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

😐 Solo nomad: Abu Dhabi is 20.1% more expensive than Sharjah without rent, and 37.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Abu Dhabi is 27.4% more expensive than Sharjah without rent, and 58.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.10 AED 40.73

$5.49 AED 20.15

102.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 AED 253

$32.23 AED 118

114.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 AED 35.15

$9.01 AED 33.06

6.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.49 AED 34.82

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.30 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$5.92 AED 21.74

$4.20 AED 15.42

40.95%

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

$1.26 AED 4.62

$1.01 AED 3.69

24.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 AED 1.50

$0.37 AED 1.36

10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.05 AED 40.56

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.02 AED 40.43

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 AED 7.41

$1.70 AED 6.25

18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 AED 5.90

$1.14 AED 4.18

41.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 AED 8.96

$1.99 AED 7.31

22.61%

Eggs

$3.66 AED 13.44

$2.82 AED 10.34

29.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 AED 39.65

$10.39 AED 38.14

3.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 AED 31.86

$6.72 AED 24.65

29.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 AED 42.17

$8.61 AED 31.62

33.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 AED 8.69

$1.86 AED 6.81

27.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$1.55 AED 5.70

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.68

$1.43 AED 5.25

27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$1.21 AED 4.44

21.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 AED 4.11

$1.01 AED 3.70

10.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.23 AED 4.51

11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 AED 6.75

$1.44 AED 5.28

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 AED 2.14

$0.60 AED 2.22

-3.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.83 AED 58.1

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 AED 6.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 AED 12.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.39 AED 23.45

$6.31 AED 23.17

1.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 AED 50.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 AED 8.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 AED 7.98

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 AED 2.42

$1.60 AED 5.87

-58.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.69 AED 94.3

$40.64 AED 149

-36.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 AED 12.10

$3.63 AED 13.32

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 AED 1.93

$0.71 AED 2.59

-25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 AED 30.04

$4.88 AED 17.92

67.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 AED 2.91

$0.78 AED 2.86

1.28%

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

$45.5K AED 167.2K

$45.7K AED 167.8K

-0.40%

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

$22.0K AED 80.6K

$22.4K AED 82.2K

-1.92%

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

$142 AED 523

$195 AED 715

-26.91%

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

$51.3 AED 188

$66.7 AED 245

-22.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 AED 372

$104 AED 382

-2.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 AED 240

$62.2 AED 228

5.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.55 AED 127

$37.93 AED 139

-8.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 AED 49.73

$13.07 AED 47.97

3.67%

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

$637 AED 2,339

$274 AED 1,006

132.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K AED 45.0K

$6,013 AED 22.1K

104.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 AED 209

$51.9 AED 190

9.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 AED 209

$97.4 AED 358

-41.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 AED 342

$97.0 AED 356

-3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 AED 324

$80.6 AED 296

9.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 AED 5,412

$753 AED 2,762

95.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 AED 3,908

$593 AED 2,177

79.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,058 AED 11.2K

$1,651 AED 6,061

85.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 AED 8,286

$1,029 AED 3,776

119.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,728 AED 17.4K

$8,130 AED 29.8K

-41.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,993 AED 11.0K

$2,677 AED 9,824

11.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,604 AED 9,557

$2,296 AED 8,426

13.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.19

4.42

17.42%

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

Last update for Abu Dhabi: April 13, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: April 13, 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

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/mo nomad

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

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