Cost of living comparison
compared to
Rome vs. Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Summary
Rome is 26.6% more expensive than Abu Dhabi.
- Restaurants
-
pay 95.5% more in Rome
- Groceries
-
pay 41.9% more in Rome
- Transportation
-
pay 86.1% more in Rome
- Housing
-
pay 10.0% less in Rome
- Childcare
-
pay 11.8% less in Rome
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.1% less in Rome
- Clothing
-
pay 4.8% more in Rome
The cost of restaurants, transportation, groceries, and clothing in Rome are more expensive than in Abu Dhabi. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, and housing are lower in Rome. Notably, restaurants and transportation are significantly more expensive in Rome.
Rome vs. Abu Dhabi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Rome instead of Abu Dhabi, you would:
pay 95.5% more for restaurants
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$17.52
€14.93
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
AED35.00
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.29
AED4.74
|
$2.50
€2.13
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.44
AED1.61
|
$1.34
€1.14
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Rome - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 41.9% more for groceries
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.60
AED5.89
|
$2.21
€1.89
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.28
AED19.39
|
$9.54
€8.13
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.50
AED27.54
|
$7.12
€6.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.64
AED13.37
|
$4.62
€3.94
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.12
AED15.11
|
$5.53
€4.71
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.15
AED4.21
|
$1.21
€1.03
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
AED3.00
|
$1.04
€0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
AED3.05
|
$1.08
€0.92
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
AED2.46
|
$1.44
€1.22
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.96
|
$0.85
€0.72
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.65
AED2.39
|
$0.98
€0.83
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Rome - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 86.1% more for transportation
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
AED10.80
|
$7.66
€6.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$25.87
AED95.00
|
$40.88
€34.83
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$44,639.07
AED163,937.00
|
$29,199.74
€24,878.35
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.62
AED28.00
|
$19.86
€16.92
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Rome - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 10.0% less for housing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$100.96
AED370.79
|
$32.12
€27.36
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,490.68
AED5,474.52
|
$1,436.63
€1,224.02
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.19
AED4,073.48
|
$927.65
€790.37
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$115.93
AED425.75
|
$171.74
€146.33
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Rome - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 11.8% less for childcare
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$625.43
AED2,296.88
|
$568.18
€484.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,786.81
AED46,959.57
|
$10,951.36
€9,330.63
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Rome - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 20.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$11.29
AED41.45
|
$5.84
€4.98
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.77
AED21.18
|
$2.01
€1.72
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.26
AED23.00
|
$7.18
€6.12
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.90
AED230.98
|
$70.65
€60.19
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.61
AED50.00
|
$11.68
€9.95
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Rome - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 4.8% more for clothing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.62
AED222.62
|
$81.76
€69.66
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.93
AED190.71
|
$37.76
€32.18
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.09
AED360.23
|
$88.68
€75.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.21
AED353.33
|
$116.80
€99.51
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Rome - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United Arab Emirates vs. Italy.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Arab Emirates and Italy.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Rome or Abu Dhabi. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.