Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Abu Dhabi

For one person, living costs are similar in Wollongong and in Abu Dhabi: $2,577 and $2,587 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Abu Dhabi
Learn more

Abu Dhabi Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,577

/mo nomad

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,587

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,577 in Wollongong versus $2,587 in Abu Dhabi.

Wollongong $2,577
Abu Dhabi $2,587

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,790 in Wollongong versus $3,984 in Abu Dhabi.

Wollongong $3,790
Abu Dhabi $3,984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,004 in Wollongong versus $5,381 in Abu Dhabi.

Wollongong $5,004
Abu Dhabi $5,381

Monthly costs are close between Wollongong and Abu Dhabi; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.42 A$24.83

$9.42 AED 34.61

84.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$121

$53.6 AED 197

58.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 A$15.16

$9.98 AED 36.67

6.51%

Cappuccino

$3.53 A$5.04

$6.20 AED 22.77

-43.06%

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

$3.33 A$4.74

$1.14 AED 4.17

192.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.10

$0.40 AED 1.46

442.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 A$10.26

$10.75 AED 39.50

-33.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.21 A$10.27

$12.03 AED 44.18

-40.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 A$1.62

$1.88 AED 6.89

-39.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 A$4.15

$1.59 AED 5.83

83.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.18

$2.50 AED 9.20

-10.80%

Eggs

$3.93 A$5.60

$3.51 AED 12.90

11.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 A$14.88

$11.51 AED 42.29

-9.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.76

$9.93 AED 36.47

-2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 A$22.84

$10.12 AED 37.16

58.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.33

$2.53 AED 9.28

20.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.56

$2.17 AED 7.96

15.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.77

$1.83 AED 6.72

83.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 A$6.40

$1.60 AED 5.88

180.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.41

$1.25 AED 4.57

91.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.66

$1.16 AED 4.27

121.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 A$4.10

$1.60 AED 5.88

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 A$2.62

$0.60 AED 2.20

205.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.2

$6.64 AED 24.38

567.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 A$19.91

$13.50 AED 49.57

3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.50

$2.55 AED 9.37

78.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 A$6.71

$2.58 AED 9.49

82.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 A$3.27

$0.65 AED 2.40

252.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 A$200

$25.59 AED 94.0

447.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 A$5.18

$3.22 AED 11.82

12.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 A$2.67

$0.52 AED 1.92

259.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.72 A$66.6

$8.29 AED 30.46

463.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.91

$0.95 AED 3.49

41.05%

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

$29.5K A$42.1K

$25.8K AED 94.6K

14.57%

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

$24.7K A$35.2K

$21.7K AED 79.6K

13.90%

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

$238 A$340

$188 AED 691

26.70%

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

$31.92 A$45.51

$61.6 AED 226

-48.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.91 A$71.2

$93.1 AED 342

-46.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.5 A$122

$86.3 AED 317

-0.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.93 A$19.86

$41.28 AED 152

-66.25%

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 A$19.21

$15.05 AED 55.3

-10.50%

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

$2,144 A$3,057

$892 AED 3,278

140.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K A$18.0K

$17.5K AED 64.4K

-27.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 A$99.5

$60.6 AED 222

15.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 A$87.8

$49.29 AED 181

25.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 A$207

$120 AED 440

21.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$113 AED 415

-2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 A$2,035

$1,969 AED 7,233

-27.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 A$1,649

$1,398 AED 5,133

-17.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,413 A$3,439

$3,767 AED 13.8K

-35.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,879 A$2,679

$2,877 AED 10.6K

-34.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,592 A$6,546

$5,513 AED 20.2K

-16.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,562 A$5,078

$3,565 AED 13.1K

-0.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,227 A$7,451

$3,041 AED 11.2K

71.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

4.62

13.20%

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

Last update for Wollongong: November 1, 2026

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wollongong

$1.2K 44.9%

Abu Dhabi

$1.4K 54% 20.8% $241

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$365 14.2%

Abu Dhabi

$279 10.8% 23.6% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$320 12.4%

Abu Dhabi

$343 13.3% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Wollongong

$286 11.1%

Abu Dhabi

$264 10.2% 7.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$174 6.8%

Abu Dhabi

$154 6% 11.5% $20

Getting Around

Wollongong

$162 6.3%

Abu Dhabi

$34 1.3% 79% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$112 4.4%

Abu Dhabi

$116 4.5% 3.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,427 in Wollongong and $1,969 in Abu Dhabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays 72% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Wollongong vs $54 in Abu Dhabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $279 per month, with Abu Dhabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

19:43 7:43 PM

7 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

921,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.626 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Abu Dhabi 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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

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

Average pay runs 72% higher in Wollongong, 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: $1,427 in Wollongong versus $1,969 in Abu Dhabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Wollongong versus $892 in Abu Dhabi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Abu Dhabi – a meal for two runs $54 versus $85 in Wollongong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Wollongong is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Wollongong and Abu Dhabi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.