The United Arab Emirates is a rather expensive country. Everyone who is going to live here will have to come to terms with this fact, especially if you are aiming for a full life, and not a miserable existence in some shack, saving on everything you can. The leaders in the cost of living in the UAE are Abu Dhabi and Dubai. If you want to reduce the cost of accommodation and meals, then you should choose other emirates, or at least not the capitals of these regions, but provincial towns.