🇦🇪Cost of Travel in United Arab Emirates (2026): Daily Budgets for 2 Cities
Desert within living memory, and now the tallest building on earth, a Louvre and a marble mosque with 82 domes. One of the easiest first international trips there is — visa on arrival, English everywhere, and far cheaper than its reputation once you leave the hotel bar.
Daily budgets in United Arab Emirates
The cheapest city in United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi, at $75–160 a day mid-range per person; the priciest is Dubai, at $90–190 — about 19% more for the same style of trip.
| City | Budget / day | Mid-range / day | Comfort / day | Cheap meal | Mid-range hotel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | $45–95 | $75–160 | $140–290 | $2.50–6 | $65–140 |
| Dubai | $55–110 | $90–190 | $160–340 | $2.50–6 | $75–160 |
Per person in US dollars, flights not included. Mid-range is each guide's researched figure and includes a mid-range room; budget and comfort scale it by 0.6 and 1.8, so treat those as rough. How we work these out.
Plan a trip across United Arab Emirates
Set the nights you'd spend in each city. Per person, before flights; each night counts one day of that city's daily budget.
Cities
🇦🇪Abu Dhabi
United Arab EmiratesThe UAE's capital, and the quieter, older-money half of the country. Slower than Dubai, cheaper than Dubai, and home to the two buildings most people leave the Emirates remembering.
🇦🇪Dubai
United Arab EmiratesA city that was mostly desert within living memory and now has the world's tallest building in it. Easier and cheaper than its reputation suggests — if you know which Dubai you're spending in.
Head to head
Two cities side by side — costs, best months and what you'd do in each.