Cost of living comparison

New Zealand

compared to

United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi vs. Palmerston North Cost of Living Summary

Abu Dhabi is 23.0% more expensive than Palmerston North.

Restaurants: pay 37.9% less in Abu Dhabi
Groceries: pay 13.4% less in Abu Dhabi
Transportation: pay 18.4% less in Abu Dhabi
Housing: pay 88.3% more in Abu Dhabi
Childcare: pay 64.5% more in Abu Dhabi
Entertainment and Sports: pay 63.7% more in Abu Dhabi
Clothing: pay 14.3% more in Abu Dhabi

The cost of housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Abu Dhabi are more expensive than in Palmerston North. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, and groceries are lower in Abu Dhabi. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Abu Dhabi.

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Abu Dhabi vs. Palmerston North Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Abu Dhabi instead of Palmerston North, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 37.9% less for restaurants

	Palmerston North	Abu Dhabi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$14.42 NZ$24.68	$10.89 AED40.00	-24.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.91 NZ$16.96	$9.53 AED35.00	-3.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.36 NZ$4.03	$1.29 AED4.74	-45.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.01 NZ$3.44	$0.44 AED1.61	-78.1%
Average			-37.9%

Palmerston North vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of restaurants

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pay 13.4% less for groceries

	Palmerston North	Abu Dhabi
Bread 1 loaf	$1.99 NZ$3.41	$1.60 AED5.89	-19.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.89 NZ$6.66	$5.28 AED19.39	+35.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.12 NZ$12.17	$7.50 AED27.54	+5.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.13 NZ$8.78	$3.64 AED13.37	-29.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.99 NZ$6.83	$4.12 AED15.11	+3.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.07 NZ$1.83	$1.15 AED4.21	+6.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 NZ$1.37	$0.82 AED3.00	+1.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.08 NZ$1.85	$0.83 AED3.05	-23.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.48 NZ$2.53	$0.67 AED2.46	-54.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.91 NZ$1.57	$0.53 AED1.96	-41.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.95 NZ$1.63	$0.65 AED2.39	-31.7%
Average			-13.4%

Palmerston North vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of groceries

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pay 18.4% less for transportation

	Palmerston North	Abu Dhabi
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.11 NZ$10.45	$2.94 AED10.80	-51.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$70.50 NZ$120.62	$25.87 AED95.00	-63.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$22,211.80 NZ$38,004.63	$44,639.07 AED164K	+101.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$18.92 NZ$32.38	$7.62 AED28.00	-59.7%
Average			-18.4%

Palmerston North vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of transportation

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pay 88.3% more for housing

	Palmerston North	Abu Dhabi
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$45.43 NZ$77.74	$100.96 AED370.79	+122.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$807.70 NZ$1,381.99	$1,490.68 AED5,474.52	+84.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$663.47 NZ$1,135.20	$1,109.19 AED4,073.48	+67.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$64.71 NZ$110.71	$115.93 AED425.75	+79.2%
Average			+88.3%

Palmerston North vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of housing

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pay 64.5% more for childcare

	Palmerston North	Abu Dhabi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$961.55 NZ$1,645.22	$625.43 AED2,296.88	-35.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$4,843.04 NZ$8,286.49	$12,786.81 AED46,959.57	+164.0%
Average			+64.5%

Palmerston North vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of childcare

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pay 63.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Palmerston North	Abu Dhabi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.44 NZ$11.01	$11.29 AED41.45	+75.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.32 NZ$5.68	$5.77 AED21.18	+73.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$17.88 NZ$30.60	$6.26 AED23.00	-65.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$22.69 NZ$38.83	$62.90 AED230.98	+177.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.65 NZ$14.81	$13.61 AED50.00	+57.3%
Average			+63.7%

Palmerston North vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 14.3% more for clothing

	Palmerston North	Abu Dhabi
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.35 NZ$113.52	$60.62 AED222.62	-8.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$36.06 NZ$61.70	$51.93 AED190.71	+44.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.26 NZ$149.30	$98.09 AED360.23	+12.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.98 NZ$150.54	$96.21 AED353.33	+9.4%
Average			+14.3%

Palmerston North vs. Abu Dhabi - Cost of clothing

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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: July 2026

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