Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Abu Dhabi

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.

112

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,340

/mo nomad

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ankeny, IA and in Abu Dhabi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Ankeny, IA costs roughly 10% less than in Abu Dhabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$8.09 AED 29.72

147.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$55.1 AED 202

44.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 $11.94

$9.89 AED 36.32

20.73%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$6.08 AED 22.33

-7.89%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.20 AED 4.39

153.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.43 AED 1.57

297.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$10.73 AED 39.41

-52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 $5.73

$11.04 AED 40.54

-48.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.92 AED 7.04

-53.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.60 AED 5.87

87.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.28 AED 8.36

42.98%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.57 AED 13.11

10.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 $9.84

$11.50 AED 42.25

-14.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 $8.29

$9.92 AED 36.43

-16.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 $14.78

$10.03 AED 36.83

47.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.52 AED 9.24

116.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.11 AED 7.75

-28.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.90 AED 6.97

158.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$1.59 AED 5.84

130.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.24 AED 4.57

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.21 AED 4.45

174.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.61 AED 5.91

18.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.58 AED 2.13

337.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.83 $8.83

$6.50 AED 23.86

35.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$13.42 AED 49.27

11.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.56 AED 9.39

-32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.52 AED 9.26

-1.59%

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)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.32 AED 12.21

-40.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.52 AED 1.91

142.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 $20.20

$8.01 AED 29.42

152.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.99 AED 3.63

1.01%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.7K AED 94.4K

2.17%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.2K AED 78.0K

20.36%

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

$160 $160

$189 AED 696

-15.30%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$59.1 AED 217

-10.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$91.4 AED 336

-27.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 $74.6

$91.4 AED 336

-18.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.59 AED 149

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 $9.82

$16.47 AED 60.5

-40.38%

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

$1,095 $1,095

$843 AED 3,098

29.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$14.7K AED 54.1K

-19.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.07 $47.07

$61.9 AED 227

-23.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 $34.51

$48.12 AED 177

-28.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 $88.2

$113 AED 414

-21.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$112 AED 412

5.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$1,995 AED 7,327

-44.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 $1,157

$1,422 AED 5,222

-18.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 $1,968

$3,780 AED 13.9K

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$2,693 AED 9,889

-40.59%

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)

$5,485 $5,485

$3,102 AED 11.4K

76.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

4.55

40.00%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankeny, IA

$1.2K 49.4%

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54.7% 22.9% $265

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$352 15.1%

Abu Dhabi

$278 10.7% 21.1% $74

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$319 13.6%

Abu Dhabi

$250 9.6% 21.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$280 12%

Abu Dhabi

$340 13.1% 21.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.5%

Abu Dhabi

$151 5.8% 16.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$94 4%

Abu Dhabi

$124 4.8% 32% $30

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.3 * 0.4%

Abu Dhabi

$34 1.3% 315% $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 $1,107 in Ankeny, IA and $1,995 in Abu Dhabi. 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: $79 in Ankeny, IA vs $55 in Abu Dhabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $278 per month, with Abu Dhabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

01:20 1:20 AM

9 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

921,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

AED to USD in detail →

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Between locations

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

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Ankeny, IA
Abu Dhabi

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

Ankeny, IA vs Abu Dhabi: 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.

Average pay runs 77% higher in Ankeny, IA, 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: $1,107 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,995 in Abu Dhabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,095 in Ankeny, IA versus $843 in Abu Dhabi. 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, Ankeny, IA and Abu Dhabi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.