# Cost of living in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

> Dubai’s tax profile at roughly 20% lower housing cost, with a quieter, more family-oriented and more car-dependent city.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/abu-dhabi
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 29% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** AED
- **Region:** Middle East
- **Cost index:** 46 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $2,960 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $3,889 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $7,558 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $1,700 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $163 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $56 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $36 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $400 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $47 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $61 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $41 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $47 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $64 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $19 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $42 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $85 | estimated | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $13 | estimated | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $93 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $93 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$2,960** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in United Arab Emirates:

- Income tax: $0
- Employee social contributions: $0
- Take-home: $100,000/year ($8,333/month)
- Effective rate: 0.0%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $5,373/month

Average local net salary: $3,900/month, which covers 1.3x the one-adult budget.

- No personal income tax. 5% VAT applies to most goods and services.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 92 |
| Healthcare | 80 |
| Air quality | 52 |
| Public transport | 55 |
| Walkability | 45 |
| English proficiency | 86 |
| Family friendliness | 80 |
| Nightlife | 66 |
| Median broadband | 290 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 28°C; summer highs 42°C; winter lows 14°C; 3400 sunshine hours and 60 mm of rain a year. Climate type: arid.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 20.7, 21.4, 23.7, 27, 31.5, 33.7, 35.2, 35.9, 34, 31.1, 27, 22.8.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 12, 16, 24, 24, 12, 0, 0, 2, 0, 3, 2, 7.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: yes
- One-year virtual-working programme requires ~$3,500/month in foreign income. No personal income tax.
- Coast: 15 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: Asia/Dubai
- Metro population: 1.6 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 29% derived, 71% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP 2021) (https://databank.worldbank.org/source/icp-2021), as of 2021

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/abu-dhabi
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/abu-dhabi
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities