Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Ankeny, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankeny, IA: $2,340 a month against $2,599 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abu Dhabi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index

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Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,599

/mo nomad

Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abu Dhabi and in Ankeny, IA

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 Ankeny, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,599 in Abu Dhabi versus $2,340 in Ankeny, IA.

Abu Dhabi $2,599
Ankeny, IA $2,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,887 in Abu Dhabi versus $3,308 in Ankeny, IA.

Abu Dhabi $3,887
Ankeny, IA $3,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,175 in Abu Dhabi versus $4,275 in Ankeny, IA.

Abu Dhabi $5,175
Ankeny, IA $4,275

Living in Abu Dhabi is roughly 11% more expensive than in Ankeny, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abu Dhabi 91% above, Ankeny, IA 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 AED 29.72

$20.05 $20.05

-59.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 AED 202

$79.4 $79.4

-30.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 AED 36.32

$11.94 $11.94

-17.17%

Cappuccino

$6.08 AED 22.33

$5.60 $5.60

8.57%

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

$1.20 AED 4.39

$3.04 $3.04

-60.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 AED 1.57

$1.71 $1.71

-74.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.73 AED 39.41

$5.05 $5.05

112.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.04 AED 40.54

$5.73 $5.73

92.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 AED 7.04

$0.89 $0.89

115.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$3.00 $3.00

-46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 AED 8.36

$3.26 $3.26

-30.06%

Eggs

$3.57 AED 13.11

$3.96 $3.96

-9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 AED 42.25

$9.84 $9.84

16.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 AED 36.43

$8.29 $8.29

19.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 AED 36.83

$14.78 $14.78

-32.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 AED 9.24

$5.46 $5.46

-53.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 AED 7.75

$1.50 $1.50

40.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$4.91 $4.91

-61.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$3.66 $3.66

-56.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 AED 4.57

$2.17 $2.17

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 AED 4.45

$3.32 $3.32

-63.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 AED 5.91

$1.91 $1.91

-15.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 AED 2.13

$2.54 $2.54

-77.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.50 AED 23.86

$8.83 $8.83

-26.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 AED 49.27

$14.94 $14.94

-10.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$1.74 $1.74

47.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 AED 9.26

$2.48 $2.48

1.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 AED 2.59

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.62 AED 94.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 AED 12.21

$1.97 $1.97

68.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 AED 1.91

$1.26 $1.26

-58.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 AED 29.42

$20.20 $20.20

-60.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.63

$1.00 $1.00

-1.00%

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

$25.7K AED 94.4K

$26.2K $26.2K

-2.12%

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

$21.2K AED 78.0K

$25.6K $25.6K

-16.92%

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

$189 AED 696

$160 $160

18.07%

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

$59.1 AED 217

$52.9 $52.9

11.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.4 AED 336

$66.2 $66.2

38.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 AED 336

$74.6 $74.6

22.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.59 AED 149

Cinema Ticket

$16.47 AED 60.5

$9.82 $9.82

67.72%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$1,095 $1,095

-22.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K AED 54.1K

$11.9K $11.9K

23.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 AED 227

$47.07 $47.07

31.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.12 AED 177

$34.51 $34.51

39.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 AED 414

$88.2 $88.2

27.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 AED 412

$118 $118

-5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,995 AED 7,327

$1,107 $1,107

80.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 AED 5,222

$1,157 $1,157

22.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,780 AED 13.9K

$1,968 $1,968

92.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 AED 9,889

$1,600 $1,600

68.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,416 AED 19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,102 AED 11.4K

$5,485 $5,485

-43.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

6.37

-28.57%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54.7%

Ankeny, IA

$1.2K 49.4% 18.6% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abu Dhabi

$340 13.1%

Ankeny, IA

$280 12% 17.8% $60

Groceries & Markets

Abu Dhabi

$278 10.7%

Ankeny, IA

$352 15.1% 26.8% $74

Eating Out

Abu Dhabi

$250 9.6%

Ankeny, IA

$319 13.6% 27.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Abu Dhabi

$151 5.8%

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.5% 14% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Abu Dhabi

$124 4.8%

Ankeny, IA

$94 4% 24.2% $30

Getting Around

Abu Dhabi

$34 1.3%

Ankeny, IA

$8.3 * 0.4% 75.9% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,995 in Abu Dhabi and $1,107 in Ankeny, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 77% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Abu Dhabi vs $79 in Ankeny, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $352 per month, with Abu Dhabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

17:58 5:58 PM

9 h behind Abu Dhabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

921,000 Capital

67,887

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Abu Dhabi Ankeny, IA 11,950 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Abu Dhabi
Ankeny, IA

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 Ankeny, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ankeny, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Abu Dhabi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,995 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,107 in Ankeny, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $843 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,095 in Ankeny, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Abu Dhabi – a meal for two runs $55 versus $79 in Ankeny, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Ankeny, IA gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Abu Dhabi and Ankeny, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.