Guide · Pricing
What catering costs per person in Dubai.
Real numbers, not a range. These are the rates our own booking engine charges every visitor.
Almost no caterer in Dubai publishes a price. You send an enquiry, wait, and get a PDF whose per-head number has service, transport and margin folded into it in a way you cannot check.
Here is our actual pricing, the same figures the booking engine quotes, so you can work out what your event costs before you speak to anyone, including us.
Prices and policies on this page are the ones our booking engine uses. Last reviewed .
Per head
The food cost.
A custom menu built dish by dish is priced from a base of AED 45 per head plus a weighting for each dish you pick, and lands between AED 110 and AED 400 per head. Prawns weigh more than lamb, lamb more than chicken, chicken more than vegetarian.
| Package | Per head | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | AED 125 | 3 veg + 2 non-veg starters, 2 veg + 1 non-veg mains, 2 sides, 1 dessert, rice, breads, salad, setup and service-ware |
| Premium | AED 150 | 4 veg + 3 non-veg + 1 seafood starters, 3 veg + 2 non-veg + 1 seafood mains, 2 sides, 2 desserts, one live station |
| Luxury | AED 180 | 4 veg + 4 non-veg + 2 seafood starters, 4 veg + 2 non-veg + 2 seafood mains, 3 sides, 2 desserts, two live stations, premium dishes |
On top of the food
The lines people forget.
| Item | Basis | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Service staff | One waiter per 25 guests, minimum two | AED 150 per waiter |
| Additional chef | Per chef, per event | AED 350 |
| Transport | Flat, per event | AED 500 |
| Live station | Per guest, by station | AED 20 – 30 |
| Live station setup & chef | Per extra station | AED 250 |
| Gas cylinder | Per cylinder | AED 80 |
| Crockery & cutlery hire | Per guest | AED 9 |
| Soft drinks | Per guest | AED 12 |
| Cleaning crew | Per event | AED 250 |
| Round table (seats 8–10) | Per table | AED 80 |
| Chair, basic / premium | Per chair | AED 20 / AED 30 |
| VAT | On the total | 5% |
By guest count
What catering costs for 20 to 500 people.
On the Classic package at AED 125 per head, every food figure drops by a sixth: a 200-guest event lands near AED 27,900 all in. On Luxury at AED 180 the same event rises to roughly AED 39,000, with two live stations already included rather than added.
Note how the transport line never moves. AED 500 is the same charge at twenty guests as at five hundred, which is why very small events feel proportionally expensive and why the AED 2,500 minimum order exists.
| Guests | Food | Waiters | Staff cost | Transport | VAT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | AED 3,000 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 190 | AED 3,990 |
| 30 | AED 4,500 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 265 | AED 5,565 |
| 40 | AED 6,000 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 340 | AED 7,140 |
| 50 | AED 7,500 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 415 | AED 8,715 |
| 60 | AED 9,000 | 3 | AED 450 | AED 500 | AED 498 | AED 10,448 |
| 100 | AED 15,000 | 4 | AED 600 | AED 500 | AED 805 | AED 16,905 |
| 200 | AED 30,000 | 8 | AED 1,200 | AED 500 | AED 1,585 | AED 33,285 |
| 300 | AED 45,000 | 12 | AED 1,800 | AED 500 | AED 2,365 | AED 49,665 |
| 500 | AED 75,000 | 20 | AED 3,000 | AED 500 | AED 3,925 | AED 82,425 |
Minimums
The floor.
- Minimum 20 guests.
- Minimum order value AED 2,500.
- Booking confirmed on a 50% deposit; balance on or before the event date.
- Final guest count due 72 hours before; charges follow the confirmed count or actual attendance, whichever is higher.
- Quotes valid 14 days.
What moves the number
Where the money actually goes.
Seafood is the single biggest swing on the food line: a premium seafood upgrade adds AED 25 per guest. Live stations are second, at AED 20 to 30 per guest plus AED 250 per extra counter. Staff scale in steps of 25 guests, so 51 guests and 75 guests cost the same in service.
Transport does not scale at all. It is AED 500 whether you have twenty guests or five hundred, which is why very small events feel proportionally expensive against the AED 2,500 minimum.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- How much does catering cost per person in Dubai?
- At Cater Inc., AED 125 per head on the Classic package, AED 150 on Premium and AED 180 on Luxury. A custom dish-by-dish menu ranges from AED 110 to AED 400 per head. On top, budget AED 150 per waiter (one per 25 guests, minimum two), AED 500 transport and 5% VAT.
- What is the minimum spend for catering in Dubai?
- AED 2,500, with a minimum of 20 guests.
- How much is catering for 20 people in Dubai?
- About AED 3,990 all in on the Premium package: AED 3,000 of food at AED 150 per head, AED 300 for the two-waiter minimum, AED 500 transport and AED 190 VAT. Twenty guests is our minimum headcount.
- How much is catering for 30 people in Dubai?
- About AED 5,565 all in on Premium: AED 4,500 food, AED 300 staff, AED 500 transport and AED 265 VAT. On the Classic package at AED 125 per head it is closer to AED 4,777.
- How much is catering for 50 people in Dubai?
- About AED 8,715 all in on Premium: AED 7,500 food at AED 150 per head, AED 300 for two waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 415 VAT. That includes one live station, which the Premium package carries.
- How much is catering for 100 people in Dubai?
- About AED 16,905 all in on Premium: AED 15,000 food, AED 600 for four waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 805 VAT. On Classic it is nearer AED 14,280; on Luxury, about AED 19,530.
- How much is catering for 200 people in Dubai?
- About AED 33,285 all in on Premium: AED 30,000 food, AED 1,200 for eight waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 1,585 VAT. This is the most common wedding-reception size we quote.
- How much does catering cost for a 200-person wedding?
- Roughly AED 33,285 on the Premium package including staff, transport and VAT, or about AED 39,000 on Luxury with two live stations included. Add AED 22 to AED 30 per guest for each extra live counter.
- How much is catering for 500 people in Dubai?
- About AED 82,425 all in on Premium: AED 75,000 food, AED 3,000 for twenty waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 3,925 VAT. At this scale plan multiple service zones rather than one buffet line.
- Is VAT included in catering prices in the UAE?
- Not in the per-head rate. VAT of 5% applies to the total, and our online quote shows it as a separate line.
- How many waiters do I need?
- One per 25 guests, with a minimum of two, at AED 150 each. A hundred-guest event therefore needs four.
- How much deposit is required?
- 50% of the total confirms the booking. The balance is payable on or before the event date, by bank transfer.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
- GuidesHow much food to order per guestHow many dishes and how much food per guest for a UAE event: course counts by package, live-station ratios, and how to plan a buffet for 50, 200 or 500 people.
- CateringHome & villa party cateringPrivate party catering at home in Dubai. Birthdays, Diwali, anniversaries and villa dinners from 20 guests and AED 125 per head. Staff, crockery and setup included in the quote.
- CateringWedding catering in DubaiWedding catering in Dubai from AED 125 per head. Mehndi, sangeet, nikah and reception menus for 20 to 3,500 guests. Build your menu and see the price live.
- CateringCorporate catering in DubaiCorporate catering in Dubai for board lunches, launches, conferences and recurring office meals. From AED 125 per head, HACCP kitchens, itemised quote online.
Ready when you are
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