9 October 2026
Why is Dubai gold cheaper than India? It's not quality
Dubai gold isn't cheaper because it's lower quality. It's the tax. The UAE charges no import duty and no VAT on the gold value, while India adds 6% import duty and then 3% GST. Here's what 10 grams of 22K costs in rupees in Dubai vs an India estimate before making charges.
Transcript
Why is Dubai gold cheaper than India's? Some say it's lower quality. It isn't. It's tax. The UAE charges no import duty, and no tax on the gold value. India adds 6 percent import duty, then 3 percent goods and services tax. Ten grams of 22 karat here? About one lakh twenty-three thousand rupees. India's estimate, before making charges, is about one lakh thirty-four thousand. That's about eleven thousand more. One catch: the UAE's 5 percent value added tax hits the making charge only. Save this for your next souk trip.
