Cost of living comparison
compared to
Abu Dhabi vs. Asmara Cost of Living Summary
Abu Dhabi is 4.7 times more expensive than Asmara.
- Restaurants
- pay 0.7% less in Abu Dhabi
- Groceries
- pay 22.3% more in Abu Dhabi
- Transportation
- pay 41.6% more in Abu Dhabi
- Housing
- pay 3.0 times more in Abu Dhabi
- Childcare
- pay 16.3 times more in Abu Dhabi
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 9.0 times more in Abu Dhabi
- Clothing
- pay 26.8% less in Abu Dhabi
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, and groceries in Abu Dhabi are more expensive than in Asmara. Expenses including clothing and restaurants are lower in Abu Dhabi. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi vs. Asmara Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Abu Dhabi instead of Asmara, you would:
pay 0.7% less for restaurants
Asmara | Abu Dhabi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $12.00 ERN180.00 | $10.89 AED40.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.99 ERN89.85 | $9.53 AED35.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.25 ERN18.75 | $1.29 AED4.74 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.00 ERN15.00 | $0.44 AED1.61 | |
Asmara vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of restaurants
pay 22.3% more for groceries
Asmara | Abu Dhabi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | ?? | $1.60 AED5.89 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $1.50 ERN22.50 | $5.28 AED19.39 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.30 ERN79.49 | $7.50 AED27.54 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.38 ERN65.70 | $3.64 AED13.37 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $12.17 ERN182.57 | $4.12 AED15.11 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $5.54 ERN83.16 | $1.15 AED4.21 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.58 ERN8.69 | $0.82 AED3.00 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.91 ERN13.61 | $0.83 AED3.05 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.50 ERN7.56 | $0.67 AED2.46 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.70 ERN10.43 | $0.53 AED1.96 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.43 ERN6.50 | $0.65 AED2.39 | |
Asmara vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of groceries
pay 41.6% more for transportation
Asmara | Abu Dhabi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $8.52 ERN127.76 | $2.94 AED10.80 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $8.00 ERN120.00 | $25.87 AED95.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $66,666.00 ERN1000K | $44,639.07 AED164K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? | $7.62 AED28.00 | |
Asmara vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of transportation
pay 3.0 times more for housing
Asmara | Abu Dhabi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $200.00 ERN3,000.00 | $100.96 AED370.79 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $475.00 ERN7,125.00 | $1,490.68 AED5,474.52 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $400.00 ERN6,000.00 | $1,109.19 AED4,073.48 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $21.03 ERN315.44 | $115.93 AED425.75 | |
Asmara vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of housing
pay 16.3 times more for childcare
Asmara | Abu Dhabi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $25.00 ERN375.00 | $625.43 AED2,296.88 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $1,675.00 ERN25,125.00 | $12,786.81 AED46,959.57 | |
Asmara vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of childcare
pay 9.0 times more for entertainment and sports
Asmara | Abu Dhabi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $0.80 ERN12.00 | $11.29 AED41.45 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $0.82 ERN12.38 | $5.77 AED21.18 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | ?? | $6.26 AED23.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $27.00 ERN405.00 | $62.90 AED230.98 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $1.10 ERN16.50 | $13.61 AED50.00 | |
Asmara vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.8% less for clothing
Asmara | Abu Dhabi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $82.50 ERN1,237.50 | $60.62 AED222.62 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $75.00 ERN1,125.00 | $51.93 AED190.71 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $200.00 ERN3,000.00 | $98.09 AED360.23 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $95.00 ERN1,425.00 | $96.21 AED353.33 | |
Asmara vs. Abu Dhabi - 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: June 2026
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