Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Alghero

For one person, living is cheaper in Alghero: $1,696 a month against $2,594 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
Learn more

Abu Dhabi Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Alghero
Learn more

Alghero Living Index

Jump to prices

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,594

/mo nomad

Alghero

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abu Dhabi and in Alghero

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abu Dhabi and in Alghero actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,696 in Alghero.

Abu Dhabi $2,594
Alghero $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,892 in Abu Dhabi versus $2,705 in Alghero.

Abu Dhabi $3,892
Alghero $2,705

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Abu Dhabi versus $3,715 in Alghero.

Abu Dhabi $5,191
Alghero $3,715

Living in Abu Dhabi is roughly 53% more expensive than in Alghero, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abu Dhabi 92% above, Alghero 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.24 AED 30.27

$22.60 €20.10

-63.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 AED 203

$84.5 €75.2

-34.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.79 AED 35.94

$10.51 €9.35

-6.85%

Cappuccino

$6.01 AED 22.06

$2.09 €1.86

187.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 AED 4.27

$2.87 €2.55

-59.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$1.54 €1.37

-71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.64 AED 42.76

$5.48 €4.88

112.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.69 AED 42.93

$3.31 €2.94

253.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 AED 7.33

$1.61 €1.43

24.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 AED 5.85

$2.70 €2.40

-41.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 AED 8.71

$2.91 €2.59

-18.56%

Eggs

$3.52 AED 12.93

$3.78 €3.36

-6.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.75 AED 43.17

$21.06 €18.73

-44.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 AED 35.05

$12.20 €10.86

-21.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 AED 37.88

$22.70 €20.19

-54.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 AED 9.01

$2.58 €2.29

-5.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 AED 7.56

$1.79 €1.59

15.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.67

$2.23 €1.98

-18.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 AED 5.79

$3.58 €3.19

-55.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.38

$1.92 €1.71

-38.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$2.27 €2.02

-47.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 AED 5.98

$1.53 €1.37

6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 AED 2.13

$0.56 €0.50

3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.47 AED 23.77

$6.71 €5.97

-3.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 AED 50.7

$8.35 €7.43

65.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.75

$1.43 €1.27

85.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 AED 9.08

$1.74 €1.55

41.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$1.64 €1.46

-60.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.37 AED 96.9

$42.61 €37.90

-38.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 AED 11.82

$9.27 €8.24

-65.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 AED 2.08

$1.48 €1.32

-61.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.00 AED 29.38

$31.80 €28.29

-74.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.57

$2.00 €1.78

-51.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.3K AED 111.4K

$36.3K €32.3K

-16.48%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.9K AED 80.4K

$35.3K €31.4K

-37.94%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$192 AED 704

$155 €138

24.07%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$55.6 AED 204

$8.76 €7.79

534.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.2 AED 327

$29.83 €26.54

198.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.0 AED 349

$56.9 €50.6

66.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.34 AED 163

$23.31 €20.73

90.22%

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 AED 54.7

$8.96 €7.97

66.29%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$787 AED 2,889

$429 €382

83.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K AED 53.5K

$8,179 €7,275

78.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 AED 228

$66.6 €59.3

-7.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.77 AED 183

$42.31 €37.63

17.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 AED 413

$89.8 €79.9

25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 AED 399

$117 €104

-6.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 AED 7,152

$603 €536

223.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 AED 5,193

$568 €505

149.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,923 AED 14.4K

$1,146 €1,019

242.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,700 AED 9,917

$1,013 €901

166.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,045 AED 18.5K

$2,887 €2,568

74.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,868 AED 10.5K

$1,995 €1,775

43.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,823 AED 10.4K

$1,992 €1,772

41.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

3.27

39.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alghero: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54.5%

Alghero

$568 33.5% 59.9% $846

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abu Dhabi

$337 13%

Alghero

$193 11.4% 42.6% $143

Groceries & Markets

Abu Dhabi

$278 10.7%

Alghero

$363 21.4% 30.4% $85

Eating Out

Abu Dhabi

$255 9.8%

Alghero

$289 17.1% 13.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Abu Dhabi

$150 5.8%

Alghero

$142 8.4% 5.2% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Abu Dhabi

$125 4.8%

Alghero

$75 4.4% 40% $50

Getting Around

Abu Dhabi

$35 1.4%

Alghero

$66 3.9% 88% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,947 in Abu Dhabi and $603 in Alghero. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abu Dhabi pays 42% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Abu Dhabi vs $85.0 in Alghero for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $363 per month, with Abu Dhabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🇮🇹 Alghero

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

2 h behind Abu Dhabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

921,000 Capital

42,085

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abu Dhabi Alghero 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Abu Dhabi
Alghero

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Abu Dhabi vs Alghero: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alghero wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alghero the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Abu Dhabi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,947 in Abu Dhabi versus $603 in Alghero. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alghero runs roughly 62% less than in Abu Dhabi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $787 in Abu Dhabi versus $429 in Alghero. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,696 in Alghero versus $2,594 in Abu Dhabi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alghero but tight or insufficient in Abu Dhabi. The gap between the two cities makes Alghero the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alghero delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,696 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alghero hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Abu Dhabi and Alghero are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Alghero gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Abu Dhabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.