Cost of living comparison

 Manila, Philippines
compared to
 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Abu Dhabi is 92.6% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants
pay 61.2% more in Abu Dhabi
Groceries
pay 12.2% less in Abu Dhabi
Transportation
pay 91.8% more in Abu Dhabi
Housing
pay 3.0 times more in Abu Dhabi
Childcare
pay 14.8% more in Abu Dhabi
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.1 times more in Abu Dhabi
Clothing
pay 85.5% more in Abu Dhabi

The cost of entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, clothing, restaurants, and childcare in Abu Dhabi are more expensive than in Manila. Notably, entertainment and sports, housing, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

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

pay 61.2% more for restaurants

 
Manila
Abu Dhabi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.12
₱289.08
$10.89
AED40.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.26
₱240.90
$9.53
AED35.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.87
₱49.34
$1.08
AED3.95

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pay 12.2% less for groceries

 
Manila
Abu Dhabi
Bread
1 loaf
$1.35
₱76.40
$1.37
AED5.03
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.30
₱299.72
$4.80
AED17.63
Milk (1 gallon) $6.79
₱383.90
$6.85
AED25.17

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pay 91.8% more for transportation

 
Manila
Abu Dhabi
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.14
₱234.04
$3.03
AED11.11
Monthly public transit pass $9.93
₱561.10
$24.50
AED90.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,575.45
₱1,445,396.42
$45,026.41
AED165,383.13

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pay 3.0 times more for housing

 
Manila
Abu Dhabi
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.80
₱1,627.91
$103.04
AED378.47
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $468.88
₱26,498.89
$1,349.31
AED4,956.03
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $234.44
₱13,249.47
$1,005.59
AED3,693.57

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pay 14.8% more for childcare

 
Manila
Abu Dhabi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $482.52
₱27,269.81
$669.40
AED2,458.71
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,127.39
₱798,409.45
$12,841.46
AED47,166.99

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pay 3.1 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Manila
Abu Dhabi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.36
₱77.09
$10.89
AED40.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.70
₱152.42
$5.88
AED21.61
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.07
₱173.45
$6.13
AED22.50

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pay 85.5% more for clothing

 
Manila
Abu Dhabi
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$33.31
₱1,882.65
$67.20
AED246.82
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.60
₱1,503.12
$62.59
AED229.91
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$74.03
₱4,183.54
$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: July 2025
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