Life News
Ramadan on a budget: price freezes in the UAE, RM40 bazaar meals in Malaysia
Ramadan began in mid-February, and with it the season of iftar shopping. Two outlets looked at costs from very different angles.
In the UAE, Gulf News published a shopping guide on 13 February. Retailer Choithrams is cutting prices on nearly 10,000 essential products, about a third of its range, and LuLu is offering discounts of up to 65%. Ramadan grocery boxes from Carrefour and LuLu cost Dh50 to Dh100. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism launched a price monitoring campaign: nine essential categories, including rice, sugar, eggs and bread, cannot rise in price without approval, and fines reach Dh100,000.
In Malaysia, Malay Mail visited Ramadan bazaars in the Klang Valley on 24–25 February. Shoppers said a chicken meal now commonly costs RM15 or more and drinks about RM5 each. A lorry driver with a family of six said he now brings at least RM100, where RM70 to RM80 used to be enough.
“RM30 now gets you maybe one proper meal and a drink with some kuih.” — Farah Ahmad, shopper, via Malay Mail
How each outlet framed it
- Gulf News — a value guide: where the deals are, staple prices such as 1kg of dates at about Dh15.50, and how the government caps increases.
- Malay Mail — a street-level view: students and families cutting visits and setting strict budgets.
What we don't know yet: The Malaysian report rests on shoppers' own accounts at four bazaars, not official price data, and the UAE guide gives shelf prices without last year's levels, so neither measures how much prices actually rose.