How Much Does Rehab Cost in the United Arab Emirates?

Clinically reviewed byNerea Encinas SánchezDirector of the centre, MSc General Health PsychologyRegistered psychologist, COPAO AO13857

Checked for accuracy on 28 July 2026. Next review due July 2027. This page is general information about our programme and is not a substitute for advice about your own situation.

A word about the law, before cost

In the UAE, the fear that stops many people asking for help is not the price, it is the legal risk. This matters, so it is worth being clear. The UAE treats voluntary treatment as a health matter rather than a criminal one: someone who comes forward of their own accord to a government centre such as the National Rehabilitation Center or the Erada Centre is treated as a patient. Dubai’s Law No. (5) of 2019 established the Erada Centre so that courts can refer people into treatment without prosecuting them, prioritising addiction recovery over punishment. If the legal position is your main worry, speak to one of the government centres below directly and ask how confidentiality and voluntary admission work in your emirate.

Free and government options in the UAE

Start here. These are the established, credible routes in the country, and for a great many people they are enough. Details checked 25 July 2026, but always confirm directly.

• National Rehabilitation Center (NRC), Abu Dhabi. The country’s main state addiction service, a recognised WHO Collaborating Centre, offering prevention, detox referral, residential rehabilitation and aftercare, with dedicated programmes for women, young people and people with co-occurring mental health disorders (dual diagnosis). Free of charge for UAE nationals; fees apply for non-nationals and are quoted on enquiry. Contact 800 2252, open Sunday to Thursday.
• Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, Dubai. A government centre established under Dubai Law No. (5) of 2019, offering assessment, treatment and rehabilitation with confidentiality protections and a court-referral route that avoids prosecution. Access is through Dubai Health and the centre’s own admissions.
• National Mental Support Line, 800 4673. A free, confidential, 24/7 line run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention for people who need help with alcohol or drug use, or who are in a wider mental-health or emotional crisis.
• Al-Anon Family Groups UAE. Free peer support for family members and friends affected by someone else’s alcohol and drug use, meeting across the Emirates and offering continued support alongside any treatment.
• Mutual-aid meetings. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings run in Dubai, Sharjah and other emirates in English and several other languages. They are free, need no referral, and work alongside any treatment.

Across residential rehab generally, whether at a government centre or a private rehab centre, care can blend structured therapy, both individual and group therapy with a counsellor, with medical support for withdrawal and aftercare planning aimed at lasting sobriety, though exactly what each service includes varies, so always ask directly.

The NRC (Abu Dhabi) and the Erada Centre (Dubai) are the two established government providers; the mental support line and mutual-aid groups are access and support routes rather than residential treatment. Confirm current hours, eligibility and any fees directly with each service.

The private residential reality in the UAE

Private residential treatment in the UAE, sometimes called private rehab or inpatient rehab, is limited and newer than the government system, and few rehab facilities publish fixed prices. Where private inpatient care is available it is generally licensed through the local health authority and quoted individually after an assessment, with private rehab costs set case by case rather than shown as a headline figure. Because transparent, dated UAE private prices are scarce, we will not put an invented number here. If you are looking at a private centre, ask for its price in writing, ask exactly what its treatment programme fee includes, whether aftercare is part of the plan, and check that it is licensed by the relevant emirate’s health authority before you commit.

The cost of rehab, in plain terms

For most people in the UAE, the honest answer to how much does rehab cost is that the government route is free for nationals and assessed individually for expatriates, so the first step usually costs nothing to explore. Private residential care for alcohol addiction, drug or alcohol addiction, alcohol rehabilitation or wider addiction treatment is a quoted, case-by-case figure rather than a fixed price list. For comparison, when people weigh up their treatment options abroad for drug and alcohol rehab, published UK directory listings put private residential rehab at roughly £12,000–£40,000 per month, with very little credible below £10,000 a month. These are indicative ranges from public directories, not quotations, and every centre sets its own fee.

Considering residential treatment abroad?

Sierra Recovery, Málaga, Spain

We are a registered health centre in the Spanish countryside, authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, treating in English. Our clinical work follows the Regulation Model used by PROMIS Clinics in the UK since 1986, and is directed by Nerea Encinas Sánchez. The residential programme is £9,900 for 28 days, published, private room included; a hospital detox, where needed, is arranged and billed separately. We are a rehabilitation centre, not a hospital or a detox unit, so any medically supervised detox is completed first, in an appropriate medical setting, with nurses on the team providing clinical support during your stay. We take direct admissions only and pay no referral fees.

See exactly what is included · how to verify our licence.

Which option is right for you

Start with the government centres, the NRC in Abu Dhabi or the Erada Centre in Dubai, if you are a UAE national, if the legal position worries you, or if cost is the barrier. Their rehab programmes are established, state-run routes, and voluntary treatment there is confidential and, for nationals, free. Use the National Mental Support Line (800 4673) if you are struggling with alcohol or drug use, whether that is a milder problem or a severe addiction, and unsure where to turn among the UAE’s mental health services. Use AA, NA or Al-Anon for ongoing peer support alongside whatever else you choose, at no cost. Consider a private or overseas residential stay only if the local rehab route does not fit your circumstances, you want a different setting, and you can travel and do not need an immediate hospital detox. Treatment abroad, in Spain or elsewhere, is a real option for some people ready to get sober, stop drinking or using, seek treatment and begin their recovery journey towards sobriety, but it is rarely the first thing to try.

If, having looked at the local picture, treatment abroad still feels like the right rehab option for you, the clearest next steps are the published cost on our pricing page and a confidential conversation through admissions, where we will tell you honestly if we think a UAE service, including its own mental health and addiction services, would serve you better.