Dubai rated the most expensive place to buy a summer dress and surf the internet, survey reveals

But residents earn a good salary and have higher disposable incomes, according to Deutsche Bank’s annual Mapping the World’s Prices report

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 21 DECEMBER 2017. Shopping in Dubai Mall before the implementation of VAT across the UAE. A shopper enters a store in Dubai Mall displaying SALE signs. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: None. Section: National.
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Dubai is the most expensive city to buy a summer dress and surf the internet, a new global ranking says.

Deutsche Bank's annual Mapping the World's Prices report outlines the prices of a range of goods and services to rank the cost of living in 50 cities relevant to global financial markets.

According to the 2018 survey, it costs $85 (Dh312) to pay for 8Mbps speed internet a month in Dubai – a slight decline from the cost last year. The cheapest place is Russia, where it will cost you just $7 (Dh26) for the same speed, according to the ranking.

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A summer dress in a high street store such as Zara or H&M will cost you $61 (Dh224), a little more than it did last year at $58 (Dh213). The cheapest location was Indonesia, where it costs just $28.

It will come as no surprise to many that living in Dubai is on the more expensive side when it comes to renting property. A mid-range, two-bedroom apartment costs an average of $1,787, placing the city 14th on the list of 50 cities. The cheapest city on the list is in Bangalore in India, where it costs just $289 a month for a mid-range property, the ranking shows.

But on the positive side, Dubai is on the cheaper side to buy things including a new mid-sized car, where it featured 37th on the list. Taxi fares placed the city in 37th place, and the cost for a litre of petrol put it in 47th place.

The survey also reveals that Dubai residents tend to earn a decent income, with the average monthly salary standing at $3,447 (Dh12,660), placing the city ninth overall in the ranking of 50 cities, where Zurich, San Francisco and New York City came out on top.

People living in Dubai also tend to have more disposable income after paying for their rent, with an average household surplus of $2,554 for two people working, placing the city ninth on the list.

The city was ranked 18th overall in terms of quality of living – scoring particularly highly in terms of safety (third) and property to income ratio (third). But it was badly, and predictably, let down by its climate likeability – scoring last in 49th place.