Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Dubai Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Dubai

🙂 Solo nomad: Abu Dhabi is 13.7% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 24.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Abu Dhabi is 15.2% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 21% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.10 AED 40.73

$10.78 AED 39.55

2.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 AED 253

$80.2 AED 294

-13.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 AED 35.15

$9.59 AED 35.21

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$5.92 AED 21.74

$5.45 AED 19.98

8.62%

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

$1.26 AED 4.62

$1.19 AED 4.37

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 AED 1.50

$0.88 AED 3.22

-53.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.05 AED 40.56

$12.21 AED 44.80

-9.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.02 AED 40.43

$13.63 AED 50.0

-19.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 AED 7.41

$1.94 AED 7.12

4.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 AED 5.90

$1.37 AED 5.02

17.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 AED 8.96

$2.22 AED 8.14

9.91%

Eggs

$3.66 AED 13.44

$3.30 AED 12.13

10.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 AED 39.65

$10.09 AED 37.05

7.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 AED 31.86

$9.20 AED 33.75

-5.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 AED 42.17

$12.78 AED 46.90

-10.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 AED 8.69

$2.34 AED 8.59

1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$1.94 AED 7.11

-6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.68

$1.91 AED 7.02

-4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$1.53 AED 5.62

-3.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 AED 4.11

$1.19 AED 4.36

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.27 AED 4.67

7.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 AED 6.75

$1.45 AED 5.32

26.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 AED 2.14

$0.69 AED 2.52

-15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.39 AED 23.45

$6.51 AED 23.88

-1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 AED 50.4

$19.19 AED 70.4

-28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 AED 8.37

$2.74 AED 10.05

-16.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 AED 7.98

$3.44 AED 12.64

-36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 AED 2.42

$1.62 AED 5.94

-59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.69 AED 94.3

$80.6 AED 296

-68.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 AED 12.10

$3.23 AED 11.85

2.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 AED 1.93

$0.79 AED 2.90

-32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 AED 30.04

$7.99 AED 29.31

2.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 AED 2.91

$0.79 AED 2.89

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

$45.5K AED 167.2K

$33.1K AED 121.3K

37.76%

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

$22.0K AED 80.6K

$22.6K AED 83.0K

-2.89%

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

$142 AED 523

$215 AED 788

-33.63%

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

$51.3 AED 188

$63.5 AED 233

-19.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 AED 372

$101 AED 369

0.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 AED 240

$85.9 AED 315

-23.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.55 AED 127

$45.94 AED 169

-24.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 AED 49.73

$15.02 AED 55.1

-9.79%

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

$637 AED 2,339

$827 AED 3,034

-22.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K AED 45.0K

$14.2K AED 52.2K

-13.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 AED 209

$83.1 AED 305

-31.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 AED 209

$63.9 AED 235

-11.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 AED 342

$114 AED 419

-18.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 AED 324

$123 AED 453

-28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 AED 5,412

$2,433 AED 8,928

-39.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 AED 3,908

$1,555 AED 5,708

-31.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,058 AED 11.2K

$4,541 AED 16.7K

-32.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 AED 8,286

$3,004 AED 11.0K

-24.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,728 AED 17.4K

$7,123 AED 26.1K

-33.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,993 AED 11.0K

$4,087 AED 15.0K

-26.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,604 AED 9,557

$3,901 AED 14.3K

-33.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.19

4.49

15.59%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: April 13, 2026

Last update for Dubai: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,175

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,898

/mo nomad

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

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