Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Summary
United States is 55.2% more expensive than Abu Dhabi.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.4 times more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 80.8% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 68.5% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 9.3% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 2.0 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.8% less in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 7.3% less in United States
The cost of restaurants, childcare, groceries, transportation, and housing in United States are more expensive than in Abu Dhabi. Expenses including clothing and entertainment and sports are lower in United States. Notably, restaurants, childcare, and groceries are significantly more expensive in United States.
United States vs. Abu Dhabi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Abu Dhabi, you would:
pay 2.4 times more for restaurants
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
AED35.00
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.29
AED4.74
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.44
AED1.61
|
$2.00
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 80.8% more for groceries
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.60
AED5.89
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.28
AED19.39
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.50
AED27.54
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.64
AED13.37
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.12
AED15.11
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.15
AED4.21
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
AED3.00
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
AED3.05
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
AED2.46
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.96
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.65
AED2.39
|
$1.38
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 68.5% more for transportation
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
AED10.80
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$25.87
AED95.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$44,639.07
AED163,937.00
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.62
AED28.00
|
$17.61
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 9.3% more for housing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$100.96
AED370.79
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,490.68
AED5,474.52
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.19
AED4,073.48
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$115.93
AED425.75
|
$150.19
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 2.0 times more for childcare
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$625.43
AED2,296.88
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,786.81
AED46,959.57
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 3.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$11.29
AED41.45
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.77
AED21.18
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.26
AED23.00
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.90
AED230.98
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.61
AED50.00
|
$13.64
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.3% less for clothing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.62
AED222.62
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.93
AED190.71
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.09
AED360.23
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.21
AED353.33
|
$112.04
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. United States - Cost of clothing
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
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