Visiting Dubai is often associated with luxury, but this is a common myth. While Dubai can be expensive, you don't need to break the bank to enjoy a budget-friendly trip.
Traveling to Dubai on a budget is totally possible, and in this guide, I'll share my top tips for experiencing Dubai when you have limited budget.
I have been to Dubai more than 30 times, in fact Traveltomtom officially is based in Dubai for several years already and I hold a residence visa for the UAE.
Table of Contents
- Travel to Dubai off-season
- Find cheap flights in advance
- Rent a car
- Take the metro
- Find a affordable accommodation in Deira (Old Dubai)
- Get an eSIM for Dubai
- Free things to do in Dubai
- Best free public beaches
- Free Rooftop skypool
- Eat at local restaurants
- Visiting mosques is free
- Shop at the Souqs instead of Dubai Mall
- Ladies night
Travel to Dubai off-season
My top budget tip is to visit Dubai in the off-season. Of course I understand that everyone wants to visit Dubai between November and March, but that is also when Dubai is the most expensive.
Prices drop when temperatures rise. While the heat may seem unbearable to some, many still plan their holidays to Dubai during the summer months of July and August, when the temperature regularly exceeds 40°C (104°F), but it is the cheapest time to visit Dubai.
There is AC everywhere in Dubai and with the breeze from the sea and a dip in the pool from time to time it is actually doable to visit Dubai in the hot Summer months.
Find cheap flights in advance
Finding cheap flights to Dubai requires time, effort, and most importantly, flexibility.
By being flexible, I mean not sticking to fixed dates but instead looking for the cheapest flight deals and then adjusting your Dubai holiday to those dates. Of course looking for flights to Dubai a couple months in advanced increases your chance to find cheap flights.
Dubai has several airports and make sure to include Sharjah Airport in your flight search. Sharjah is another Emirate but it is only 20 minutes away from Dubai DXB Airport.
Flying in and out from Sharjah Airport for your trip to Dubai will surely save you some money.
If you find cheap flight to Abu Dhabi then also consider these flights as there are often free shuttle busses from Dubai to Abu Dhabi airport included in the flight tickets. And if not, then here is a reminder that a public bus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi is only about $5 USD one-way.
How to find cheap flights to Dubai? I recommend using Skyscanner, Google Flights, Kayak and Kiwi. Don't just use one flight search engine, but use them all and compare the results.
Rent a car
Renting a car is the best way to get around Dubai if you are traveling on a budget. It may sound weird as renting a car is often pretty expensive. Well, that is not the case in Dubai.
Renting a car in Dubai is cheaper than taking taxis.
Taxis in Dubai are not expensive either but the costs add up when you take a taxi 2-3 a day. A taxi from the airport to Downtown is $15 to $20 USD. Going from Downtown to Marina you are looking at another $15 to $20 USD.
Renting a car starts from just $15 USD per day, and you can pick it up and bring it back at the airport.
Gasoline is cheaper in Dubai compared to most Western countries and you pay just about $0.75 USD for a Liter. Filling up your car at the gas station will never cost you more than $30 USD for a full tank.
In most places in Dubai there is free parking or you pay just $1 USD per hour. Pretty much all hotels have free parking included so you don't need to worry where you park your car at night.
You can try Booking for cheap car rentals in Dubai. I found a car rental deal for $200 USD for 14 days.
Take the metro
The cheapest way to get around Dubai is taking the metro. However, the metro network is quite limited and you will still end up taking a taxi from the metro station to your destination.
Dubai is not a walkable city at all, especially from April to October it is not recommended because of the heat.
The metro network in Dubai is somewhat limited and another downside is that it is pretty slow and sometimes really crowded.
For instance traveling from DXB Airport to Dubai Marina can take up to 1 hour.
Find a affordable accommodation in Deira (Old Dubai)
Most of hotels in Downtown, Dubai Marina or Palm Jumeirah are suitable for budget travelers. Consider to find cheap accommodation outside of these main tourist destinations. The cheapest hotels in Dubai are in Deira, which is the old city or may be even consider finding a hotel in Sharjah, another Emirate, but just a 20 minutes ride away from Downtown Dubai.
There are many affordable Dubai hotels in Deira with good ratings that are less than $100 USD per night.
A highly recommended budget hotel in Dubai is the retired Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship. This old cruise ship is permanently docked in Port Rashid between Deira and Jumeirah 3.
The rooms are small, but when you go sightseeing in Dubai and you arrive back at your hotel late at night then this is a very nice and quiet luxury hotel on a budget.
The buffet breakfast is huge and totally worth adding to your hotel reservation.
Another recommended budget hotel with a luxury touch is the Mercure Dubai Deira. It is a fairly new hotel with an amazing rooftop pool and room rates are often just around $80 USD per night.
There are many cheap places to stay in Dubai you just have to be a bit more creative and looking for alternative areas to stay like Deira, Al Barsha, Silicon Oasis, etc.
Get an eSIM for Dubai
You might think that buying a prepaid sim card on arrival in Dubai is the cheapest way to stay connected for tourists, but that is not the case. A tourist sim card will charge you about $4 USD per Gigabyte and the cheapest prepaid sim card is around $13 USD and you only get 2 GB data.
eSIMs for Dubai are much cheaper starting from just $1 USD for 1 GB data. It is recommended to order an eSIM for Dubai online before your trip and you will be online as soon as the plane lands.
Check out my guide on how to order an eSIM for Dubai with everything you need to know about Dubai eSIMs.
Free things to do in Dubai
There are loads of free things to do in Dubai and there are many blog posts that can pull up a list of free activities. Check out this list of 30 free things to do in Dubai.
One of the top free attractions in Dubai is the Dubai Fountain Show next to Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall.
Visiting Old Dubai is also an amazing free activity in Dubai. You can take a water taxi for just 1 AED ($0.25 USD) on the Dubai Creek and strolling around the local markets on one side of the Dubai Creek is lovely.
And on the other side there is the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood also known as Al Seef Dubai Creek. A popular place for shopping, restaurants, coffee places and food trucks in a unique setting. The historical village is fully restored and has a wonderful, cosy vibe.
Al Seef is one of my favorite places to visit in Dubai. You can also find the Dubai Museum here to learn about the history of Dubai. Visiting the Dubai Museum is free, although at the moment the Dubai Museum is closed due to renovations.
Here is an inside of my story on why Traveltomtom decided to move to Dubai.
Best free public beaches
Dubai has many free public beaches where you don't have to pay for an expensive sunbed. And yes, you can wear your bikini or swimwear without any issues.
Recommended free public beaches are Kite Beach in Um Suqeim 1, JBR Beach in Dubai Marina, La Mer Public Beach and even West Palm beach is technically free to visit.
West Palm beach is where you will find all the fancy beach clubs, it is like the Mykonos or Ibiza from Dubai. But you can freely visit West Palm beach and walk around and swim here without paying entrance fee at one of the fancy beach clubs.
Free Rooftop skypool
Avoid super expensive rooftop pools like Aura or Cloud 22 Skypool.
Most skypools in Dubai charge a hefty entrance fee or require a minimum spend. A new secret travel tip for Dubai is the China White Skypool on top of the Radisson Beach Resort West Palm.
This rooftop pool is called China White and does not charge an entrance fee. Sun beds start from $80 USD, but you can also walk up to the bar and order a drink without paying for a sun bed.
It is an incredible place to watch the sunset.
Here is my instagram reel for you to have an impression of what the China White skypool is like.
The China White skypool is pretty new and not that busy yet so as long as you can still enter for free make use of it.
Eat at local restaurants
There are a lot of fancy restaurants in Dubai that cater to those that have big budgets, but there is also a huge working class in Dubai and these people don't eat in fancy restaurants. That means there are a lot of cheap local restaurants in Dubai as well.
For example ask your taxi driver or housekeeping staff for good local restaurant recommendations in Dubai.
In Deira (old Dubai) there are loads of local restaurants from all over the world: Thai, Uzbek, Pakistani, Indian, Iranian, Palestinian. There is plenty of choice when it comes to cheap restaurants.
In these local restaurants you can find main courses for just $5 USD. Cheap food in Dubai is easy to find.
Visiting mosques is free
Mosques are the main symbol of the Arabic world and although Dubai sometimes feels very Western don't forget you are still in the Middle East.
I always say the best way to gain respect from the locals is to respect their religion. The Islam is still very central in Dubai's culture and everywhere around Dubai you will find stunning mosques.
When visiting Dubai you should actually visit a mosque and learn a bit about the Islamic culture. It will help you respect and understand the people and the religion a bit more.
Don't forget to dress modest when visiting religious sites.
The Jumeirah Mosque is considered the most beautiful mosque in Dubai, the Al Noor Mosque in Sharjah is also gorgeous. The Grand mosque is not as ecstatically pleasing as the others but it is the biggest mosque in Dubai.
Shop at the Souqs instead of Dubai Mall
Shop where the locals shop and save money if you are interested in shopping in Dubai. The Dubai Mall is one of the most famous places to visit in Dubai and even when not interested in shopping you should visit the Dubai Mall.
It has an ice rink which is cool to go for people watching, there is a whole new Chinatown area added to the Dubai Mall which is interesting to visit and there is a huge aquarium which you can admire without paying entrance fee.
Related: is visiting the Dubai Aquarium worth it?
But when you want to buy souvenirs or go shopping then the Dubai Mall is not the place. Instead head to the local markets also called souqs. There is a Gold Souq, a spice Souq, a textile Souq and much more.
You find the local markets in Deira, the old part of Dubai.
Ladies night
This one is for the ladies traveling to Dubai on a budget. There is even a whole website dedicated to Ladies Night in Dubai.
Ladies Night in Dubai means that ladies get free entrance to clubs and bars and free drinks. In some cases there is even food included.
Ladies Night used to be Wednesday and Thursday in Dubai, but nowadays you can find ladies night events every day of the week. On the website above you can pick your day and see where to go for free drinks and/or dining.
There is also an app for those ladies who have a lot of social media followers. The app is called The Secret Society and it offers ladies completely free experience from adventures to high end dining to beach clubs and parties all over Dubai.
Here is The Secret Society Instagram page.