Living in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi is a large coastal city in the United Arab Emirates (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 29°C over the year with about 47 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,402 a month to live centrally, and the United Arab Emirates sits in our zero or very low tax tier. For citizens from outside the Gulf Cooperation Council states, long-term residency in the United Arab Emirates is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $4,084 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €3,402
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Zero or very low
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 29°C
- 47 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 85/100
- country-level
- Internet
- 300+ Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Abu Dhabi
- No or very low personal income tax
- Faster internet than 100% of the cities we compare
- Warmer than 99% of the cities we track
- Safer than 98% of the cities we compare
- Dry: about 47 mm of rain a year
Taxes
The United Arab Emirates sits in our zero or very low tax tier: little to no personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in the United Arab Emirates runs at 300+ Mbps, faster than 100% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Climate
Abu Dhabi averages 29°C across the year with about 47 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 99% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Safety and stability
The United Arab Emirates scores 85 out of 100 on safety, safer than 98% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 3.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in the United Arab Emirates. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,402 a month to live centrally in Abu Dhabi, 25% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 27% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open, for people from outside the Gulf Cooperation Council states. Long-term residency is realistic via the renewable 10-year Golden Visa (property or capital), the 5-year Green Visa for skilled workers, freelancers, and investors, or a retirement visa for applicants over 55, with no personal income tax; the dirham is pegged at AED 3.6725 to USD 1.
Citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
It is harder for citizens of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for the United Arab Emirates:
- Income: about $4,084 a month (UAE retirement (5-year) visa sufficient-income route, AED 15,000/mo (AED 180,000/yr), single applicant, age 55+ with 15 years' work history; as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $545k (UAE Golden Visa real-estate investor route, AED 2,000,000 in property (same threshold for the public-investment/fund deposit route); as of June 2026)
For short visits, 87 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 111 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Healthcare
The United Arab Emirates scores 70 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 71% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in the United Arab Emirates.
Language and culture
Main languages: Arabic, English. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 45 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Questions couples ask about Abu Dhabi
Is Abu Dhabi a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Abu Dhabi scores well on safety, healthcare and internet speed. It is weaker on affordability, political stability and social openness. Expect a warm, very dry climate (29°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Abu Dhabi and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Abu Dhabi?
We estimate about €3,402 a month for a couple living centrally, 25% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Abu Dhabi?
The United Arab Emirates is in our zero or very low tax tier (little to no personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high.
Can foreigners live in the United Arab Emirates long term?
Citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: comparatively open. Long-term residency is realistic via the renewable 10-year Golden Visa (property or capital), the 5-year Green Visa for skilled workers, freelancers, and investors, or a retirement visa for applicants over 55, with no personal income tax; the dirham is pegged at AED 3.6725 to USD 1. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $4,084 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $545k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi averages 29°C across the year with about 47 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 99% of the cities we track.
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