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

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 15.9% more expensive than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 32.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 16.3% more expensive than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 20.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 AED 40.67

$10.74 AED 39.42

3.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 300

$68.9 AED 253

18.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 AED 35.71

$9.36 AED 34.33

3.95%

Cappuccino

$5.56 AED 20.42

$6.00 AED 22.03

-7.33%

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

$1.19 AED 4.38

$1.26 AED 4.64

-5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.44

$0.40 AED 1.47

135.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.48 AED 45.79

$10.70 AED 39.28

16.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.70 AED 50.3

$10.79 AED 39.60

26.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 AED 7.06

$1.93 AED 7.07

-0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 AED 5.08

$1.61 AED 5.90

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$2.34 AED 8.60

-3.42%

Eggs

$3.46 AED 12.68

$3.74 AED 13.71

-7.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 AED 37.54

$10.88 AED 39.93

-5.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.85

$8.57 AED 31.44

10.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 AED 46.84

$11.52 AED 42.29

10.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 AED 8.66

$2.42 AED 8.87

-2.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$1.81 AED 6.65

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.08

$1.88 AED 6.91

2.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.66

$1.50 AED 5.52

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.13 AED 4.15

3.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.85

$1.44 AED 5.30

-8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 AED 5.10

$1.84 AED 6.76

-24.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 AED 2.55

$0.60 AED 2.20

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 AED 23.91

$6.25 AED 22.94

4.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.37 AED 71.1

$13.73 AED 50.4

41.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.65

$2.36 AED 8.66

11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 AED 12.50

$2.22 AED 8.16

53.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 AED 6.11

$0.71 AED 2.59

133.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.3 AED 295

$25.37 AED 93.1

216.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 AED 12.25

$3.30 AED 12.10

1.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 AED 2.88

$0.57 AED 2.08

38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.97 AED 29.26

$8.07 AED 29.61

-1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 AED 2.75

$0.82 AED 3.00

-8.54%

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

$33.0K AED 121.2K

$44.8K AED 164.5K

-26.36%

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

$23.2K AED 85.1K

$21.8K AED 80.1K

6.25%

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

$213 AED 782

$141 AED 516

51.60%

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

$62.6 AED 230

$50.7 AED 186

23.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 AED 379

$101 AED 372

1.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.5 AED 321

$65.9 AED 242

32.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.67 AED 171

$35.00 AED 128

33.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 AED 55.1

$13.72 AED 50.3

9.48%

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

$822 AED 3,015

$625 AED 2,293

31.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K AED 51.8K

$12.5K AED 45.8K

13.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 AED 306

$57.6 AED 211

44.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 AED 232

$56.2 AED 206

12.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 AED 418

$91.5 AED 336

24.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 AED 442

$88.9 AED 326

35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,005

$1,449 AED 5,316

69.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 AED 5,840

$1,086 AED 3,987

46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,672 AED 17.1K

$3,032 AED 11.1K

54.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,003 AED 11.0K

$2,269 AED 8,328

32.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 AED 26.5K

$5,002 AED 18.4K

44.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,040 AED 14.8K

$2,946 AED 10.8K

37.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,088 AED 15.0K

$2,774 AED 10.2K

47.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.49

5.19

-13.49%

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

Last update for Dubai: January 11, 2026

Last update for Abu Dhabi: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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