Money · Tool

What your commute costs

Fuel, Salik and parking add up quietly, and so do the hours behind the wheel. Guess what your daily trip costs you in a year, then work it out and compare driving with the metro, a taxi and Etihad Rail.

4 minutes
For drivers, students and anyone who commutes
Runs on your device

Compare other ways to get there

Same trip, side by side. Every price is editable, so you can match your own receipts.

The cheapest option on paper is often not the one people pick. A fair way to compare is to put a value on your time. If an hour is worth 50 AED to you, 20 extra minutes each way over 22 days is about 730 AED a month, which can close the gap between the metro and the car.

An estimate to help you compare, not a quote. Fares, tolls and fuel prices change. Check RTA, Salik and Etihad Rail for current prices.

Driving

Fuel price (AED per litre) Car uses (L per 100 km)

October 2026 UAE retail prices set by the UAE Fuel Price Committee (as reported by Khaleej Times on 1 October 2026): Super 98 4.40, Special 95 4.28, E-Plus 91 4.21, Diesel 4.80 AED a litre. They change on the 1st of each month.

Wear, tyres, service (AED per km) Salik at peak (AED)

Salik off-peak (AED)

Dubai's variable Salik, in force since 31 January 2025 (RTA and Salik): AED 6 on weekdays 6 to 10am and 4 to 8pm, AED 4 at other times and all day on Sundays, free 1 to 6am. Hours differ in Ramadan. Abu Dhabi's Darb gates cost AED 4 at peak (7 to 9am and 3 to 7pm) and are free otherwise: set peak to 4 and off-peak to 0. Wear of 0.15 AED per km is our own rough assumption (October 2026): change it to match your car.

Parking: Dubai public parking costs AED 6 an hour in premium spots at peak and AED 4 in standard ones, and multi-storey car parks are AED 5 an hour, up to AED 40 a day (Parkin and RTA tariff since April 2025). Many workplaces offer free or monthly parking, so enter what you really pay.

Dubai Metro or bus

Zones crossed Nol card

Fare per trip (AED) 30-day pass (AED)

Use the 30-day pass when it works out cheaper

To and from the station, per trip (AED) Time per trip (minutes)

RTA Nol fares (checked October 2026): Silver AED 3, 5 or 7.50 for 1 zone, 2 zones or more, Gold Class double. 30-day Silver pass AED 140, 230 or 350 (1 zone, 2 zones, all zones). Students and senior citizens pay half on a personal card. Picking zones and card fills these in, and you can still edit them.

Taxi or ride-hailing

Flag-fall (AED) Per km (AED)

Booking fee (AED) Minimum fare (AED)

Salik added per gate (AED) Time per trip (minutes)

Dubai RTA taxis (fare revision of November 2025, the latest we could confirm): AED 5 flag-fall by day, about AED 2.14 to 2.26 per km (set monthly with fuel prices), AED 12 minimum when hailed on the street, AED 13 minimum plus a 4 to 7.50 booking fee when booked in an app. Careem and Uber prices change with demand: edit to match your usual receipt.

Etihad Rail

Fare per trip (AED) To and from the stations, per trip (AED)

Time per trip, including getting to the station (minutes)

An editable assumption. Etihad Rail prices change with demand, time and class. In October 2026, Khaleej Times (citing Emarat Al Youm) reported Dubai (Al Yalayis) to Abu Dhabi (Mohamed bin Zayed City) seats from about AED 49 to 149, with Comfort at AED 59 on one evening train, and a trip of about 64 minutes. It only makes sense for intercity commutes such as Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

CO2 factors

Taxi (kg per km, incl. empty driving) Metro or bus (g per passenger-km)

Train (g per passenger-km)

Typical figures, edit to match yours. Your own car gives off about 2.31 kg of CO2 for every litre of petrol burnt (2.68 for diesel), worked out from your fuel use above.

Why commutes cost more than they feel

Most of what a commute costs never shows up as one big bill. It leaks out a little at a time.

Small amounts, every day

A fill-up every week or two and a few dirhams at each Salik gate don't feel like much. Multiply by about 22 working days and 12 months and they become one of the biggest costs in a budget.

Wear you don't see

Tyres, oil, brakes and servicing wear out with every kilometre. You pay for them months later, so they rarely get counted as part of the commute.

Your time is part of the bill

An hour a day on the road is more than 200 hours a year. Even if you value it modestly, it's often worth more than the fuel.

Timing changes the price

In Dubai, crossing Salik gates before 6am or between 10am and 4pm costs less than at peak, and the same is true of most paid parking. Shifting your hours, even a little, can save real money.

Ways to cut the cost

Share the ride

Two colleagues on the same route can split fuel, Salik and parking in half.

Park and ride

Drive to a metro station and take the train for the busiest part of the trip. You skip the gates and the city-centre parking.

Work from home days

If your job allows it, one day a week at home cuts the whole bill by about a fifth.

Drive smoothly

Gentle acceleration, steady speeds and correct tyre pressure all lower fuel use. Smooth driving is also safer driving.

Sources: UAE Fuel Price Committee retail prices for October 2026 (reported by Khaleej Times); RTA and Salik variable toll tariff (since 31 January 2025); Abu Dhabi ITC Darb toll hours; RTA Nol fares and 30-day passes (checked October 2026); RTA Dubai taxi fare revision (Gulf News, November 2025); Parkin and RTA variable parking tariff (April 2025); Etihad Rail fares as reported by Khaleej Times and Emarat Al Youm (October 2026); CO2 per litre from UK government greenhouse gas conversion factors. Car consumption, wear per km, CO2 for taxis, metro and trains, and the value of your time are editable assumptions. This is an estimate to help you compare, not a quote.

What your commute costs

Now tell us about your trip

Compare other ways to get there

Why commutes cost more than they feel

Ways to cut the cost