Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $2,599 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,599

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,599 in Abu Dhabi versus $1,726 in Sharjah.

Abu Dhabi $2,599
Sharjah $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,887 in Abu Dhabi versus $2,594 in Sharjah.

Abu Dhabi $3,887
Sharjah $2,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,175 in Abu Dhabi versus $3,462 in Sharjah.

Abu Dhabi $5,175
Sharjah $3,462

Living in Abu Dhabi is roughly 51% more expensive than in Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abu Dhabi 91% above, Sharjah 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 AED 29.72

$5.88 AED 21.58

37.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 AED 202

$32.16 AED 118

71.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 AED 36.32

$8.13 AED 29.87

21.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$6.08 AED 22.33

$3.12 AED 11.46

94.87%

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

$1.20 AED 4.39

$0.75 AED 2.75

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 AED 1.57

$0.31 AED 1.15

38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.73 AED 39.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.04 AED 40.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 AED 7.04

$1.59 AED 5.84

20.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$1.20 AED 4.40

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 AED 8.36

$1.82 AED 6.70

25.27%

Eggs

$3.57 AED 13.11

$3.32 AED 12.20

7.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 AED 42.25

$8.65 AED 31.77

32.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 AED 36.43

$6.54 AED 24.01

51.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 AED 36.83

$11.46 AED 42.09

-12.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 AED 9.24

$2.26 AED 8.28

11.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 AED 7.75

$1.75 AED 6.44

20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$1.32 AED 4.83

43.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.23 AED 4.50

29.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 AED 4.57

$1.08 AED 3.96

14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 AED 4.45

$1.10 AED 4.06

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 AED 5.91

$1.42 AED 5.20

13.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 AED 2.13

$0.59 AED 2.18

-1.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.50 AED 23.86

$6.57 AED 24.14

-1.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 AED 49.27

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 AED 9.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 AED 2.59

$2.12 AED 7.79

-66.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.62 AED 94.1

$27.55 AED 101

-7.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 AED 12.21

$3.61 AED 13.26

-8.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 AED 1.91

$0.56 AED 2.07

-7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 AED 29.42

$12.03 AED 44.19

-33.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.63

$0.97 AED 3.58

2.06%

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

$25.7K AED 94.4K

$44.1K AED 162.1K

-41.80%

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

$21.2K AED 78.0K

$21.0K AED 77.1K

1.20%

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

$189 AED 696

$212 AED 779

-10.70%

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

$59.1 AED 217

$48.90 AED 180

20.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.4 AED 336

$98.0 AED 360

-6.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 AED 336

$54.3 AED 199

68.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.59 AED 149

$22.44 AED 82.4

80.88%

Cinema Ticket

$16.47 AED 60.5

$13.82 AED 50.8

19.18%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$340 AED 1,250

147.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K AED 54.1K

$8,356 AED 30.7K

76.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 AED 227

$58.8 AED 216

5.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.12 AED 177

$78.4 AED 288

-38.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 AED 414

$108 AED 396

4.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 AED 412

$93.8 AED 344

19.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,995 AED 7,327

$816 AED 2,996

144.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 AED 5,222

$784 AED 2,879

81.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,780 AED 13.9K

$1,831 AED 6,723

106.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 AED 9,889

$1,578 AED 5,795

70.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,416 AED 19.9K

$7,442 AED 27.3K

-27.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

$2,551 AED 9,368

40.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,102 AED 11.4K

$2,219 AED 8,149

39.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

4.5

1.11%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54.7%

Sharjah

$784 45.4% 44.9% $638

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abu Dhabi

$340 13.1%

Sharjah

$359 20.8% 5.6% $19

Groceries & Markets

Abu Dhabi

$278 10.7%

Sharjah

$193 11.2% 30.5% $85

Eating Out

Abu Dhabi

$250 9.6%

Sharjah

$113 6.6% 54.7% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Abu Dhabi

$151 5.8%

Sharjah

$152 8.8% 1.2% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Abu Dhabi

$124 4.8%

Sharjah

$82 4.8% 34.1% $42

Getting Around

Abu Dhabi

$34 1.3%

Sharjah

$42 2.5% 23.5% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,995 in Abu Dhabi and $816 in Sharjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abu Dhabi pays 40% 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 in Abu Dhabi vs $32 in Sharjah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $193 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

Same time as Abu Dhabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

921,000 Capital

1,400,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Abu Dhabi Sharjah 140 km

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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 Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharjah wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sharjah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 40% 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: $1,995 in Abu Dhabi versus $816 in Sharjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Abu Dhabi runs roughly 7% less than in Sharjah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Abu Dhabi versus $340 in Sharjah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Sharjah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,726 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sharjah hard to pass up.

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

It comes down to priorities – Sharjah wins on affordability, Abu Dhabi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.