Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Abu Dhabi are 5.3% lower than in Dubai (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Abu Dhabi are 10.4% lower than in Dubai
Rent Prices in Abu Dhabi are 17.5% lower than in Dubai
Restaurant Prices in Abu Dhabi are 8.5% higher than in Dubai
Groceries Prices in Abu Dhabi are 9.3% lower than in Dubai
Local Purchasing Power in Abu Dhabi is 1.7% 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 50.00 AED      +25.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 250.00 AED 270.00 AED      +8.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 35.00 AED 32.00 AED      -8.6 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 45.00 AED 48.31 AED      +7.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 45.00 AED 45.00 AED      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 20.20 AED 19.94 AED      -1.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.83 AED 4.33 AED      -10.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.55 AED 1.43 AED      -43.8 %
Markets
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 26.06 AED 27.66 AED      +6.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 5.17 AED 4.36 AED      -15.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.40 AED 3.11 AED      -8.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 11.40 AED 10.28 AED      -9.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 21.32 AED 14.15 AED      -33.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 13.94 AED 12.12 AED      -13.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 17.10 AED 18.70 AED      +9.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.71 AED 3.66 AED      -1.2 %
Banana (1 lb) 3.02 AED 2.95 AED      -2.3 %
Oranges (1 lb) 3.00 AED 3.10 AED      +3.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.42 AED 2.40 AED      -0.7 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.59 AED 1.84 AED      +15.9 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.42 AED 1.59 AED      +11.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 6.50 AED 5.14 AED      -21.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.18 AED 2.05 AED      -5.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 60.00 AED 55.00 AED      -8.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 12.72 AED 8.83 AED      -30.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 22.56 AED 10.69 AED      -52.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 22.50 AED 22.00 AED      -2.2 %
Transportation
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 7.00 AED 2.00 AED      -71.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 300.00 AED 80.00 AED      -73.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 12.00 AED 12.00 AED      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.83 AED 3.14 AED      -35.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 AED 30.00 AED      0.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 12.01 AED 12.78 AED      +6.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 110,000.00 AED 98,000.00 AED      -10.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 79,666.44 AED 77,747.06 AED      -2.4 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 740.47 AED 712.12 AED      -3.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 234.54 AED 226.92 AED      -3.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 340.94 AED 413.13 AED      +21.2 %
Sports And Leisure
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 295.59 AED 266.41 AED      -9.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 139.34 AED 146.05 AED      +4.8 %
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 2,768.44 AED 2,747.73 AED      -0.7 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 49,613.57 AED 38,161.17 AED      -23.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 218.53 AED 267.97 AED      +22.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 207.60 AED 225.13 AED      +8.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 348.27 AED 386.56 AED      +11.0 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 347.19 AED 399.22 AED      +15.0 %
Rent Per Month
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 7,286.59 AED 5,604.31 AED      -23.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 4,247.75 AED 4,327.54 AED      +1.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 14,411.13 AED 11,468.34 AED      -20.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 9,670.38 AED 7,996.76 AED      -17.3 %
Buy Apartment Price
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,433.61 AED 1,588.92 AED      +10.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 859.15 AED 1,479.71 AED      +72.2 %
Salaries And Financing
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 14,837.46 AED 13,513.25 AED      -8.9 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 4.66 5.59      +19.9 %
Last update: November 2023November 2023
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