Monthly supermarket basket report · MOET data, Brainy Prices calculations
Dubai grocery basket: October 2026
90% of the essential grocery prices compared were the same in MOET’s update dated 31 October 2026 as in its update dated 25 September 2026: 3,268 of 3,635 prices of the same product at the same chain in Dubai. Geometric mean of the changes: +0.29%.
Source: UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism — Essential Goods Prices Platform, Dubai branches, updates dated 25 September 2026 and 31 October 2026 (downloaded 2026-10-06 and 2026-11-01). MOET prices are shown as published; medians, sums and percentages are Brainy Prices calculations. Not an official publication of the UAE Government. It covers 9 product groups without spending weights and does not measure the cost of living. Prices may have changed.
Tiles: Brainy Prices calculations on MOET prices. Source: MOET, Dubai branches. Calculation: Brainy Prices.
Findings
- 90% of the essential grocery prices compared were the same in MOET’s update dated 31 October 2026 as in its update dated 25 September 2026: 3,268 of 3,635 prices of the same product at the same chain (median across the chain’s Dubai branches). 224 were higher and 143 lower; the geometric mean of the changes was +0.29%.
Source: UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Essential Goods Prices Platform, Dubai branches; updates dated 25 September 2026 and 31 October 2026. Calculation: Brainy Prices. - On 33 identical products (same brand, variant and size) sold by Carrefour, LuLu and Nesto, the same basket cost less at Carrefour in MOET’s update dated 31 October 2026: AED 731.42 at Carrefour, AED 759.80 at LuLu and AED 763.78 at Nesto (sum of each chain’s median price across its Dubai branches). A different basket gives a different result: on 25 identical products sold by Al Maya, LuLu and Nesto, the same basket cost less at LuLu (AED 400.14 at Al Maya, AED 385.75 at LuLu and AED 386.39 at Nesto).
Source: UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Essential Goods Prices Platform, Dubai branches; update dated 31 October 2026. Calculation: Brainy Prices. - Prices for the same product differ between chains: across 91 identical products, the median gap between the chain with the lowest and the chain with the highest median price was 15.1%. The widest gap among chains with at least 5 Dubai branches listing the product was Nawar sunflower oil 1.5 L: AED 13.95 to AED 15.35 across 20 Union Coop branches in Dubai (median AED 13.95), and AED 21.95 at all 25 LuLu branches in Dubai listing it, in MOET’s update dated 31 October 2026.
Source: UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Essential Goods Prices Platform, Dubai branches; update dated 31 October 2026. Calculation: Brainy Prices. - In MOET’s update dated 31 October 2026, LuLu (87 identical products) listed one price per product across all its Dubai branches. Al Maya (28 of 39 products), Carrefour (46 of 50 products), Nesto (42 of 64 products) and Union Coop (5 of 28 products) listed more than one price for the same product across their Dubai branches.
Source: UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Essential Goods Prices Platform, Dubai branches, branch-level prices; update dated 31 October 2026. Calculation: Brainy Prices. - Among categories with at least 50 prices compared, Legumes changed the most between MOET’s updates dated 25 September 2026 and 31 October 2026: +1.40% (geometric mean of 762 prices; 85 higher, 21 lower).
Source: UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Essential Goods Prices Platform, Dubai branches; updates dated 25 September 2026 and 31 October 2026. Calculation: Brainy Prices.
Change by category
| Category | Prices | Geometric mean | Higher | Lower | Same |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | 53 | 0.00% | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| Chicken | 526 | −0.32% | 20 | 31 | 475 |
| Cooking oil | 511 | +0.10% | 29 | 22 | 460 |
| Dairy | 656 | −0.39% | 29 | 45 | 582 |
| Eggs | 471 | −0.10% | 9 | 8 | 454 |
| Legumes | 762 | +1.40% | 85 | 21 | 656 |
| Rice | 410 | +0.64% | 32 | 9 | 369 |
| Sugar | 95 | +0.22% | 7 | 6 | 82 |
| Wheat | 151 | +0.90% | 13 | 1 | 137 |
MOET updates dated 25 September 2026 and 31 October 2026. Source: MOET, Dubai branches. Calculation: Brainy Prices.
The same basket at different chains
Each basket is exactly the same identical products (same brand, variant and size) at every chain in it; the figure is the sum of each chain’s median price across its Dubai branches in MOET’s update dated 31 October 2026. Chains are listed alphabetically. A different basket can give a different result.
33 identical products sold by Carrefour, LuLu and Nesto
| Chain | Basket total (AED) | Difference from the lowest total |
|---|---|---|
| Carrefour | 731.42 | lowest total |
| LuLu | 759.80 | +3.9% |
| Nesto | 763.78 | +4.4% |
25 identical products sold by Al Maya, LuLu and Nesto
| Chain | Basket total (AED) | Difference from the lowest total |
|---|---|---|
| Al Maya | 400.14 | +3.7% |
| LuLu | 385.75 | lowest total |
| Nesto | 386.39 | +0.2% |
19 identical products sold by LuLu, Nesto and Union Coop
| Chain | Basket total (AED) | Difference from the lowest total |
|---|---|---|
| LuLu | 507.10 | +8.7% |
| Nesto | 493.49 | +5.8% |
| Union Coop | 466.55 | lowest total |
17 identical products sold by Al Maya, Carrefour and LuLu
| Chain | Basket total (AED) | Difference from the lowest total |
|---|---|---|
| Al Maya | 298.46 | +12.7% |
| Carrefour | 264.81 | lowest total |
| LuLu | 278.35 | +5.1% |
MOET update dated 31 October 2026. Source: MOET, Dubai branches. Calculation: Brainy Prices.
Same product, different chain
Across 91 identical products listed by at least two chains with two or more Dubai branches, the median gap between the lowest and the highest chain median was 15.1%. Widest gaps among chains with at least 5 Dubai branches listing the product; branch prices as listed by MOET:
| Product | Lower median | Higher median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nawar sunflower oil 1.5 L | Union Coop: AED 13.95–15.35 in 20 branches; median 13.95 | LuLu: AED 21.95 (all 25 branches) | 57.3% |
| Zeeba classic basmati rice 5 kg | LuLu: AED 46.50 (all 25 branches) | Al Maya: AED 71.25 (all 8 branches) | 53.2% |
| Sunflow sunflower oil 5 L | Carrefour: AED 32.50 (all 52 branches) | Nesto: AED 48.99 (all 14 branches) | 50.7% |
| Noor corn oil 1.5 L | Nesto: AED 19.95–26.99 in 11 branches; median 20.99 | Spinneys: AED 30.00–31.00 in 11 branches; median 31.00 | 47.7% |
| Al Osra fine white sugar 5 kg | Nesto: AED 15.99–19.99 in 12 branches; median 19.99 | Al Maya: AED 17.99–29.50 in 19 branches; median 29.50 | 47.6% |
MOET update dated 31 October 2026; gap = higher median ÷ lower median − 1. Source: MOET, Dubai branches. Calculation: Brainy Prices.
One price in every branch?
| Chain | Identical products | Listed at more than one price across Dubai branches |
|---|---|---|
| Al Maya | 39 | 28 |
| Carrefour | 50 | 46 |
| Choithrams | 1 | 0 |
| Emirates Coop | 3 | 0 |
| LuLu | 87 | 0 |
| Nesto | 64 | 42 |
| Spinneys | 9 | 7 |
| Union Coop | 28 | 5 |
MOET branch-level prices, update dated 31 October 2026; chains with at least 5 Dubai branches, alphabetical. Source: MOET, Dubai branches. Calculation: Brainy Prices.
Our everyday basket in MOET’s data
17 of our 66 everyday products appear in MOET’s data for Dubai. Adding up the lowest in-store price MOET lists for each: AED 199.64 in the update dated 25 September 2026 and AED 200.39 in the update dated 31 October 2026 (+0.38%; 4 of 17 products changed).
MOET updates dated 25 September 2026 and 31 October 2026. Source: MOET, Dubai branches. Calculation: Brainy Prices.
Method
- Coverage: Essential groceries in the 9 categories on MOET’s platform (bread, chicken, cooking oil, dairy, eggs, legumes, rice, sugar, wheat); Dubai branches only. 10 chains (Al Maya, Carrefour, Choithrams, Emirates Coop, KM Trading, LuLu, Nesto, Safeer, Spinneys, Union Coop), 232 branches, 4,486 MOET products in the update dated 31 October 2026.
- Dates: the last MOET update dated before the month, and the last MOET update dated within the month, as dated by MOET (“Last Updated”). This edition: 25 September 2026 and 31 October 2026.
- Price of a product at a chain: median price across a chain’s Dubai branches for the same MOET product id and pack size. MOET’s branch prices are not altered; the median is our calculation.
- Change: geometric mean of price relatives, unweighted (each product at each chain counts the same). Only prices present in both updates count (115 only in the first, 533 only in the second). Excluded: relatives outside ×1/2…×2 (likely product or unit change) and rows whose name marks a promotion (10 this edition).
- Baskets: identical products (same brand, variant and size) from our MOET shop prices page; chains with ≥ 2 Dubai branches; ≥ 15 products shared by all 3 chains. No spending weights.
- Findings are published only when they pass a minimum sample and size of change; this edition leaves out: nothing.
- This edition does not change after publication. Data: 2026-10.json. Prices per product and chain: MOET shop prices for identical products. How products are matched · Report an error. Corrections within 24 hours.
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