The year round sunshine and luxury stays in the Arabian gulf are what makes a holiday in the UAE so attractive. Places like Dubai & Abu Dhabi add to that attraction with their fantastic things to do. However, these two cities can be expensive for a holiday. What if you want the luxury of a holiday to the UAE without the expense? Is there anywhere else to go? The answer is yes, and your option is Ras Al Khamiah! But is Ras Al Khaimah Cheaper than Dubai?
Ras Al Khaimah is cheaper than Dubai on all counts, from hotels and things to do, to eating out. The average cost of a hotel in Dubai across the year is 759AED per night, whereas RAK presents an average of just 448AED! (Based on figures from Trivago in 2020).
Below we take a look in more detail to help you achieve a fantastic luxury UAE holiday, without the expense of staying in Dubai.
Does Ras Al Khaimah Have Cheaper Hotels Than Dubai?
First of all let us take a look at hotel prices in both areas. This is easier for Ras Al Khaimah than it is Dubai, as Dubai is larger with a huge variety of areas and class of hotel which affect price. Luckily for us, Trivago has a fantastic search engine which provides historical hotel prices per month, per year!
Click here if you’re interested in checking this cool tool out.
However, not so easy for Ras Al Khamiah. We’ve had to literally trawl through all of the monthy hotel prices on Google, but we got there, in the end!
Ras Al Khaimah Average Hotel Prices
| Month | Average Price |
| January | 840AED |
| February | 320AED |
| March | 435AED |
| April | 460AED |
| May | 315AED |
| June | 310AED |
| July | 340AED |
| August | 305AED |
| September | 305AED |
| October | 345AED |
| November | 415AED |
| December | 995AED |
Dubai Average Hotel Prices
| Month | Average Hotel Price |
| January | 1,021AED |
| February | 726AED |
| March | 748AED |
| April | 790AED |
| May | 530AED |
| June | 823AED |
| July | 699AED |
| August | 639AED |
| September | 593AED |
| October | 869AED |
| November | 608AED |
| December | 1,068AED |
As you can see from the average hotel prices in both Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, the peak months are December and January where prices rocket. This is the most popular time of year for tourists, as the weather is at it’s mildest, and we have the festive period.
One thing is obvious though, Ras Al Khaimah has far cheaper hotel options than Dubai!
Is Ras Al Khaimah Cheaper to Eat Out Than Dubai?
The next comparison, food! Here we have used two cost comparison sites, Hikersbay.com and Numbeo.com, which are great for insights into costs of living in the worlds major cities.
The average cost of a meal for two at a mid-range restaurant in Ras Al Khamiah is 137.50AED.
The average cost of a meal for two at a mid-range restaurant in Dubai is 250AED.
Quite a considerable difference between the two destinations. In fact, if you take this for 2 meals a day, over a 7 day holiday, you will save 1,575AED on food alone by staying in Ras Al Khaimah!
Why Visit Ras Al Khamiah?
Apart from being cheaper than Dubai, Ras AL Khaimah has its other benefits too, such as:
- Unspoilt and quiet beaches
- Great variety of adventure excursions such as water sports and Hatta Kayak
- Jebel Jais summit
- Zip Lining at Jebel Jais
- Go Karting at RAK Track
- Amazing hiking views in the mountains
- Ancient ruins to explore
- Great wildlife
- Amazing open roads for driving between Jebel Jais
For more information check out 9 Reasons to Visit Ras Al Khaimah.
What About Things to Do?
This is quite difficult to measure, as both places have different things to do. But by comparing some similar excursions, you can see that Ras Al Khaimah is cheaper than Dubai on average for excursions.
| Excursion | Price (AED) Dubai | Price (AED) Ras Al Khaimah |
| Desert Safari & BBQ | 285 | 240 |
| Parasailing | 455 | 335 |
| Jet Ski (30min) | 335 | 210 |
| Deep Sea Fishing (4hrs) | 1,295 | 715 |
Are Food Prices in Ras Al Khaimah Cheaper Than Dubai?
If you’re looking to stay on a self catering basis you will most certainly save money. Food shopping in Ras Al Khaimah is slightly cheaper than in Dubai.
To give you an example we have built the below comparison table of food costs in Dubai compared to Ras Al Khaimah.
| Food | Cost (AED) Dubai | Cost (AED) Ras Al Khaimah |
| Milk 1Ltr | 5.90 | 5.90 |
| Loaf of Bread | 5 | 4.50 |
| 1.5Ltr Water | 2.23 | 2.50 |
| Bottle of Wine | 62.50 | 40 |
| Chicken 1Kg | 26 | 23 |
| Bananas 1Kg | 6 | 5.20 |
| 12 Eggs | 10 | 9.40 |
| Potatoes 1Kg | 3.75 | 4 |
| Local Cheese 1kg | 36 | 29 |
As you can see from the table above, Ras Al Khaimah is cheaper for food than Dubai, but there isn’t much in it.
So Is Ras Al Khaimah Cheaper Than Dubai?
So there you have it. If you are looking for a holiday to the UAE and are looking to save money, Ras Al Khaimah is definitely a more affordable option compared to Dubai. What’s more, RAK is only an hours drive from Dubai, meaning you can stay here, and day trip to Dubai if you want.
If you want to know more about visiting other small emirates in the UAE which are cheaper than visiting Dubai check out our article, Ras Al Khaimah vs Fujairah.
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