Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fujairah and Abu Dhabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Fujairah: $1,440 a month against $2,575 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
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Fujairah Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi Living Index

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Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,440

/mo nomad

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fujairah 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 Fujairah and in Abu Dhabi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,440 in Fujairah versus $2,575 in Abu Dhabi.

Fujairah $1,440
Abu Dhabi $2,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,010 in Fujairah versus $3,897 in Abu Dhabi.

Fujairah $4,010
Abu Dhabi $3,897

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,579 in Fujairah versus $5,218 in Abu Dhabi.

Fujairah $6,579
Abu Dhabi $5,218

Living in Fujairah costs roughly 44% less than in Abu Dhabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fujairah 6% above, Abu Dhabi 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.55 AED 27.74

$8.02 AED 29.45

-5.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.89 AED 150

$54.7 AED 201

-25.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 AED 27.54

$9.76 AED 35.86

-23.16%

Cappuccino

$5.68 AED 20.87

$6.08 AED 22.32

-6.58%

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

$1.14 AED 4.20

$1.17 AED 4.29

-2.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 AED 1.47

$0.40 AED 1.48

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.89 AED 32.63

$11.47 AED 42.13

-22.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 AED 34.06

$11.51 AED 42.27

-19.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 AED 6.24

$1.99 AED 7.31

-14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 AED 5.09

$1.59 AED 5.82

-12.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 AED 6.84

$2.37 AED 8.72

-21.52%

Eggs

$2.33 AED 8.56

$3.46 AED 12.72

-32.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 AED 46.30

$11.64 AED 42.75

8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 AED 34.81

$10.08 AED 37.01

-5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.00 AED 29.37

$10.17 AED 37.34

-21.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$2.41 AED 8.86

-24.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$2.05 AED 7.53

-19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.65

$1.83 AED 6.71

-15.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 AED 3.34

$1.54 AED 5.66

-40.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 AED 3.10

$1.24 AED 4.55

-31.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 AED 3.26

$1.17 AED 4.29

-23.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 AED 2.96

$1.60 AED 5.89

-49.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$0.54 AED 1.99

-18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 AED 20.11

$6.59 AED 24.21

-17.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 AED 49.43

$13.66 AED 50.2

-1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 AED 7.80

$2.63 AED 9.67

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 AED 8.74

$2.52 AED 9.26

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 AED 12.36

$0.65 AED 2.40

418.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.88 AED 150

$26.30 AED 96.6

55.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 AED 10.30

$3.36 AED 12.35

-16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 AED 1.93

$0.56 AED 2.05

-5.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.97 AED 29.29

$8.19 AED 30.06

-2.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 AED 3.31

$0.98 AED 3.59

-8.16%

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

$25.9K AED 95.1K

$25.5K AED 93.7K

1.48%

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

$20.2K AED 74.0K

$21.4K AED 78.6K

-5.75%

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

$123 AED 450

$190 AED 698

-35.53%

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

$44.62 AED 164

$58.6 AED 215

-23.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 AED 282

$93.0 AED 342

-17.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.80 AED 176

$94.7 AED 348

-49.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.70 AED 50.3

$41.65 AED 153

-67.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 AED 40.53

$16.08 AED 59.0

-31.34%

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

$261 AED 959

$787 AED 2,891

-66.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,476 AED 16.4K

$15.0K AED 55.1K

-70.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.89 AED 80.4

$61.0 AED 224

-64.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.77 AED 50.6

$49.59 AED 182

-72.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 AED 279

$113 AED 415

-32.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.0 AED 228

$114 AED 417

-45.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 AED 2,145

$1,923 AED 7,062

-69.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 AED 1,934

$1,388 AED 5,097

-62.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,276 AED 19.4K

$3,771 AED 13.9K

39.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,659 AED 17.1K

$2,720 AED 9,990

71.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,057 AED 18.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,841 AED 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,751 AED 13.8K

$2,927 AED 10.7K

28.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.5

4.55

-45.05%

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

Last update for Fujairah: October 17, 2026

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fujairah

$527 36.6%

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 53.9% 164% $861

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fujairah

$244 16.9%

Abu Dhabi

$342 13.3% 40.1% $98

Groceries & Markets

Fujairah

$242 16.8%

Abu Dhabi

$279 10.8% 15.3% $37

Eating Out

Fujairah

$220 15.3%

Abu Dhabi

$253 9.8% 14.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Fujairah

$78 5.4%

Abu Dhabi

$152 5.9% 94.2% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Fujairah

$70 4.9%

Abu Dhabi

$127 4.9% 81.6% $57

Getting Around

Fujairah

$60 4.2%

Abu Dhabi

$35 1.4% 41.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $584 in Fujairah and $1,923 in Abu Dhabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fujairah pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in Fujairah vs $55.0 in Abu Dhabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $279 per month, with Fujairah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

Same time as Fujairah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,673

921,000 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fujairah Abu Dhabi 210 km

From you

Fujairah
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

Fujairah vs Abu Dhabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fujairah wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fujairah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Fujairah, 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: $584 in Fujairah versus $1,923 in Abu Dhabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Fujairah runs roughly 55% less than in Abu Dhabi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $261 in Fujairah versus $787 in Abu Dhabi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,440 in Fujairah versus $2,575 in Abu Dhabi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Fujairah but tight or insufficient in Abu Dhabi. The gap between the two cities makes Fujairah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fujairah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,440 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fujairah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Fujairah and Abu Dhabi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Fujairah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Abu Dhabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.