Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah

For one person, living is cheaper in Fujairah: $1,440 a month against $2,575 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
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Fujairah Living Index

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Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,575

/mo nomad

Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,440

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,575 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,440 in Fujairah.

Abu Dhabi $2,575
Fujairah $1,440

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,897 in Abu Dhabi versus $4,010 in Fujairah.

Abu Dhabi $3,897
Fujairah $4,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,218 in Abu Dhabi versus $6,579 in Fujairah.

Abu Dhabi $5,218
Fujairah $6,579

Living in Abu Dhabi is roughly 79% more expensive than in Fujairah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abu Dhabi 90% above, Fujairah 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.02 AED 29.45

$7.55 AED 27.74

6.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 AED 201

$40.89 AED 150

33.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.76 AED 35.86

$7.50 AED 27.54

30.13%

Cappuccino

$6.08 AED 22.32

$5.68 AED 20.87

7.04%

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

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.14 AED 4.20

2.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 AED 1.48

$0.40 AED 1.47

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.47 AED 42.13

$8.89 AED 32.63

29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.51 AED 42.27

$9.28 AED 34.06

24.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 AED 7.31

$1.70 AED 6.24

17.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 AED 5.82

$1.39 AED 5.09

14.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 AED 8.72

$1.86 AED 6.84

27.42%

Eggs

$3.46 AED 12.72

$2.33 AED 8.56

48.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 AED 42.75

$12.61 AED 46.30

-7.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 AED 37.01

$9.48 AED 34.81

6.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 AED 37.34

$8.00 AED 29.37

27.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 AED 8.86

$1.82 AED 6.69

32.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.53

$1.66 AED 6.10

23.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 AED 6.71

$1.54 AED 5.65

18.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.66

$0.91 AED 3.34

69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 AED 4.55

$0.85 AED 3.10

45.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.89 AED 3.26

31.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 AED 5.89

$0.81 AED 2.96

97.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 AED 1.99

$0.44 AED 1.61

22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 AED 24.21

$5.47 AED 20.11

20.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$13.46 AED 49.43

1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$2.12 AED 7.80

24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 AED 9.26

$2.38 AED 8.74

5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$3.37 AED 12.36

-80.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.30 AED 96.6

$40.88 AED 150

-35.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 AED 12.35

$2.80 AED 10.30

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.05

$0.53 AED 1.93

5.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 AED 30.06

$7.97 AED 29.29

2.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.59

$0.90 AED 3.31

8.89%

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

$25.5K AED 93.7K

$25.9K AED 95.1K

-1.45%

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

$21.4K AED 78.6K

$20.2K AED 74.0K

6.10%

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

$190 AED 698

$123 AED 450

55.10%

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

$58.6 AED 215

$44.62 AED 164

31.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.0 AED 342

$76.7 AED 282

21.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.7 AED 348

$47.80 AED 176

98.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.65 AED 153

$13.70 AED 50.3

204.01%

Cinema Ticket

$16.08 AED 59.0

$11.04 AED 40.53

45.65%

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

$787 AED 2,891

$261 AED 959

201.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K AED 55.1K

$4,476 AED 16.4K

235.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 AED 224

$21.89 AED 80.4

178.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.59 AED 182

$13.77 AED 50.6

260.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 AED 415

$76.0 AED 279

48.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 417

$62.0 AED 228

83.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,923 AED 7,062

$584 AED 2,145

229.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 AED 5,097

$527 AED 1,934

163.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,771 AED 13.9K

$5,276 AED 19.4K

-28.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 AED 9,990

$4,659 AED 17.1K

-41.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,057 AED 18.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,841 AED 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,927 AED 10.7K

$3,751 AED 13.8K

-21.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

2.5

82.00%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 19, 2026

Last update for Fujairah: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 53.9%

Fujairah

$527 36.6% 62% $861

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abu Dhabi

$342 13.3%

Fujairah

$244 16.9% 28.6% $98

Groceries & Markets

Abu Dhabi

$279 10.8%

Fujairah

$242 16.8% 13.3% $37

Eating Out

Abu Dhabi

$253 9.8%

Fujairah

$220 15.3% 13% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Abu Dhabi

$152 5.9%

Fujairah

$78 5.4% 48.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Abu Dhabi

$127 4.9%

Fujairah

$70 4.9% 44.9% $57

Getting Around

Abu Dhabi

$35 1.4%

Fujairah

$60 4.2% 70.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,923 in Abu Dhabi and $584 in Fujairah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fujairah pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Abu Dhabi vs $41.00 in Fujairah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $242 per month, with Fujairah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

Same time as Abu Dhabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

921,000 Capital

93,673

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Abu Dhabi Fujairah 210 km

From you

Abu Dhabi
Fujairah

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 Fujairah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fujairah wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fujairah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Fujairah. 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: $1,923 in Abu Dhabi versus $584 in Fujairah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Fujairah runs roughly 55% 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 $261 in Fujairah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,440 in Fujairah versus $2,575 in Abu Dhabi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Fujairah but tight or insufficient in Abu Dhabi. The gap between the two cities makes Fujairah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fujairah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,440 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fujairah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah 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 Fujairah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Abu Dhabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.