How much does a trip to Abu Dhabi cost?
Saadiyat Travel Guide editorial team · Published 2 October 2026
The cost of a trip to Abu Dhabi depends mostly on where you sleep and when you go. Taxi fares, museum tickets and the fees added to hotel bills are published, so we list them below. Daily budgets on travel blogs come without a date or a method, so we don't give a single "per day" figure. Prices are as of October 2026.
Contents
What currency is used in Abu Dhabi
The currency is the UAE dirham (AED), the same in every emirate. It is pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 dirhams to the dollar, so 100 dollars is about 367 dirhams. The Central Bank of the UAE publishes the rate, and it doesn't move with the market. Prices on this page are in dirhams.
- Cards. Cards are widely accepted in hotels, malls, museums and restaurants. When a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choose dirhams: the conversion by the shop's bank is usually a worse rate than your own bank's.
- Cash. Keep some dirhams for small purchases and taxis that don't take a card. Bank ATMs are in malls and on most streets; check the fee with your own bank.
- Exchange. Compare the rate at the airport with a bank or exchange office in the city before you change a large amount.
Hotel and apartment prices: what changes them
Accommodation is the largest part of most budgets, and four things move its price.
- Season. October to March is the main season, with the mildest weather and the highest rates. Visit Abu Dhabi names April and May as the cheapest time to go. From May to September it can reach 44°C (111°F).
- Events. Rates jump for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (4 – 6 December 2026), the Taste of Abu Dhabi festival in December and big trade shows. During the IDEX defense exhibition in February 2025, the average room rate rose by about 40%. Across 2025 as a whole, the average rate in Abu Dhabi was 19% higher than in 2024.
- Island or city. All five beach resorts on Saadiyat Island are five-star, so the island is not a budget base. Holiday apartments are the other way to stay there, and their prices also drop in summer. Cheaper hotels are in the residential areas near the airport, such as Khalifa City and Al Raha, far from the museums and beaches. See where to stay in Abu Dhabi and apartments on Saadiyat.
- Meal plan. Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island is an all-inclusive resort, and Saadiyat Rotana offers meal plans up to all-inclusive; at the other resorts, check what the rate includes. What's included changes how much you spend on food.
Taxes and fees on hotel bills
The price you see first often leaves out fees. Since 1 September 2023, hotels in Abu Dhabi charge a tourism fee of 4% of the bill, cut from 6%, and a municipality fee of 4%. The old flat fee of AED 15 (≈ $4) per room per night was scrapped. On top of that come 5% VAT and, usually, a service charge of 10%. Added up, that is more than a fifth on top of the room rate.
Licensed holiday homes also add a tourism fee and 5% VAT. Whatever you book, compare the total on the last booking screen, not the nightly rate.
Getting around: taxis, buses and car hire
Taxis are metered, and Abu Dhabi Mobility publishes the fares. As of October 2026:
By the meter, a taxi from the airport to Saadiyat comes to about AED 75 (≈ $20). Details are in our Abu Dhabi airport guide.
City buses cost AED 2 (≈ $0.54) boarding plus 5 fils per km, and no more than AED 5 (≈ $1) a trip. You pay with a Hafilat card, which costs AED 10 (≈ $3); a 7-day pass is AED 35 (≈ $10). The airport buses A1 and A2 cost about AED 4 (≈ $1). There is no bus straight to Saadiyat's beaches, so on the island a taxi is the practical option.
To and from Dubai, the intercity bus costs AED 25 (≈ $7), the Etihad Rail train from AED 39 (≈ $11), and a metered taxi, by older fare reports, around AED 250–300 (≈ $68–82); check a taxi app for the current price. All the options are in Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
A rental car adds fuel, parking and Darb road tolls of AED 4 (≈ $1) per crossing at peak hours.
Ticket prices for the main sights
As of October 2026, adult tickets cost:
There is no combined ticket for the Saadiyat museums. On Yas, multi-park tickets save AED 200–700 (≈ $54–191) compared with single tickets; see our Yas Island guide.
Example: a day on Saadiyat for two, fixed costs only
We don't add up a total, because room rates and meals change by date, but the fixed items of a typical Saadiyat day are published. For two adults, as of October 2026:
- the taxi from the airport to the island: about AED 75 (≈ $20) for the car, not per person;
- two tickets to the Louvre Abu Dhabi: AED 65 (≈ $18) each;
- two tickets to Kai Beach on a weekday: AED 150 (≈ $41) each, with part of it returned as food and drink credit.
Add the room (with fees), meals, and the taxi between sights, which is metered. If you stay at Rixos or choose an all-inclusive plan at Saadiyat Rotana, meals are partly covered.
How to save money
- Sleep outside the peak. Rates are lowest in April and May and highest in the main season and around the Grand Prix.
- Use the bus where it goes. A city bus costs AED 2 (≈ $0.54) boarding plus 5 fils per km, never more than AED 5 (≈ $1); the Abu Dhabi Link on-demand bus also serves Saadiyat and Yas (see getting around Abu Dhabi).
- Take the free items. Under-18s enter the Louvre, Zayed National Museum and Natural History Museum free, and Heritage Village, the Corniche promenade and Al Bateen Beach cost nothing.
- Buy the multi-park ticket for Yas. It saves AED 200–700 (≈ $54–191) against single tickets.
- Take the train rather than a taxi for a day trip to Dubai: from AED 39 (≈ $11) against about AED 250–300 (≈ $68–82).
Where you don't have to pay
- the Abrahamic Family House on Saadiyat, with a booked slot
- Heritage Village and the Corniche promenade
- the grounds, House of Artisans and Cultural Foundation at Qasr Al Hosn
- Al Bateen Beach and the Corniche night beaches; see Abu Dhabi beaches
- the Louvre, Zayed National Museum and Natural History Museum for under-18s
The Grand Mosque is no longer free for tourists: the visitor fee came in September 2026.
Food and drink
We don't quote meal prices: blog estimates come without a date, and we found no published menu prices for Saadiyat restaurants. What makes the difference:
- Where you eat. On Saadiyat, most restaurants are in the resorts; Mamsha Al Saadiyat, by the Louvre, has cafés and restaurants outside the hotels. See where to eat on Saadiyat.
- Service charge. Hotel restaurants usually add a 10% service charge to the bill.
- Alcohol is served only in licensed venues, mostly hotel restaurants and bars.
- All-inclusive isn't always all-in. At Rixos, the à la carte restaurants charge a cover fee per person.
Is Abu Dhabi cheaper than Dubai?
No official figure answers this. Dubai's average hotel room rate in 2025 was AED 579 (≈ $158) a night; Abu Dhabi hasn't published a comparable figure, only that its rates rose by 19% that year. So we don't say either city is cheaper overall. One clear difference is beaches: Dubai has free public beaches, while the beaches on Saadiyat and Yas charge entry. For more, see Abu Dhabi vs Dubai.
Flights
Fares depend on where you fly from and when, and we don't have an airline price list to quote averages from. Routes and airlines are in flights to Abu Dhabi. As of October 2026, some flights run on adjusted schedules; check your flight status before you book.
Tipping and mobile data
- Tipping is not required by law. Hotel restaurants usually include a 10% service charge; elsewhere, 10–15% is common for good service, and in taxis people round up the fare.
- Mobile data. An eSIM bought before the trip saves roaming charges.
