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 33.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 17.9% more expensive than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 26.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.78 AED 39.55

$11.10 AED 40.73

-2.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 AED 294

$69.0 AED 253

16.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 AED 35.21

$9.58 AED 35.15

0.10%

Cappuccino

$5.45 AED 19.98

$5.92 AED 21.74

-7.94%

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

$1.19 AED 4.37

$1.26 AED 4.62

-5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 AED 3.22

$0.41 AED 1.50

114.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.21 AED 44.80

$11.05 AED 40.56

10.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.63 AED 50.0

$11.02 AED 40.43

23.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 AED 7.12

$2.02 AED 7.41

-3.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.61 AED 5.90

-14.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 AED 8.14

$2.44 AED 8.96

-9.02%

Eggs

$3.30 AED 12.13

$3.66 AED 13.44

-9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 AED 37.05

$10.80 AED 39.65

-6.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 AED 33.75

$8.68 AED 31.86

5.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.90

$11.49 AED 42.17

11.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 AED 8.59

$2.37 AED 8.69

-1.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 AED 7.11

$1.82 AED 6.69

6.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.82 AED 6.68

4.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.47 AED 5.39

4.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.12 AED 4.11

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 AED 4.67

$1.37 AED 5.02

-7.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 AED 5.32

$1.84 AED 6.75

-21.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.52

$0.58 AED 2.14

18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 AED 23.88

$6.39 AED 23.45

1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.19 AED 70.4

$13.73 AED 50.4

39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 AED 10.05

$2.28 AED 8.37

20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 AED 12.64

$2.18 AED 7.98

57.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 AED 5.94

$0.66 AED 2.42

145.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 AED 296

$25.69 AED 94.3

213.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 AED 11.85

$3.30 AED 12.10

-2.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 AED 2.90

$0.53 AED 1.93

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 AED 29.31

$8.19 AED 30.04

-2.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 AED 2.89

$0.79 AED 2.91

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

$33.1K AED 121.3K

$45.5K AED 167.2K

-27.41%

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

$22.6K AED 83.0K

$22.0K AED 80.6K

2.98%

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

$215 AED 788

$142 AED 523

50.67%

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

$63.5 AED 233

$51.3 AED 188

23.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 AED 369

$101 AED 372

-0.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.9 AED 315

$65.5 AED 240

31.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.94 AED 169

$34.55 AED 127

32.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 AED 55.1

$13.55 AED 49.73

10.85%

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

$827 AED 3,034

$637 AED 2,339

29.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K AED 52.2K

$12.3K AED 45.0K

15.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 AED 305

$57.0 AED 209

45.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 AED 235

$56.9 AED 209

12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 AED 419

$93.1 AED 342

22.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 AED 453

$88.2 AED 324

39.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 AED 8,928

$1,475 AED 5,412

64.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 AED 5,708

$1,065 AED 3,908

46.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,541 AED 16.7K

$3,058 AED 11.2K

48.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,004 AED 11.0K

$2,258 AED 8,286

33.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,123 AED 26.1K

$4,728 AED 17.4K

50.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,087 AED 15.0K

$2,993 AED 11.0K

36.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,901 AED 14.3K

$2,604 AED 9,557

49.79%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Abu Dhabi: 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

Dubai vs other spots: cost of living compared

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

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