, couple, family). If you want the one-line takeaway on how much money to take to Dubai, it’s below. From there, I’ll help you build a clear 7-day budget you won’t blow on day two.
- TL;DR (quick numbers)
- Per adult, including hotel, food, transport, and key sights for 7 days: Budget 1,750-2,800 AED; Mid-range 4,200-6,300 AED; Luxury 12,600-21,000 AED.
- Spending money only (no hotel): 1,050-2,100 AED for 7 days if you’re sensible with eats and transport.
- Bring minimal cash: 300-500 AED for tips and small shops. Pay everything else by card/contactless to avoid bad exchange rates.
- Rule of thumb: Hotel ≈ 40% of total, Food 25-35%, Activities 20-30%, Transport 5-10%, Extras 5-10%.
- Quick conversions: AED ÷ 3.67 ≈ USD; AED ÷ 4.65 ≈ GBP (USD peg is stable; GBP rate moves).
The quick answer and a realistic budget calculator
If you just want a number to plan around, use this: for one adult doing a classic 7-day Dubai trip with a few paid attractions, add up your daily target and multiply by seven. Then add a 10% buffer. Typical daily targets (including hotel):
- Budget: 250-400 AED/day
- Mid-range: 600-900 AED/day
- Luxury: 1,800-3,000 AED/day
Not paying for a hotel (staying with friends or using points)? Your daily spend can sit around 150-300 AED if you skip fancy drinks and use the metro.
Why people overspend here: taxis everywhere, high-end dining sneaking in most days, and paying walk-up prices for big-ticket attractions. Lock those three down, and your total shrinks fast.
Central Bank of the UAE: “The dirham (AED) is the official currency of the United Arab Emirates and is pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725.” - Central Bank of the UAE
How to self-calc in 2 minutes:
- Pick your hotel band (per room, per night): Budget 120-250 AED; Mid-range 350-700 AED; Luxury 1,200-3,000+ AED.
- Food per adult, per day: Budget 60-120 AED (cafes, supermarket snacks), Mid-range 150-300 AED (nice meals, coffee), Luxury 400-800 AED (fine dining, brunch).
- Transport per day: Metro/Nol 10-25 AED; Mixed (metro + taxis) 30-70 AED; Taxis only 80-150 AED.
- Activities for the week: 300-1,500 AED (depends on Burj Khalifa, safari, waterparks, beach clubs).
- Extras: 150-400 AED (tips, SIM/eSIM, sunscreen, coffee runs, souvenirs).
Then add: 5% VAT is already baked into most shelf prices; some restaurants add a 5-10% service charge. Tipping 10% is appreciated if service was good.
Cash vs cards: Dubai is extremely card-friendly. Apple/Google Pay are everywhere. Keep 300-500 AED cash for tips, small taxis, local bakeries, and markets. Avoid dynamic currency conversion-always pay in AED on the card machine.
Step-by-step: Build your 7-day Dubai budget (with real prices)
Work through these in order. That sequence stops budget creep.
-
Choose where you’ll sleep
- Budget: 120-250 AED/room/night in Deira/Old Dubai or basic hostels. Clean, AC, simple.
- Mid-range: 350-700 AED/room/night near Downtown, Business Bay, Al Jaddaf, or JLT. Good pools, breakfast deals.
- Luxury: 1,200-3,000+ AED/room/night for beach resorts or Downtown icons. Peak weekends can double rates.
Tip: Weekends are Friday-Sunday for rate spikes. Book cancellable rates and re-check weekly-Dubai hotels often run short sales.
-
Plan food the smart way
- Local eats: 20-40 AED for shawarma plates, Indian thali, manakish, Pakistani grill. Portions are big.
- Cafes: 18-30 AED coffee; 35-60 AED sandwiches/salads.
- Mid-range restaurants: 60-120 AED mains; 20-35 AED soft drinks; 45-70 AED beer; 60-90 AED cocktails.
- Hotel buffets/brunch: 150-250 AED breakfast; 250-500 AED Friday/Saturday brunch (with drinks packages).
Heuristic: If you eat two modest meals + one nicer dinner daily, budget 150-250 AED/day per adult without alcohol, 220-350 AED with a drink or two.
-
Transport: Metro first, taxis when it’s 40°C
- Nol card: Load 25-50 AED and top up as you go. Typical metro fares: 3-7.5 AED per ride; day passes exist and hover around the low 20s AED.
- Taxis: Start ~12 AED (airport flag ~25 AED), ~2-2.5 AED/km. Cross-town rides often 25-60 AED.
- Trams and buses take the same Nol card. Abra boats on the Creek: ~1-2 AED-worth it for the view alone.
Tip: The metro from DXB to Downtown is easy and cheap. With luggage and kids, taxi is worth the few extra dirhams after a long flight.
-
Activities: lock in your “musts” and pre-book the pricey ones
- Burj Khalifa At The Top 124/125: ~169 AED off-peak timed; higher at sunset. SKY (148): 399-553 AED.
- Desert safari (shared): 130-350 AED; private jeep: 700-1,200 AED per car.
- Dubai Frame: ~50 AED; Museum of the Future: ~149 AED (sells out, pre-book).
- Dubai Aquarium or combo tickets: ~199 AED; Aquaventure waterpark: 299-399 AED.
- Miracle Garden (seasonal): ~95 AED.
- Abu Dhabi day trip (Louvre + Grand Mosque): 200-500 AED depending on transport/tour.
Free or almost free: Dubai Fountain show, beaches (public), Al Fahidi historical area, Creek abras, malls (window-shopping and AC).
-
Extras most people forget
- SIM/eSIM tourist plans: 49-125 AED (Etisalat/du). eSIM is hassle-free.
- Sun cream, hats, extra water: 10-30 AED/day for a family if you buy locally.
- Souvenirs: 30-200 AED depending on tastes; bargain at souks, nicely.
Alcohol rules: Served in licensed venues only, legal drinking age is 21. Zero tolerance for drugs. Respect local laws and private behavior expectations.
Real-world examples and 7-day budgets (solo, couple, family, luxury)
These are realistic, not fantasy “$10/day” numbers. All in AED. I’ll show the per‑person table first, then a few full-trip scenarios.
| Traveler Type (per adult) | Daily Cost (AED) | 7 Days (AED) | Approx GBP | Approx USD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | 250-400 | 1,750-2,800 | ≈ 376-602 | ≈ 476-763 | Hostel/basic hotel, metro, cheap eats, 2-3 paid sights |
| Mid-range | 600-900 | 4,200-6,300 | ≈ 903-1,355 | ≈ 1,144-1,716 | 3-4* hotel, some taxis, nice dinners, headline sights |
| Luxury | 1,800-3,000 | 12,600-21,000 | ≈ 2,710-4,516 | ≈ 3,432-5,725 | 5* stay, fine dining, beach clubs, private tours |
| Spending only (no hotel) | 150-300 | 1,050-2,100 | ≈ 226-452 | ≈ 286-572 | Food, transport, a few sights, no alcohol |
Now some honest trip builds:
Solo on a tight budget (7 days)
- Hotel: 200 AED/night × 7 = 1,400 AED
- Food: 80 AED/day × 7 = 560 AED
- Transport: 20 AED/day × 7 = 140 AED
- Activities: Burj Khalifa off-peak + Dubai Frame + abra + museum bits ≈ 350 AED
- Extras: 200 AED
- Total ≈ 2,650 AED (≈ £570, ≈ $720)
If you swap Burj Khalifa for more free sights, you can shave 150-250 AED.
Mid-range couple (sharing a room)
- Hotel: 500 AED/night × 7 = 3,500 AED (1,750 AED per person)
- Food: 220 AED/day/person × 7 = 1,540 AED per person
- Transport: 60 AED/day (mostly split taxis + metro) × 7 = 420 AED per trip ≈ 210 AED per person
- Activities: Burj (prime), safari (shared), MoTF, Dubai Aquarium ≈ 1,400 AED per person
- Extras: 300 AED per person
- Total ≈ 4,900-5,400 AED per person (≈ £1,050-£1,160, ≈ $1,335-$1,470)
Drinks add up quickly: add 500-900 AED per person if you’re doing a brunch and cocktail bars.
Family of four (2 adults, 2 kids)
- Hotel: 700 AED/night × 7 = 4,900 AED (family room or apartment hotel)
- Food: 400-500 AED/day × 7 = 2,800-3,500 AED (kids share, water/supermarket snacks)
- Transport: 80 AED/day × 7 = 560 AED (metro + taxis for naps/heat)
- Activities: Aquarium + desert safari + Dubai Frame + Miracle Garden + beach rentals ≈ 1,600-2,200 AED (kids often discounted)
- Extras: 600 AED (SIM/eSIM, sunscreen, souvenirs)
- Total ≈ 10,460-11,760 AED per family (≈ £2,250-£2,530, ≈ $2,850-$3,200)
As a mum from Edinburgh with two kids (Zane and Daphne), I keep the day cool and cheap: early pool time, metro to old Dubai for abra rides and snacks, then one paid headliner every other day. It keeps the budget-and energy-steady.
Luxury week (2 adults)
- Hotel: 2,200 AED/night × 7 = 15,400 AED
- Food & drink: 800 AED/day/person × 7 = 5,600 AED per person
- Transport: 120 AED/day × 7 = 840 AED total
- Activities: premium Burj + private desert + beach clubs + waterpark + spa ≈ 3,500-5,000 AED per person
- Extras: 500 AED per person
- Total ≈ 30,000-36,000 AED for two (≈ £6,450-£7,740, ≈ $8,170-$9,800)
Luxury swings wildly with suites and champagne brunches. If you want the splash without the constant spend, angle for one showpiece dinner, one beach club day, one private tour.
Checklist, pro tips, and mini‑FAQ
Use this section to lock the plan and avoid “oops” costs.
Money checklist
- Cards: A debit card with fee‑free ATM withdrawals + a credit card with 0% FX fees.
- Cash to carry: 300-500 AED. Top up from ATMs if needed (decline currency conversion prompts).
- Nol card: Load 50-80 AED to start; top up after day 3.
- eSIM/SIM: Buy on arrival or pre‑purchase eSIM. Budget 49-125 AED for the week.
- Pre-book: Museum of the Future, Burj Khalifa prime times, Aquaventure, desert safari.
Simple savings that don’t feel stingy
- Do your headline attractions midweek and off‑peak times. Prices dip; crowds thin.
- Use metro for long hops, taxi only for the last mile in the heat.
- Eat your big meal at lunch. Many restaurants run cheaper lunch sets.
- Skip hotel laundry. Local laundries charge a fraction-ask reception.
- Carry a refillable bottle. Malls and hotels have fountains; tap water is treated.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Dynamic currency conversion at card terminals. Always choose AED, not your home currency.
- Walk-up attraction prices during sunset. Pre-book or choose morning slots.
- Assuming every beach is free. Public beaches are; beach clubs charge entry or minimum spend.
- Forgetting weekends run Fri-Sun. Hotel and brunch prices spike.
- Alcohol creep. Two drinks per night can quietly add 600-1,000 AED across a week.
Mini‑FAQ
- Is cash or card better in Dubai? Card. Keep a little cash for tips and small vendors. ATMs are everywhere.
- How much to set aside for tips? Many places add service; if not, 10% for good service is polite. Round up in taxis.
- What’s the cheapest way from the airport? Metro (Red Line) to most city hubs. If you’re wiped, taxi is ~40-80 AED to many areas.
- Can I drink alcohol? Yes, in licensed venues. Age 21+. Buy by the glass; bottles in bars are pricey.
- What about Ramadan? Many restaurants still serve, but expect a quieter vibe and some changes to hours/entertainment. Alcohol service may adjust. Budgets can drop if you lean on iftar deals.
- Souk haggling? Yes, politely. Expect to settle 20-40% below first price on touristy items.
- VAT refunds? You can reclaim VAT on eligible purchases from participating stores when you depart via airport kiosks. Bring your passport and tax invoices.
- Safety and laws? Dubai is very safe. Laws are strict: zero tolerance for drugs; keep public behavior respectful.
Quick decision helpers
- Not drinking? Subtract 60-120 AED/day from a mid-range plan.
- All taxis, no metro? Add 40-100 AED/day depending on distances.
- Two headliner attractions only? Keep activities under 500-700 AED for the week.
- Beach club day planned? Add 200-500 AED per person (entry or minimum spend).
Next steps
- Solo backpacker: Aim for 2,400-2,800 AED. Book a Deira/Old Dubai stay, buy a Nol card, pre-book one big attraction off‑peak.
- Couple (mid‑range): Target 9,800-10,800 AED total. Share taxis, do one splurge dinner, one desert trip, one water day.
- Family with kids: Plan 10,500-12,000 AED. Alternate heavy activity days with free beach/park days. Keep snacks and water handy.
- Luxury week: Set 30,000-36,000 AED for two. Lock key bookings now; ask hotels about club lounge access-it can replace several meals.
If you’re still unsure, build from your hotel rate. Multiply your nightly room price by 7, then add: 1.5× that number for mid‑range total spend, or 0.7× for bare-bones, or 2.0-3.0× for luxury. It’s rough-but it lands close for most trips.
Dubai Escort