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Cost of Living in Abu Dhabi

Whether you’re retiring, temporarily relocating, or moving to Abu Dhabi for good, it’s helpful to have a picture of what life there will cost as an expat. Using Wise could help you reduce your overall costs. Now you can send, receive, and organise your money internationally, without hefty fees.

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Compare the cost of living by city in United Arab Emirates

This is a breakdown showing the living expenses in United Arab Emirates by city. Major cities usually have a higher cost of living than smaller cities. The average cost of living is about 55.8 as of April 2025, taking into account the most common and unavoidable costs such as housing, food, transport and more.

CityCOL IndexRent Index

59

49.5

53.9

35.4

47.3

21.6

Calculate the cost for living in United Arab Emirates

Use our currency exchange calculator to figure out your costs in your preferred currency. Understand the mid-market exchange rate for your currency pair to make sure you get a fair deal when you send, spend or convert currencies.

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Average living cost in Abu Dhabi

CategoryLocal currencyRange

Restaurants

Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant

40.00 AED

15.00-100.00

Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course

250.00 AED

150.00-425.00

McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)

35.00 AED

30.00-40.00

Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)

40.00 AED

30.00-65.00

Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)

44.00 AED

30.00-65.00

Cappuccino (regular)

20.95 AED

11.00-35.00

Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)

3.75 AED

2.59-7.00

Water (12 oz small bottle)

1.57 AED

1.00-3.00

Markets

Milk (regular), (1 gallon)

24.16 AED

15.14-37.85

Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)

4.40 AED

2.72-11.79

Rice (white), (1 lb)

3.21 AED

1.81-7.71

Eggs (regular) (12)

10.37 AED

6.00-22.00

Local Cheese (1 lb)

16.26 AED

8.62-36.29

Chicken Fillets (1 lb)

12.52 AED

6.80-20.41

Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)

19.65 AED

11.34-27.22

Apples (1 lb)

3.49 AED

1.81-5.90

Banana (1 lb)

2.90 AED

2.04-4.54

Oranges (1 lb)

2.99 AED

1.36-5.44

Tomato (1 lb)

2.37 AED

1.34-4.54

Potato (1 lb)

1.70 AED

0.91-2.72

Onion (1 lb)

1.92 AED

0.91-3.63

Lettuce (1 head)

6.03 AED

3.00-10.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

1.96 AED

1.00-3.00

Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)

50.00 AED

35.00-100.00

Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

8.18 AED

5.00-15.00

Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)

9.71 AED

5.00-20.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)

23.00 AED

20.00-27.00

Transportation

One-way Ticket (Local Transport)

2.10 AED

2.00-3.00

Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

82.50 AED

80.00-150.00

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

12.00 AED

12.00-12.00

Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)

2.98 AED

2.93-4.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

30.00 AED

30.00-50.00

Gasoline (1 gallon)

11.17 AED

10.41-12.49

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)

163,937.00 AED

120,000.00-166,827.00

Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)

80,252.17 AED

78,000.00-81,900.00

Utilities (Monthly)

Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment

610.41 AED

386.36-1,000.00

Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data

202.00 AED

100.00-300.00

Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)

387.32 AED

313.00-450.00

Sports And Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult

254.45 AED

125.00-500.00

Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)

121.88 AED

60.00-200.00

Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat

50.00 AED

40.00-75.00

Childcare

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

2,657.64 AED

1,500.00-5,000.00

International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child

45,444.44 AED

25,000.00-75,000.00

1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

252.56 AED

80.00-400.00

1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)

209.37 AED

100.00-350.00

1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)

376.08 AED

200.00-510.00

1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes

377.39 AED

200.00-550.00

Rent per month

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre

5,092.92 AED

3,500.00-8,000.00

Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre

3,664.29 AED

2,800.00-5,134.00

Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre

10,342.18 AED

7,100.00-18,000.00

Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre

8,056.10 AED

5,000.00-13,000.00

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre

1,753.33 AED

1,393.53-2,601.26

Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre

1,533.49 AED

1,254.18-2,229.65

Salaries And Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

14,423.69 AED

Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate

5.31

3.80-6.80

Source: Numbeo, Cost of living comparison. Checked April 2025.

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