Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Abu Dhabi is 9.5% lower than in Dubai (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Abu Dhabi is 19.2% lower than in Dubai
Rent Prices in Abu Dhabi are 32.2% lower than in Dubai
Restaurant Prices in Abu Dhabi are 8.1% lower than in Dubai
Groceries Prices in Abu Dhabi are 2.1% lower than in Dubai
Local Purchasing Power in Abu Dhabi is 0.4% higher than in Dubai
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 40.00 AED 40.00 AED      0.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 300.00 AED 250.00 AED      -16.7 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 35.00 AED 35.00 AED      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 45.00 AED 40.00 AED      -11.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 50.00 AED 40.62 AED      -18.8 %
Cappuccino (regular) 20.57 AED 21.18 AED      +3.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.53 AED 4.85 AED      +7.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 3.53 AED 1.49 AED      -57.8 %
Markets
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 27.38 AED 26.84 AED      -2.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.70 AED 4.99 AED      +6.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.84 AED 4.00 AED      +4.2 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 12.14 AED 12.08 AED      -0.5 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 16.30 AED 17.99 AED      +10.3 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 14.96 AED 13.73 AED      -8.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 20.04 AED 19.19 AED      -4.2 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.96 AED 4.09 AED      +3.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 3.12 AED 2.96 AED      -4.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 3.18 AED 3.08 AED      -3.1 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.53 AED 2.48 AED      -2.3 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.99 AED 1.91 AED      -3.9 %
Onion (1 lb) 2.12 AED 2.34 AED      +10.6 %
Lettuce (1 head) 5.02 AED 6.61 AED      +31.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.37 AED 2.29 AED      -3.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 60.00 AED 50.00 AED      -16.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 9.83 AED 8.71 AED      -11.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 12.70 AED 8.07 AED      -36.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 24.00 AED 23.00 AED      -4.2 %
Transportation
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 6.00 AED 2.50 AED      -58.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 300.00 AED 95.00 AED      -68.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 12.00 AED 12.00 AED      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.02 AED 3.22 AED      -20.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 AED 30.00 AED      0.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 10.66 AED 10.91 AED      +2.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 120,000.00 AED 165,382.00 AED      +37.8 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 85,130.00 AED 81,414.29 AED      -4.4 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 798.22 AED 524.64 AED      -34.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 224.75 AED 196.00 AED      -12.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 370.58 AED 375.72 AED      +1.4 %
Sports And Leisure
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 315.47 AED 240.77 AED      -23.7 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 155.88 AED 117.50 AED      -24.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 50.00 AED 50.00 AED      0.0 %
Childcare
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,114.71 AED 2,422.81 AED      -22.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 50,638.38 AED 45,146.48 AED      -10.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 285.49 AED 211.04 AED      -26.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 231.75 AED 211.18 AED      -8.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 412.72 AED 339.42 AED      -17.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 411.54 AED 334.80 AED      -18.6 %
Rent Per Month
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 8,706.01 AED 4,996.55 AED      -42.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 5,590.35 AED 3,755.17 AED      -32.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 16,629.46 AED 11,130.89 AED      -33.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 10,990.00 AED 8,515.94 AED      -22.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 2,367.17 AED 1,980.10 AED      -16.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,275.26 AED 1,812.57 AED      +42.1 %
Salaries And Financing
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 14,878.11 AED 12,065.07 AED      -18.9 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 4.42 5.38      +21.6 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:620198