Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Abu Dhabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $2,599 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Sharjah versus $2,599 in Abu Dhabi.

Sharjah $1,726
Abu Dhabi $2,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Sharjah versus $3,887 in Abu Dhabi.

Sharjah $2,594
Abu Dhabi $3,887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,462 in Sharjah versus $5,175 in Abu Dhabi.

Sharjah $3,462
Abu Dhabi $5,175

Living in Sharjah costs roughly 34% less than in Abu Dhabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sharjah 27% above, Abu Dhabi 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.58

$8.09 AED 29.72

-27.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.16 AED 118

$55.1 AED 202

-41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.87

$9.89 AED 36.32

-17.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$3.12 AED 11.46

$6.08 AED 22.33

-48.68%

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

$0.75 AED 2.75

$1.20 AED 4.39

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.43 AED 1.57

-27.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.73 AED 39.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.04 AED 40.53

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.92 AED 7.04

-17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.60 AED 5.86

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.70

$2.28 AED 8.36

-20.18%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.20

$3.57 AED 13.11

-7.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 AED 31.77

$11.50 AED 42.25

-24.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 AED 24.01

$9.92 AED 36.43

-34.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$10.03 AED 36.83

14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$2.52 AED 9.24

-10.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$2.11 AED 7.75

-17.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.83

$1.90 AED 6.97

-30.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 AED 4.50

$1.59 AED 5.84

-22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$1.24 AED 4.57

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.06

$1.21 AED 4.45

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 AED 5.20

$1.61 AED 5.91

-11.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.18

$0.58 AED 2.13

1.72%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 AED 24.14

$6.50 AED 23.86

1.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 AED 49.27

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 AED 9.26

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.79

$0.70 AED 2.59

202.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.55 AED 101

$25.62 AED 94.1

7.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 AED 13.26

$3.32 AED 12.21

8.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

$0.52 AED 1.91

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 AED 44.19

$8.01 AED 29.42

50.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.58

$0.99 AED 3.63

-2.02%

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

$44.1K AED 162.1K

$25.7K AED 94.3K

71.81%

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

$21.0K AED 77.1K

$21.2K AED 78.0K

-1.18%

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

$212 AED 779

$189 AED 696

11.99%

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

$48.90 AED 180

$59.1 AED 217

-17.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$91.4 AED 336

7.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 199

$91.4 AED 336

-40.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.44 AED 82.4

$40.59 AED 149

-44.72%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 AED 50.8

$16.47 AED 60.5

-16.09%

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

$340 AED 1,250

$843 AED 3,098

-59.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 AED 30.7K

$14.7K AED 54.1K

-43.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 AED 216

$61.9 AED 227

-5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AED 288

$48.12 AED 177

62.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 AED 396

$113 AED 414

-4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 AED 344

$112 AED 412

-16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 AED 2,996

$1,995 AED 7,326

-59.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 AED 2,879

$1,422 AED 5,222

-44.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 AED 6,723

$3,780 AED 13.9K

-51.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 AED 5,795

$2,693 AED 9,889

-41.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 AED 27.3K

$5,416 AED 19.9K

37.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 AED 9,368

$3,584 AED 13.2K

-28.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,219 AED 8,149

$3,102 AED 11.4K

-28.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.55

-1.10%

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

Last update for Sharjah: 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

Sharjah

$784 45.4%

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54.7% 81.4% $638

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$359 20.8%

Abu Dhabi

$340 13.1% 5.3% $19

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 11.2%

Abu Dhabi

$278 10.7% 43.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$152 8.8%

Abu Dhabi

$151 5.8% 1.1% $1.7

Eating Out

Sharjah

$113 6.6%

Abu Dhabi

$250 9.6% 121% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.8%

Abu Dhabi

$124 4.8% 51.8% $42

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.5%

Abu Dhabi

$34 1.3% 19.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $816 in Sharjah and $1,995 in Abu Dhabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abu Dhabi pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Sharjah vs $55 in Abu Dhabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $278 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

Same time as Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

921,000 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Sharjah Abu Dhabi 140 km

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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

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

Sharjah wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sharjah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Sharjah. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $816 in Sharjah versus $1,995 in Abu Dhabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Abu Dhabi runs roughly 7% less than in Sharjah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $340 in Sharjah versus $843 in Abu Dhabi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sharjah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sharjah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,726 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sharjah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sharjah 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sharjah wins on affordability, Abu Dhabi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.