Some things here feel a bit pricey, if only because they’ve had to be air-freighted in. Still, there are some fantastic bargains to be had in the capital.

1. The bus: It used to be free—it now costs a whopping AED 1. For this minute fare, you can ride from Sheikh Zayed Mosque at the edge of the island to any one of the shopping malls around town and many points in between. All those stops will mean a slow trip, but the buses are all clean and orderly and the drivers all enforce priority seating for ladies. Check out the maps posted at every bus stop to determine which line will take you on the route you want.

2. Laundry: For many residents the only way to do your own laundry involves hanging everything out on those ubiquitous folding drying racks, which means everything has to be ironed. If your talents lie elsewhere, take your clothes to one of the many cleaners in town—you’ll pay AED 4 on average for a man’s business shirt and AED 5 for trousers to be laundered and ironed, and many services will pick up and deliver.

3. Taxis: The oldest gold and white cabs still only cost AED 2 to get in; and for AED 5 you can cover a lot of ground if the traffic is on your side. They’re not the fanciest taxis in town—the drivers don’t wear uniforms or even speak the best English—but they’re one of the cheapest ways to get around. Just make sure they turn on the meter.

4. Valet parking: Many places (not only hotels) provide valet parking, and it’s usually free. Of course, only an utter cretin would take advantage of this service without leaving at least an AED 5 tip, but it’s the cheapest and often the most convenient parking in town.

5. Photocopies: Plenty of copy shops advertise 10 copies for a dirham – try Airport Road between 9th/Al Falah Street and 13th/Delma Street. They can even duplicate your passport so that the copy of your photo page and the copy of your visa page end up on the same side of one A4 sheet of paper: very handy.