Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Abu Dhabi is 6.8% lower than in Dubai (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Abu Dhabi is 17.4% lower than in Dubai
Rent Prices in Abu Dhabi are 31.6% lower than in Dubai
Restaurant Prices in Abu Dhabi are 7.9% lower than in Dubai
Groceries Prices in Abu Dhabi are 2.6% lower than in Dubai
Local Purchasing Power in Abu Dhabi is 0.5% 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 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 40.00 AED      -20.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 20.54 AED 21.45 AED      +4.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.49 AED 4.74 AED      +5.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 3.37 AED 1.56 AED      -53.8 %
Markets
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 27.04 AED 27.35 AED      +1.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.68 AED 5.23 AED      +11.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.72 AED 4.00 AED      +7.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 12.36 AED 13.40 AED      +8.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 16.87 AED 17.97 AED      +6.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 15.57 AED 14.32 AED      -8.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 21.01 AED 18.88 AED      -10.2 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.88 AED 4.05 AED      +4.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 3.18 AED 2.97 AED      -6.4 %
Oranges (1 lb) 3.13 AED 3.08 AED      -1.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.53 AED 2.47 AED      -2.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 2.02 AED 1.91 AED      -5.3 %
Onion (1 lb) 2.14 AED 2.34 AED      +9.3 %
Lettuce (1 head) 5.20 AED 6.69 AED      +28.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.45 AED 2.23 AED      -9.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 60.00 AED 50.00 AED      -16.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 9.83 AED 8.55 AED      -13.0 %
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) 10.50 AED 10.82 AED      +3.1 %
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) 83,848.15 AED 81,652.38 AED      -2.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 791.18 AED 524.64 AED      -33.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 229.55 AED 187.14 AED      -18.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 372.65 AED 375.72 AED      +0.8 %
Sports And Leisure
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 322.03 AED 240.77 AED      -25.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 169.79 AED 126.33 AED      -25.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 55.00 AED 50.00 AED      -9.1 %
Childcare
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,075.00 AED 2,324.07 AED      -24.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 52,258.21 AED 45,146.16 AED      -13.6 %
Clothing And Shoes
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 302.11 AED 212.50 AED      -29.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 232.73 AED 207.50 AED      -10.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 414.48 AED 338.54 AED      -18.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 444.83 AED 328.18 AED      -26.2 %
Rent Per Month
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 8,888.89 AED 5,382.73 AED      -39.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 5,735.75 AED 3,981.75 AED      -30.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 16,853.85 AED 11,209.52 AED      -33.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 10,945.29 AED 8,441.67 AED      -22.9 %
Buy Apartment Price
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 2,555.90 AED 2,039.16 AED      -20.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,293.27 AED 4,314.21 AED      +233.6 %
Salaries And Financing
Dubai Edit Abu Dhabi Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 14,781.50 AED 12,147.57 AED      -17.8 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 4.49 5.19      +15.5 %
Last update: 16 June 202528 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:612195