Cost of living comparison

 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
compared to
 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi vs. Ashgabat Cost of Living Summary

Abu Dhabi is 4.9 times more expensive than Ashgabat.

Restaurants
pay 55.2% less in Abu Dhabi
Groceries
pay 56.7% less in Abu Dhabi
Transportation
pay 64.4% more in Abu Dhabi
Housing
pay 2.5% less in Abu Dhabi
Childcare
pay 29.4 times more in Abu Dhabi
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.8% less in Abu Dhabi
Clothing
pay 37.0% less in Abu Dhabi

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

Abu Dhabi vs. Ashgabat Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Abu Dhabi instead of Ashgabat, you would:

pay 55.2% less for restaurants

 
Ashgabat
Abu Dhabi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $34.54
TMT121.08
$10.89
AED40.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.82
TMT44.94
$9.53
AED35.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.24
TMT11.36
$1.08
AED3.95

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pay 56.7% less for groceries

 
Ashgabat
Abu Dhabi
Bread
1 loaf
$2.39
TMT8.37
$1.37
AED5.03
Local cheese (8 oz) $17.90
TMT62.74
$4.80
AED17.63
Milk (1 gallon) $16.12
TMT56.51
$6.85
AED25.17

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pay 64.4% more for transportation

 
Ashgabat
Abu Dhabi
Gasoline (1 gallon) $1.56
TMT5.48
$3.03
AED11.11
Monthly public transit pass $8.55
TMT29.96
$24.50
AED90.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $43,803.42
TMT153,530.98
$45,026.41
AED165,380.87

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pay 2.5% less for housing

 
Ashgabat
Abu Dhabi
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$94.97
TMT332.86
$103.04
AED378.46
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,125.36
TMT3,944.37
$1,349.31
AED4,955.97
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $747.86
TMT2,621.26
$1,005.59
AED3,693.52

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pay 29.4 times more for childcare

 
Ashgabat
Abu Dhabi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $22.79
TMT79.89
$669.40
AED2,458.68
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $12,841.46
AED47,166.35

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pay 7.8% less for entertainment and sports

 
Ashgabat
Abu Dhabi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.06
TMT17.72
$10.89
AED40.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $6.98
TMT24.47
$5.88
AED21.61
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$28.49
TMT99.86
$6.13
AED22.50

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pay 37.0% less for clothing

 
Ashgabat
Abu Dhabi
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$85.47
TMT299.57
$67.20
AED246.81
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$121.08
TMT424.39
$62.59
AED229.90
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$163.82
TMT574.18
$103.06
AED378.55

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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: June 2025
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