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

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 19.9% more expensive than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 30.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 21.3% more expensive than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 20.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 AED 40.49

$10.71 AED 39.33

2.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 AED 295

$68.2 AED 250

17.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.3 AED 34.16

$9.47 AED 34.77

-1.80%

Cappuccino

$5.75 AED 21.12

$5.74 AED 21.07

0.17%

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

$1.25 AED 4.59

$1.31 AED 4.81

-4.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.45

$0.41 AED 1.49

129.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.33 AED 45.28

$10.71 AED 39.33

15.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.56 AED 49.8

$11.02 AED 40.48

23.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.94 AED 7.12

-1.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 AED 5.24

$1.53 AED 5.61

-6.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 AED 8.38

$2.44 AED 8.95

-6.56%

Eggs

$3.31 AED 12.14

$3.57 AED 13.1

-7.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 AED 36.83

$10.88 AED 39.95

-7.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 AED 34.71

$8.36 AED 30.7

13.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.46 AED 45.75

$11.31 AED 41.54

10.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 AED 8.37

$2.4 AED 8.81

-5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 AED 6.94

$1.77 AED 6.51

6.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.82 AED 6.67

4.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.44 AED 5.28

6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 AED 4.35

$1.13 AED 4.14

4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 AED 4.68

$1.4 AED 5.14

-9.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 AED 5.36

$1.77 AED 6.5

-17.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 AED 2.4

$0.63 AED 2.3

3.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 AED 24.39

$6.28 AED 23.05

5.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.32 AED 70.9

$13.71 AED 50.3

40.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 AED 10.07

$2.26 AED 8.3

21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 AED 12.89

$2.23 AED 8.2

57.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 AED 6.15

$0.71 AED 2.59

135.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 AED 302

$26.34 AED 96.7

211.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 AED 12.17

$3.18 AED 11.67

4.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 AED 3.15

$0.56 AED 2.06

53.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.2 AED 30.1

$7.94 AED 29.16

3.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 AED 2.69

$0.75 AED 2.75

-2.67%

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

$33.1K AED 121.6K

$44.2K AED 162.2K

-25.00%

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

$22.4K AED 82.3K

$22.1K AED 81.1K

1.49%

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

$219 AED 804

$145 AED 531

51.48%

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

$61.6 AED 226

$51.7 AED 190

19.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 AED 377

$102 AED 374

0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.1 AED 316

$65.5 AED 241

31.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.46 AED 167

$34.97 AED 128

30.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 AED 54

$13.41 AED 49.24

9.69%

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

$834 AED 3,061

$638 AED 2,342

30.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K AED 52.6K

$12.3K AED 45.1K

16.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 AED 307

$57.4 AED 211

45.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 AED 229

$55.6 AED 204

12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 AED 408

$91.4 AED 336

21.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 AED 452

$89.9 AED 330

37.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 AED 8,802

$1,457 AED 5,350

64.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 AED 5,845

$1,089 AED 3,999

46.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,546 AED 16.7K

$3,041 AED 11.2K

49.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,003 AED 11K

$2,345 AED 8,610

28.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,221 AED 26.5K

$4,823 AED 17.7K

49.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,843 AED 14.1K

$4,887 AED 17.9K

-21.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,156 AED 15.3K

$3,166 AED 11.6K

31.28%

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: November 30, 2025

Last update for Abu Dhabi: November 29, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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