UAE more affordable for residents.

• Position: Cost of living comparison between the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates - Brief article

Dubai and Abu Dhabi's ranking in the cost of living index went up in 2019 but actual cost of living - or inflation - declined due to fall in housing rentals and prices of commodities as the US dollar and the UAE dirham strengthened against the European and other free-floating currencies over the last 12 months.

According to Mercer's 2019 Cost of Living survey of 500 cities released on Wednesday, Dubai's ranking jumped from 26 to 21 while Abu Dhabi rose from 40 to 33.

Vladimir Vrzhovski, global mobility consultant for Mercer Mena, said the cost of living in Dubai went down while ranking moved higher because a lot of European cities saw their currencies depreciating against the dollar. Hence, the cost of living and ranking of those cities went down faster.

"The cost of living in Dubai and Abu Dhabi actually went down for residents. Their ranking went up because a lot of...