Which place is cheaper, Varanasi or Abu Dhabi?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Abu Dhabi or Varanasi?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Abu Dhabi and Varanasi can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Abu Dhabi or Varanasi?
Abu Dhabi
It doesn't get more "lifestyles of the rich and famous" than a vacation to Abu Dhabi. The federal capital and center of government for the United Arab Emirates is arguably the most modern city in the world.
Abu Dhabi has a population of 1.5 million and provides a home to several oil companies and embassies, but this place is definitely a playground for the world's fanciest tourists. This city has several large projects underway including Yas Island's Formula 1 track and Ferrari theme park.
Note: homosexuality is still outlawed in the UAE with harsh punishments including deportation, fines, jail time or even a death sentence.
Varanasi
Known to be one of India's holiest cities, many come to Varanasi on a spiritual pilgrimage looking to bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges River. Dating back to the 11th Century BC, it is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Centuries old temples make up the backdrop, as many come and come again to perform their holy rights at the edge of the historic river.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to United Arab Emirates, The Best 3-Day Tours from Dubai, The Best Luxury Tours to India, and The Best Budget Tours to India.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayAbu Dhabi $164Varanasi $30
The average daily cost (per person) in Abu Dhabi is $164, while the average daily cost in Varanasi is $30. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Abu Dhabi and Varanasi in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personAbu Dhabi $98Varanasi $16
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomAbu Dhabi $196Varanasi $32
Compare Hotels in Abu Dhabi and Varanasi
Looking for a hotel in Abu Dhabi or Varanasi? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Abu Dhabi Hotel Prices and Varanasi Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Abu Dhabi $20Varanasi $4.92
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Abu Dhabi
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Abu Dhabi are as follows:
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Car Rental$31
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Taxi to Airport$14
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Abu Dhabi
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Abu Dhabi:
- Yas Waterworld General Admission with Transfers: $123
- Warner Bros World and Ferrari World Combo Ticket with transfer from Dubai: $204
- Warner Bro's with Private Transfers from Dubai: $279
- Visit Ferrari World Abu Dhabi From Dubai Included Transfer and Tickets: $235
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in Abu Dhabi HTL-APT(AUH): $52
- Transfer in private vehicle from Abu Dhabi City - Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH): $42
- Snow Park Abudhabi Premium Tickets with Optional Transfers: $120
- Snow Abu Dhabi Tour with Optional Private Transfers: $110
- Ski Abu Dhabi with Optional Transfers: $100
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque-Entry to the Masterpiece with Transfer: $110
- Roundtrip Transfer Private Vehicle Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH) - Abu Dhabi City: $83
- Private transfer: Abu Dhabi to Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH): $42
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Varanasi
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Varanasi:
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Tuk Tuk Through Town$0.95
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Rickshaw Ride$0.60
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Varanasi
Also for Varanasi, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer: Varanasi Station to Hotel: $12
- Varanasi Airport: Transfer to/from Varanasi Hotels & Airport: $12
- Varanasi Airport : Transfer to Hotel / To Airport: $12
- Airport transfer from hotel: $12
- Varanasi Airport : Transfer To Hotel / To Airport: $12
- Private Transfer Varanasi Airport (VNS) To Varanasi Hotels Drop: $12
- Varanasi Airport to hotel private transfer: $18
- Premium Varanasi Airport Transfer: Affordable & Comfortable: $26
- Private Departure Transfer from Varanasi Hotel to Airport: $28
- Private Varanasi Heritage Walk with Hotel Transfer: $28
- One-Way Transfer Airport to Hotel: $30
- Varanasi Airport Transfer: $30
Is it cheaper to fly into Abu Dhabi or Varanasi?
Prices for flights to both Varanasi and Abu Dhabi change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayAbu Dhabi $45Varanasi $7.10
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Abu Dhabi
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Abu Dhabi.
- Dhow cruise with Buffet dinner & Burj Khalifa view in Canal: $24
- Dubai Marina Dinner Cruise with Live Entertainment: $37
- Dubai Marina luxury Dhow Cruise Dinner (catamaran): $45
- Abu Dhabi Desert Safari BBQ Dinner Live Shows Pick & Drop More: $59
- Abu Dhabi Evening Desert Safari Tour with Shows and BBQ Dinner: $60
- Desert Safari In Abu Dhabi With BBQ Dinner: $63
- Abu Dhabi Desert Safari With Live Shows And BBQ Buffet Dinner: $65
- Evening Desert Safari Abu Dhabi with Hot BBQ Dinner : $65
- Abu Dhabi Evening Desert Safari with BBQ Dinner and all Camp Activities : $72
- Desert Safari Abu Dhabi w/ Sand Boarding, Camel Ride & BBQ Dinner: $75
- Abu Dhabi Evening Desert Safari & Dinner Under the Stars: $77
- Abu Dhabi Desert Safari (Dune Bashing, BBQ Dinner, Camel Ride & Sand Skii): $80
Typical Food Prices in Varanasi
For Varanasi, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Dinner In Town$4.11
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Varanasi
For Varanasi, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Food Tour: Highlights Tour with Tasting &Sunset in Varanasi: $15
- Tests of Best Varanasi Local Food Tour With Tourist Guide: $18
- Varanasi Food Tour with Monu: $22
- Varanasi Cooking Classes with Indu and Shobha: $32
- Varanasi Cooking Classes with Indu and Shobha: $40
- From Street food tour with Evening Ganga Aarti: $42
- Private Evening Rooftop Dinner: $44
- 3-hour Shopping and Street Food Tour on a tuk-tuk ride: $46
- Evening Dinner with Private Transfer: $50
- Afternoon tour of Varanasi with Boat ride over Ganges & Dinner on a tuk-tuk : $59
- Night Boat Ride, Aarati Ceremony and Dinner: $62
- Private Evening Street Food Tour: $63
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Abu Dhabi $39Varanasi $10
Tours and Activities in Abu Dhabi
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Abu Dhabi are as follows:
- Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum Entrance Ticket: $41
- Admission Ticket To Qasr Al Hosn Abu Dhabi: $20
- Ferrari World Entrance ticket : $95
- Full Day Abu Dhabi City & Louvre Museum Tour: $90
- Full Day Ferrari World Ticket with Optional Transport From Dubai: $95
- Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi Ticket: $26
- Private Full-Day Tour in Abu Dhabi: $279
- Ticket to Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi: $19
- 1 Day 2 Yas Island Park Tickets Combo: $130
- 17 Minutes Helicopter Tour in Abu Dhabi: $245
- 2 Days 2 Park- Ferrari World +Yas Waterworld Or Warner Bros World Combo Tickets: $155
- 8 Hour Ticket/Pass For Yas Water World In Dubai.: $103
Typical Entertainment Prices in Varanasi
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Varanasi's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Boat Ride$0.83
Tours and Activities in Varanasi
For Varanasi, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Private Tour City Highlights with Ganges Boat Ride: $2.86
- Varanasi Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $3.64
- Day Tour to Sarnath with Boating & Ganga Aarti: $4.88
- Sights & Highlights tour: $5.69
- Varanasi:- Morning Varanasi Short Tour with Boat Ride: $5.95
- Full Day Private Tour with Sarnath & Ganga Aarti: $5.95
- Sarnath Audio Tour on HopOn India App – Land of Buddha's First Sermon, Varanasi: $7.66
- Varanasi city lanes walking tour: $8.33
- Spiritual and Heritage Walking Tour in Varanasi: $8.55
- Varanasi's Spiritual & heritage walking tour: $11
- Varanasi Walking Tour : $12
- Spiritual Tour in Varanasi with a local- Experience true essence of spirituality: $12
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayAbu Dhabi $13Varanasi $7.82
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Abu Dhabi and Varanasi, we can see that Abu Dhabi is more expensive. And not only is Varanasi much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Abu Dhabi is in Middle East and Varanasi is in Asia, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Varanasi would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Varanasi and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Abu Dhabi would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Abu Dhabi than you might in Varanasi.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Abu Dhabi Expensive? and Is Varanasi Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Abu Dhabi or Varanasi?
Varanasi has a larger population, and is about 93% larger than the population of Abu Dhabi. When comparing the sizes of Abu Dhabi and Varanasi, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.