Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alesund and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Alesund: $2,329 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alesund and in Dubai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alesund and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,329 per month in Alesund vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Alesund $2,329
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $3,663 per month in Alesund vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Alesund $3,663
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $4,997 per month in Alesund vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Alesund $4,997
Dubai $5,872

Alesund is about 20% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alesund and Dubai sit above the global median – Alesund by 72%, Dubai by 115%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 NOK 200

$12.67 AED 46.55

67.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 NOK 836

$81.7 AED 300

8.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 NOK 125

$9.34 AED 34.30

41.65%

Cappuccino

$4.07 NOK 38.31

$5.89 AED 21.62

-30.90%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 NOK 19.55

$1.69 AED 6.20

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.12

$0.78 AED 2.86

201.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.33 NOK 107

$13.66 AED 50.2

-17.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 NOK 90.6

$13.49 AED 49.54

-28.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.78

$1.84 AED 6.78

20.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 NOK 28.64

$1.50 AED 5.50

102.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.99

$2.57 AED 9.45

19.84%

Eggs

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$3.32 AED 12.18

31.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.88 NOK 140

$12.60 AED 46.28

18.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 NOK 130

$9.66 AED 35.46

42.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 NOK 196

$12.78 AED 46.93

63.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.72

$2.60 AED 9.54

1.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NOK 21.34

$1.90 AED 6.99

19.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 NOK 21.28

$1.91 AED 7.02

18.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.46

$1.37 AED 5.02

167.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$1.13 AED 4.14

116.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NOK 14.45

$1.01 AED 3.71

52.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 28.19

$1.44 AED 5.30

108.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 NOK 17.11

$0.67 AED 2.48

171.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.98 NOK 141

$5.88 AED 21.59

154.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 NOK 178

$16.15 AED 59.3

16.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.73

$2.72 AED 10.00

27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NOK 36.99

$3.08 AED 11.32

27.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 NOK 47.76

$1.60 AED 5.87

216.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 NOK 822

$76.0 AED 279

14.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$3.24 AED 11.91

275.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 18.03

$0.71 AED 2.61

169.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 687

$7.96 AED 29.22

816.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.59

$0.98 AED 3.62

123.47%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

77.11%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

94.08%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$285 NOK 2,683

$249 AED 913

14.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.82 NOK 309

$54.4 AED 200

-39.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 NOK 557

$91.5 AED 336

-35.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 NOK 552

$103 AED 380

-43.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.12 NOK 293

$42.32 AED 155

-26.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 NOK 164

$16.29 AED 59.8

7.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$235 NOK 2,209

$844 AED 3,098

-72.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-86.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 NOK 816

$67.0 AED 246

29.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 NOK 428

$57.9 AED 213

-21.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,082

$102 AED 375

12.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NOK 1,312

$98.7 AED 363

41.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

$2,393 AED 8,788

-54.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 NOK 7,368

$1,533 AED 5,630

-48.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-74.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-45.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-36.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-43.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

22.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.54

-7.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alesund: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alesund

$783 33.6%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 95.8% $750

Groceries & Markets

Alesund

$420 18%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 30.5% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alesund

$377 16.2%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 4.6% $17

Eating Out

Alesund

$352 15.1%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 13.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Alesund

$174 7.5%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 15.7% $27

Getting Around

Alesund

$129 5.6%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 31.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Alesund

$93 4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 45.5% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Alesund versus $2,393 in Dubai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Alesund, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $292 – making Dubai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Alesund

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

2 h ahead of Alesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,683

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alesund Dubai 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Alesund
Dubai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alesund vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,329 in Alesund, $2,896 in Dubai – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,493 per month in Alesund and $4,344 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alesund, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund and $82.0 in Dubai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,329 in Alesund and $2,896 in Dubai. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Alesund, where all-in costs run around $2,329, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Alesund it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,329 in Alesund to $2,896 in Dubai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Alesund. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.