Cost of living · UAE
Cost of living by emirate: utilities, fees and commuting to Dubai
The same home and the same consumption priced with each emirate's official tariffs, the municipality fees tenants pay, and what a daily drive to four Dubai job hubs costs.
For the same apartment using 1,000 kWh of electricity and 20 m³ of water a month, the published residential tariffs give a bill before VAT of AED 418 in Abu Dhabi (ADDC (TAQA Distribution)); AED 434 in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah (Etihad Water & Electricity; water fuel surcharge not published); AED 466 in Sharjah (SEWA); AED 466 in Dubai (DEWA). By car, commuting to Downtown / DIFC costs from AED 298 a month (fuel and tolls) from International City, Dubai, to AED 2,098 from Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, before parking. Official registered rents by bedrooms are published only for Dubai.
By emirate
| Emirate | Electricity + water a month (before VAT) | Municipality / housing fee | Official rent data | Intercity bus to Dubai (official) | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | AED 466DEWA: electricity AED 290.00, water AED 176.00 | 5% of the annual rent | Registered rents by area (DLD) | — | DWC (17 km from Jumeirah Village Circle), DXB (10 km from International City) |
| Abu Dhabi | AED 418ADDC (TAQA Distribution): electricity AED 269.04, water AED 149.33 (VAT removed from VAT-inclusive rates) | 5% of the annual rent | no comparable open data | E100 (to Al Ghubaiba Bus Station); E101 (to Ibn Battuta Metro Station) | AUH (7 km from Khalifa City), AUH (24 km from Al Reem Island) |
| Sharjah | AED 466SEWA: electricity AED 290.00, water AED 175.98 | one-off registration fee only | no comparable open data | E303 (to Union Square Bus Station); E306 (to Al Ghubaiba Bus Station); E307 (to Deira City Centre Bus Station); E308 (to Stadium Bus Station): AED 12 one way; E311 (to Rashidiya Station) | DXB (6 km from Al Nahda), SHJ (5 km from Muwaileh) |
| Ajman | AED 434Etihad Water & Electricity: electricity AED 280.00, water AED 154.00; water fuel surcharge (not stated in the published table) | no official rate found | no comparable open data | E400 (to Union Square Bus Station); E411 (to Etisalat Metro Station) | SHJ (11 km from Al Nuaimiya), SHJ (10 km from Al Rashidiya) |
| Umm Al Quwain | AED 434Etihad Water & Electricity: electricity AED 280.00, water AED 154.00; water fuel surcharge (not stated in the published table) | no official rate found | no official data found | RAKTA: Ras Al Khaimah → Umm Al Quwain (does not go to Dubai): AED 15 one way | SHJ (19 km from Al Salamah) |
| Ras Al Khaimah | AED 434Etihad Water & Electricity: electricity AED 280.00, water AED 154.00; water fuel surcharge (not stated in the published table) | no official rate found | no official data found | RAKTA: Ras Al Khaimah → Dubai (Union) (to Dubai Union Bus Station): AED 27 one way; RAKTA: Ras Al Khaimah → Dubai Mall (to Dubai Mall): AED 30 one way | RKT (21 km from Al Nakheel) |
| Fujairah | AED 434Etihad Water & Electricity: electricity AED 280.00, water AED 154.00; water fuel surcharge (not stated in the published table) | no official rate found | no official data found | E700 (to Union Square Bus Station) | FJR (2 km from Fujairah City) |
Same apartment, 1,000 kWh and 20 m³ a month (example consumption), priced with each provider's published residential tariff for expatriates, before VAT. Intercity bus fares are shown only where an official page states them; monthly public-transport costs are not estimated. Airport distances are straight-line from the sample area.
Commuting to Dubai by car
| From | To Downtown / DIFC | To Dubai Internet City / Marina | To JAFZA / Dubai South | To DXB / Deira |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village CircleDubai | AED 35323.6 km · 23 min without traffic | AED 15211.6 km · 14 min without traffic | AED 36525.9 km · 26 min without traffic | AED 81537.4 km · 45 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day |
| International CityDubai | AED 29821.2 km · 23 min without traffic | AED 52836.6 km · 34 min without traffic | AED 73148.9 km · 43 min without traffic | AED 27118.9 km · 32 min without traffic |
| Khalifa CityAbu Dhabi | AED 2,098122.6 km · 87 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 1,800102.7 km · 65 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 1,28087.9 km · 59 min without traffic | AED 2,210141.7 km · 109 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
| Al Reem IslandAbu Dhabi | not published142.9 km · 99 min without traffic | not published123.1 km · 77 min without traffic | not published108.2 km · 71 min without traffic | not published162 km · 121 min without traffic |
| Al NahdaSharjah | AED 57020.9 km · 22 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 1,18744.7 km · 39 min without traffic · tolls AED 24/day | AED 96563.3 km · 50 min without traffic | AED 38417.4 km · 29 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
| MuwailehSharjah | AED 74833.3 km · 31 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 81255.5 km · 45 min without traffic | AED 1,00467.8 km · 54 min without traffic | AED 46021.9 km · 33 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
| Al NuaimiyaAjman | AED 86740.8 km · 34 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 93162.9 km · 49 min without traffic | AED 1,12375.2 km · 57 min without traffic | AED 57929.4 km · 36 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
| Al RashidiyaAjman | AED 81133 km · 36 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 93763.7 km · 50 min without traffic | AED 1,12975.9 km · 59 min without traffic | AED 58530.1 km · 38 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
| Al SalamahUmm Al Quwain | AED 1,12258.8 km · 48 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 1,18681 km · 62 min without traffic | AED 1,37893.2 km · 70 min without traffic | AED 83447.4 km · 49 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
| Al NakheelRas Al Khaimah | AED 1,941114.8 km · 82 min without traffic · tolls AED 12/day | AED 2,005136.9 km · 97 min without traffic | AED 2,206148.2 km · 104 min without traffic | AED 1,653103.4 km · 84 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
| Fujairah CityFujairah | AED 1,797121.1 km · 89 min without traffic | AED 2,041138.3 km · 101 min without traffic | AED 2,238151.1 km · 108 min without traffic | AED 1,818113 km · 92 min without traffic · tolls AED 6/day |
Routes through a Darb toll gate (Abu Dhabi) show no car cost: Darb tariffs are paused while we confirm the official source.
Car: 5 days a week, there and back, leaving at 07:30 and 18:00; 8 L/100 km of Special 95 at the official 2026-10 price (AED 4.28 a litre); Salik and Darb gates on the route charged with the published tariff for the time the car passes them. Parking is not included. Peak-hour travel times are not published by an official source; the times shown are free-flow (no traffic) and real rush-hour trips take longer.
Routes, distances, areas and toll-gate locations: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL); routing by OSRM. The route data in /uae-emirates-costs.json is offered under the same licence.
Rent in Dubai (reference)
Only Dubai publishes registered rents by area and bedrooms as open data (Dubai Land Department). Other emirates: no comparable official open data was found, so no rent is shown for them. For rents by Dubai area see rent and property prices and all areas.
| Home | Median annual rent, all of Dubai | Typical range (middle half) | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|
| studio apartment | AED 40,000≈ AED 3,333 a month | AED 32,000 – AED 48,000 | 103,035 |
| 1-bedroom apartment | AED 58,000≈ AED 4,833 a month | AED 45,980 – AED 75,000 | 213,707 |
| 2-bedroom apartment | AED 75,900≈ AED 6,325 a month | AED 60,000 – AED 101,000 | 167,991 |
| 3-bedroom apartment | AED 118,000≈ AED 9,833 a month | AED 90,000 – AED 165,000 | 33,695 |
| 4-bedroom apartment | AED 180,000≈ AED 15,000 a month | AED 129,900 – AED 300,000 | 1,939 |
| 1-bedroom villa | AED 75,000≈ AED 6,250 a month | AED 66,000 – AED 107,500 | 721 |
| 2-bedroom villa | AED 130,000≈ AED 10,833 a month | AED 90,000 – AED 160,000 | 3,880 |
| 3-bedroom villa | AED 149,500≈ AED 12,458 a month | AED 110,000 – AED 185,000 | 25,811 |
| 4-bedroom villa | AED 205,000≈ AED 17,083 a month | AED 160,000 – AED 275,000 | 18,360 |
Source: Dubai Land Department (originator), open datasets «Rent Contracts» on Dubai Data. Original data © Dubai Land Department. Licensed under the Dubai Open Data Licence. The tables are derived by Brainy Prices (aggregates only: medians and ranges of at least 10 registered records); they are not produced, verified or endorsed by Dubai Land Department, Dubai Data or the Dubai Government. The derived tables are available under the same licence: /dubai-property.json.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is the electricity and water bill in each emirate?
- For the same apartment using 1,000 kWh of electricity and 20 m³ of water a month, the published residential tariffs give a bill before VAT of AED 418 in Abu Dhabi (ADDC (TAQA Distribution)); AED 434 in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah (Etihad Water & Electricity; water fuel surcharge not published); AED 466 in Sharjah (SEWA); AED 466 in Dubai (DEWA).
- How much does it cost to live in Sharjah and commute to Dubai by car?
- From Al Nahda (Sharjah) to Downtown / DIFC: 20.9 km and 22 minutes without traffic each way, about AED 570 a month in fuel and Salik tolls (5 days a week), before parking. Rush-hour times are longer and not published officially. Sharjah publishes no comparable official rent data, so the rent difference cannot be stated here.
- Do tenants pay a municipality fee outside Dubai?
- Dubai: 5% of the annual rent Abu Dhabi: 5% of the annual rent Sharjah: Attesting a residential lease costs 4% of the annual rent (minimum AED 500) once, at registration; no monthly municipality fee on the SEWA bill was found in an official source. Ajman: No official rate found. Umm Al Quwain: No official rate found. Ras Al Khaimah: No official rate found. Fujairah: No official rate found.
- Which emirates publish official rent data?
- Only Dubai publishes registered rents by area and bedrooms as open data (Dubai Land Department). Other emirates: no comparable official open data was found, so no rent is shown for them. Abu Dhabi: ADREC publishes an official Rental Index as an interactive tool and market reports (average rent per square metre by project); there is no downloadable data by area and bedrooms, and its API needs a subscription. Sharjah: Sharjah Municipality publishes an interactive rental map; there is no downloadable data by area and bedrooms. Ajman: Ajman publishes open data with counts of certified rent contracts, not rent amounts. Umm Al Quwain: No official rent data found. Ras Al Khaimah: No official rent data found. Fujairah: No official rent data found.
Sources
- Dubai utilities: Government of Dubai, Dubai Legal Portal (read 2 October 2026)
- Dubai utilities: DEWA (read 1 October 2026)
- Dubai utilities: DEWA (read 1 October 2026)
- Dubai municipality fee: u.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Abu Dhabi utilities: www.addc.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Abu Dhabi municipality fee: adrec.gov.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Abu Dhabi bus E100: www.rta.ae
- Abu Dhabi bus E101: www.rta.ae
- Sharjah utilities: www.sewa.gov.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Sharjah bus E303: www.rta.ae
- Sharjah bus E306: www.rta.ae
- Sharjah bus E307: www.rta.ae
- Sharjah bus E308: mediaoffice.ae
- Sharjah bus E311: www.rta.ae
- Ajman utilities: etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Ajman utilities: www.etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Ajman bus E400: www.rta.ae
- Ajman bus E411: www.rta.ae
- Umm Al Quwain utilities: etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Umm Al Quwain utilities: www.etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Umm Al Quwain bus RAKTA: Ras Al Khaimah → Umm Al Quwain (does not go to Dubai): www.rakta.gov.ae
- Ras Al Khaimah utilities: etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Ras Al Khaimah utilities: www.etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Ras Al Khaimah bus RAKTA: Ras Al Khaimah → Dubai (Union): www.rakta.gov.ae
- Ras Al Khaimah bus RAKTA: Ras Al Khaimah → Dubai Mall: www.rakta.gov.ae
- Fujairah utilities: etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Fujairah utilities: www.etihadwe.ae (read 2 October 2026)
- Fujairah bus E700: www.rta.ae