There's no such thing as "living in Dubai cheaply": housing prices are high, but would you expect otherwise in the world's richest city?
There are 5-star hotels in Dubai for luxury lovers. They start at $100 USD and can cost upwards of $10,000 USD (that's how much a night at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Royal Residences costs).
A stay at 4-star hotels costs from 80 USD, with three-star hotels starting at 60 USD per night.
What to do if even this amount seems too much for you? You can stay in a hostel. But there's not much to choose from. There's only one hostel in Dubai itself - the Dubai Youth Hostel. A bed in a common male room costs 35 USD. You can stay in Sharjah (a little more than 20 km from Dubai). Accommodation at the Sharjah Heritage Youth Hostel costs 20 USD per night.
