Moving to United Arab Emirates from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Saudi Arabia to United Arab Emirates — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to United Arab Emirates, you would find that United Arab Emirates is 47.3% more expensive than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR281,786 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly AED400,923 in United Arab Emirates to maintain the same lifestyle.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Saudi Arabia to United Arab Emirates.
What does your salary buy?
SAR281,786 → AED400,923
To maintain the same standard of living in United Arab Emirates
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 40.5% more
Groceries
pay 5.2% more
Transportation
pay 21.2% more
Housing
pay 2.2 times more
Childcare
pay 33.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 85.2% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in United Arab Emirates cost about 24% more than cities in Saudi Arabia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Saudi Arabia to United Arab Emirates, and how the trend has changed.
people born in Saudi Arabia live in United Arab Emirates · UN DESA
Who's moving to United Arab Emirates?
Top countries of origin for United Arab Emirates's foreign-born residents.
- 3,471,300
- 1,095,231
- 996,288
- 899,612
- 564,769
- 318,809
- · · ·
-
26.6,579
Saudi Arabia
Key Indicator Comparison
How Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though United Arab Emirates leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though United Arab Emirates leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
United Arab Emirates generally does better on employment & economy, though Saudi Arabia leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
United Arab Emirates generally does better on family life, though Saudi Arabia leads in education spending.
Data: Department of Zakat and Income Tax, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Riyadh | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 99°/72°F (37°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 106°/81°F (41°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 87°/64°F (31°/18°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.8°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.2°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 83°/60°F (28.6°/15.8°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 92°/66°F (33.4°/19.1°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 101°/73°F (38.4°/22.8°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 103°/77°F (39.6°/24.8°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 108°/82°F (42.0°/27.6°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 107°/84°F (41.5°/28.7°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 104°/78°F (40.1°/25.6°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 96°/71°F (35.8°/21.8°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 87°/64°F (30.6°/17.5°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 78°/57°F (25.7°/14.1°C) |
National Center for MeteorologyVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. To live, work, or study long-term in United Arab Emirates, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United Arab Emirates's immigration authority.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting United Arab Emirates
Visa Free
United Arab Emirates passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in United Arab Emirates than Saudi Arabia?
Day-to-day costs in United Arab Emirates run about 46% higher than Saudi Arabia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to United Arab Emirates?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a SAR281,786 comparable salary, that's around AED100,231 in United Arab Emirates for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from United Arab Emirates?
With 40.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United Arab Emirates can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Is United Arab Emirates safe for expats?
United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in United Arab Emirates is 0.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in United Arab Emirates compared to Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though United Arab Emirates leads in health coverage index. There are 29.1 doctors per 10,000 people in United Arab Emirates, compared to 30.8 in Saudi Arabia. United Arab Emirates scores 82 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in United Arab Emirates compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Abu Dhabi is 93°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Abu Dhabi receives around 3.5 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in United Arab Emirates?
Both Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates share the same official language: Arabic.
