Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Abu Dhabi are 11.7% lower than in Dubai (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Abu Dhabi are 10.0% lower than in Dubai
Rent Prices in Abu Dhabi are 7.5% lower than in Dubai
Restaurant Prices in Abu Dhabi are 12.2% lower than in Dubai
Groceries Prices in Abu Dhabi are 11.3% lower than in Dubai
Local Purchasing Power in Abu Dhabi is 8.6% lower than in Dubai
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 40.00 AED 35.00 AED      -12.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 296.91 AED 245.00 AED      -17.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 30.00 AED 30.00 AED      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 48.00 AED 45.00 AED      -6.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 49.00 AED 42.00 AED      -14.3 %
Cappuccino (regular) 19.38 AED 18.92 AED      -2.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.00 AED 3.59 AED      -10.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.05 AED 1.24 AED      -39.3 %
Markets
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 25.71 AED 25.06 AED      -2.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.98 AED 4.31 AED      -13.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.39 AED 2.93 AED      -13.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 11.60 AED 10.12 AED      -12.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 17.76 AED 13.09 AED      -26.3 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 14.57 AED 12.61 AED      -13.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 18.10 AED 17.74 AED      -2.0 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.75 AED 3.57 AED      -4.8 %
Banana (1 lb) 2.97 AED 2.76 AED      -6.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 3.05 AED 2.86 AED      -6.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.56 AED 2.27 AED      -11.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.86 AED 1.75 AED      -5.9 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.59 AED 1.59 AED      +0.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 5.90 AED 4.73 AED      -19.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.22 AED 2.11 AED      -4.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 65.00 AED 60.00 AED      -7.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 12.84 AED 9.57 AED      -25.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 24.25 AED 12.21 AED      -49.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 22.00 AED 22.00 AED      0.0 %
Transportation
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 5.75 AED 2.00 AED      -65.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 340.00 AED 80.00 AED      -76.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 12.00 AED 12.00 AED      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.83 AED 3.22 AED      -33.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 AED 30.00 AED      -0.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 12.91 AED 14.37 AED      +11.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 99,500.00 AED 89,500.00 AED      -10.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 76,778.96 AED 75,800.00 AED      -1.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 720.51 AED 646.03 AED      -10.3 %
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.54 AED 0.72 AED      +31.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 353.99 AED 380.21 AED      +7.4 %
Sports And Leisure
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 270.69 AED 262.13 AED      -3.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 134.59 AED 140.56 AED      +4.4 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 47.00 AED 45.00 AED      -4.3 %
Childcare
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,784.40 AED 2,242.03 AED      -19.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 40,877.78 AED 34,639.84 AED      -15.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 213.17 AED 196.32 AED      -7.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 189.31 AED 171.27 AED      -9.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 321.87 AED 336.88 AED      +4.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 325.33 AED 348.12 AED      +7.0 %
Rent Per Month
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 6,968.29 AED 5,774.45 AED      -17.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 4,027.71 AED 4,452.49 AED      +10.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 12,365.00 AED 10,483.14 AED      -15.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 7,512.24 AED 7,853.74 AED      +4.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,208.11 AED 1,338.88 AED      +10.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 757.04 AED 1,254.01 AED      +65.6 %
Salaries And Financing
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 15,709.76 AED 12,931.02 AED      -17.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 3.84 4.80      +25.1 %
Last update: April 2023March 2023
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