Dubai on a Budget: The 7 Ultimate Money-Saving Tips - Curls en Route (2024)

Traveling to Dubai on a budget sounds like a dream come true to many, mainly because Dubai is one of the most expensive destinations out there with so many temptations on the table. So, before reading along, you need to understand that Dubai is quite pricey – that’s a fact. Don’t expect a budget traveler’s itinerary or guide, because it’s too hard to work around it. However, there are some money-saving tips that can help you avoid breaking the bank when in Dubai. Saving a dirham here and a dirham there is better than nothing at all, right?

So, if you’re NOT a budget traveler or a backpacker, wanting to splurge (a bit) on an overseas vacation and considering Dubai, this read’s for you.

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Top 7 Tips to Travel to Dubai on a Budget

#1 Cut your trip short

This one goes without saying – if a destination is too expensive, opt for a short trip. If you can’t really do Dubai on a budget, then fewer days means less money spent. After all, it’s better than nothing. There are two factors that make a short trip to Dubai a more realistic option. First, its location is strategically central, making it a perfect layover destination. So, if you’re in the US, heading to Bali, for instance, you can make a quick stop in Dubai.

Another thing is that Dubai is more of a vacation destination, not somewhere where you can really “explore”. So, your trip is more likely to be experience-centric. That’s why it’s easy to squeeze in a dune-bashing or beach day here, and a sky-diving day there.

#2 Plan your trip in advance

If you’re a planner, then that’s great, but if you like to go with the flow, then you need to start working on your planning skills. Simply because planning in advance can help save you more money than you can imagine. For starters, having an itinerary or an idea about the kind of experiences you’ll be spending on will help you set a budget for your trip to stick to or track.

Additionally, planning out your days will help you create a mental map, highlighting the areas where you’ll be spending most of your time. This will come in handy when choosing your accommodation and means of transportation, which will impact your spending BIG TIME.

#3 Choose your accommodation wisely

The two biggest bulks in the cost of any trip are flight tickets and accommodation. And since we’ve established that Dubai is quite pricey, then it makes sense that your accommodation options will be as expensive as anything else.

Let’s first agree that lodging options in all of Dubai are costly; however, some neighborhoods are cheaper than others. For instance, hotels in Deira, which is in old Dubai, are much cheaper than hotels in areas like JBR or Downtown Dubai. But don’t jump straight to the conclusion of staying in the cheaper area, because it will impact your transportation expenses. I’ll get more into this in the next point, and you’ll see how these two points, as well as the planning part, are interrelated.

Before moving on to the next point, you might also want to consider the type of accommodation you’ll be booking. The general rule of thumb is that hostels are cheaper than hotels. But, unfortunately, there aren’t too many hostels in Dubai, and they aren’t really the best. To me, they honestly felt so tacky. If you’re okay (and comfortable) with that, then don’t think twice about staying in a hostel. Places like California Hostel Dubai Beach and Dubai Beach Hostel have so many good reviews by backpackers and their locations are great, considering their cost.

You may also find other hostels with a slightly better quality such as Green Sky Hostel, but lots of these hostels seemed to be priced just like hotels in lower budget areas. In this case, it’s really your call, depending on your personal criteria. If you’re paying that amount of money for a bed, would you rather stay in a room with other people, compromising quality for a better location (which will help you save on transportation), or stay somewhere further but fancier and have your own personal space?

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#4 Compare your transportation options

Remember when I told you that transportation, accommodation, and planning ahead all fit in one equation? Well, it’s all about finding the right balance that works for you.

So, let’s say that after planning the itinerary, you find out that you’ll be spending most of your time near Downtown Dubai, or in the modern part of the city, what would make more sense? Staying in one of the pricey neighborhoods or in Old Dubai, that’s slightly cheaper? The equation doesn’t end here; you should factor in the transportation cost in both cases.

For example, if you decide to stay in Old Dubai and save on accommodation, but spend most of your time in the new part of town, you’ll be spending more money on commuting back and forth. Which extra cost is cheaper; the extra cost of transportation or the difference you’ll pay if you stay in a more expensive hotel? This is basically what you need to calculate depending on your own criteria, itinerary, and research.

You also need to figure out your transportation options and compare them with one another. For starters, you should mostly rely on commuting via the metro if you want to save money (the same goes for commuting by bus). However, you’ll be switching lines sometimes and not all places are accessible by metro stations. So, you’ll probably mix walking with other means of transportation like the bus or a ride-hailing service. Hence, commuting from point A to point B will take longer, which is fine because you want to save money, remember? But what if you don’t have the time?

It’s very possible that you may sometimes need to get somewhere quickly, or that you’ve walked so much that day that you can’t wait to be back in bed. There are so many reasons really why one might sometimes want to save time, and there’s no judgment when it comes to that. But in any of these cases, you might end up resorting to either taking a taxi or using a ride-hailing app. And this is when the comparison comes into play.

When I went to Dubai, a lot of locals told me that taxis and Careem (a Middle East-based ride-hailing app) are much cheaper than Uber. But believe it or not, when I compared it, I found out that this isn’t always the case. When I rode a taxi, it cost me the exact same price that I would’ve paid if I’d taken Uber. And every single time I requested a ride, I compared the price on both Uber and Careem, and Uber had always been cheaper.

Now the takeaway here isn’t that Uber’s cheaper, because apparently, Careem was cheaper in so many other cases. It was just other people’s experiences and not mine. So, what I’d recommend here is to compare the same ride before requesting a car as I did. This way, you’d make a more calculated decision.

#5 Wake up early

Considering that you may not have too many days (if you’re following tip #1) and that you’ll be wasting some time commuting (if you’re following tip #4), you need more time. That means you need to wake up early to make the most out of your days and be able to squeeze in as much as you can from your pre-planned itinerary.

#6 Make a list of priorities when it comes to spending

If you want to do Dubai on a budget, then you need to carefully consider what you’ll be spending on. Let’s start with the main landmarks, Burj Khalifa, for instance. Would you pay AED 149 just to enter or would a picture with the skyscraper from Dubai Mall suffice? When I asked my local friends, they all told me it wasn’t worth it, so I passed.

However, these are MY friends whom I trust – you’re not obligated to. If you think it’s worth it and would make you happy, then go for it. I wasn’t against spending the AED 149, I just decided to spend it on something else since this experience didn’t seem to be worth it. So, the point is, you set your priorities and decide what you’d rather spend your money on and what to skip and save its money in return.

Follow this mindset when allocating your money to any aspect of the trip. Since Dubai is mostly experience-centric and already expensive in nature, your options will already cost you a lot. For example, if skydiving is on your bucket list and would make you happy, it’s completely fine to spend on it – don’t feel bad about it. But in return, skip eating out at fancy restaurants or cut down the drinking maybe.

Again, it’s all about balancing the equation. Don’t think of saving on everything because this way, there won’t be much left to do in Dubai and you won’t enjoy your trip at all. If that’s your mindset, then in simple words, Dubai is not your destination.

Another important aspect to consider when doing Dubai on a budget is shopping. Even though stores and brands in Dubai are more expensive than other countries, it’s a major shopping destination with so many malls, like Dubai Mall or Mall of Emirates, and lots of temptations.

My advice to you, if you want to go shopping, is that try not to be tempted by anything and everything, and instead, focus on the stores or brands that you don’t have back in your home country. For instance, in my case, I skipped stores like H&M and Stradivarius because they’re everywhere, and instead, bought a couple of things from Urban Outfitters which I don’t have back home. I also got the makeup brands from Sephora that aren’t available over here or maybe sold online for double the price or more. Most importantly, I wrote a list of the things I NEEDED so I wouldn’t fall victim to impulsive shopping, and trust me, it’s so easy to happen in a place like Dubai.

#7 Buy the right souvenirs

To be quite honest, as a Middle Eastern myself, I didn’t find any of the traditional gifts and souvenirs different from those around the region. Be it the lanterns, the ivory jewelry boxes, the cushions, the abayas, you name it. The only difference was that they were way more expensive in Dubai. So, my tip to you is that if you’re traveling to other Arab countries, get these things elsewhere. And if you still want to get something from Dubai, then stick to the classic travel souvenirs like keychains or fridge magnets, because these will be Dubai-centered. Getting something with Burj Khalifa or “Dubai” written on it makes more sense in this case.

So, tell me, were these tips helpful? If you have some tips of your own that can help others travel to Dubai on a budget (or at least a tighter one), drop a comment below.

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