Home › Abu Dhabi › On a budget
Abu Dhabi on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Abu Dhabi can be done on a budget, but it takes planning: a realistic minimum is about AED 330 per person per day sharing a double, with cheap food and mostly free sights. The big savings come from the free Grand Mosque, beaches and Corniche, and from eating where residents eat.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | AED150 | AED330 | AED1,000 |
| Food & drink | AED80 | AED200 | AED500 |
| Sights & tickets | AED60 | AED250 | AED600 |
| Local transport | AED40 | AED100 | AED250 |
| Per person, per day | AED330 | AED880 | AED2,350 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Abu Dhabi day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (free entry, book a time slot online)
- The Corniche: 8 km of seafront promenade with public beaches and cycle paths
- Saadiyat public beach
- The Grand Mosque at sunset, when the reflecting pools light up
- The Heritage Village on the Breakwater, with views back over the skyline
- Window-shopping and the souk-style interiors of the big malls, such as the World Trade Center Souk
Cheap eats
- Shawarma from a cafeteria: about AED 8–15
- Karak tea and a paratha: about AED 3–8
- Biryani or curry in an Indian or Pakistani restaurant: about AED 20–35
- Falafel and hummus plate in a Lebanese café: about AED 15–30
- Mall food courts: about AED 30–50 for a full meal
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in the older city centre (Al Markaziyah, around Hamdan and Electra streets), where older hotels charge about AED 250–400 for a double, or roughly AED 150 per person sharing. There are very few hostels; budget hotel chains near Al Maryah and on the outskirts sometimes have offers, especially in summer.
Getting around cheaply
Public buses with a Hafilat card are the cheapest way around (a few dirhams a ride), and the A1 airport bus runs to the city centre for a few dirhams. Taxis are reasonably priced for short hops, and sharing a taxi is often worth it for the long distances to Saadiyat and Yas.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (free) by bus or taxi
- Lunch: biryani in a city-centre restaurant (about AED 25)
- Afternoon: Qasr Al Hosn (about AED 30), then the Corniche beach
- Evening: shawarma and karak tea, sunset walk on the Corniche
- Total: about AED 330 including a budget room share
More ways to save
- Pick one paid headline sight a day rather than several.
- Travel in summer if you can handle the heat: rooms are much cheaper.
- Carry a refillable bottle; water from hotel dispensers is free.
- Look for combined tickets or resident-style offers on attraction websites.
- Group each day by island to cut taxi costs.
- Avoid dates around the Grand Prix, when hotel prices jump.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Common questions
Can you visit Abu Dhabi on a budget?
Yes, at about AED 330 a day per person if you share a room in the older city centre, eat in cafeterias and focus on free sights like the Grand Mosque and the Corniche.
Is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque free?
Yes, entry is free, but you should book a time slot online and follow the dress code. It is closed to visitors on Friday mornings.
What is the cheapest way from the airport to the city?
The public A1 airport bus with a Hafilat card is the cheapest; a taxi takes about 30 minutes to the centre.