Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drammen and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Drammen: $2,644 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

128

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
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Drammen Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,644

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Drammen 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 Drammen and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,644 per month in Drammen vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Drammen $2,644
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $3,996 per month in Drammen vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Drammen $3,996
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $5,349 per month in Drammen vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Drammen $5,349
Dubai $5,872

Drammen is about 9% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Drammen and Dubai sit above the global median – Drammen by 96%, Dubai by 115%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.14 NOK 199

$12.67 AED 46.55

66.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 NOK 1,170

$81.7 AED 300

52.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 NOK 101

$9.34 AED 34.30

14.67%

Cappuccino

$5.04 NOK 47.44

$5.89 AED 21.62

-14.43%

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

$3.94 NOK 37.13

$1.69 AED 6.20

133.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 NOK 18.71

$0.78 AED 2.86

155.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.22 NOK 106

$13.66 AED 50.2

-17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 NOK 65.7

$13.49 AED 49.54

-48.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.30

$1.84 AED 6.78

34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 NOK 39.48

$1.50 AED 5.50

179.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 NOK 44.52

$2.57 AED 9.45

84.05%

Eggs

$4.64 NOK 43.71

$3.32 AED 12.18

39.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 NOK 128

$12.60 AED 46.28

7.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.24 NOK 143

$9.66 AED 35.46

57.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.80 NOK 290

$12.78 AED 46.93

141.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 NOK 30.42

$2.60 AED 9.54

24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 NOK 25.47

$1.90 AED 6.99

42.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 NOK 31.71

$1.91 AED 7.02

76.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.81 NOK 54.7

$1.37 AED 5.02

324.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 NOK 24.61

$1.13 AED 4.14

130.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 NOK 27.23

$1.01 AED 3.71

186.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 NOK 28.51

$1.44 AED 5.30

110.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.14

$0.67 AED 2.48

250.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.74 NOK 158

$5.88 AED 21.59

184.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 NOK 146

$16.15 AED 59.3

-3.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 NOK 31.58

$2.72 AED 10.00

23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 NOK 39.11

$3.08 AED 11.32

34.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 NOK 31.68

$1.60 AED 5.87

110.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.5 NOK 862

$76.0 AED 279

20.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 NOK 112

$3.24 AED 11.91

266.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NOK 17.07

$0.71 AED 2.61

154.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.4 NOK 653

$7.96 AED 29.22

771.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.35

$0.98 AED 3.62

131.63%

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

$45.6K NOK 429.1K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

66.44%

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

$45.1K NOK 424.8K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

104.85%

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

$261 NOK 2,459

$249 AED 913

5.13%

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

$33.66 NOK 317

$54.4 AED 200

-38.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 NOK 499

$91.5 AED 336

-42.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.6 NOK 740

$103 AED 380

-24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$17.96 NOK 169

$16.29 AED 59.8

10.25%

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

$236 NOK 2,225

$844 AED 3,098

-71.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 145.5K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-15.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.9 NOK 931

$67.0 AED 246

47.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 NOK 557

$57.9 AED 213

2.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 NOK 1,233

$102 AED 375

28.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 NOK 1,414

$98.7 AED 363

52.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 NOK 12.7K

$2,393 AED 8,788

-43.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 NOK 9,447

$1,533 AED 5,630

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 NOK 19.2K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-55.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 NOK 14.7K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-46.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.4K NOK 97.5K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

46.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,335 NOK 59.6K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

50.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,627 NOK 34.1K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

4.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Drammen: 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

Drammen

$1K 38%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 52.7% $529

Groceries & Markets

Drammen

$499 18.9%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 41.5% $207

Eating Out

Drammen

$356 13.5%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 14.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drammen

$348 13.2%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 13.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Drammen

$198 7.5%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 25.8% $51

Getting Around

Drammen

$126 4.8%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 29.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Drammen

$114 4.3%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 18.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,346 in Drammen 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 5% higher in Drammen, 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 $124 in Drammen versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $499 vs $292 – making Dubai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Drammen

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

2 h ahead of Drammen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,625

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

Drammen Dubai 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Drammen
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

Drammen vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,644 in Drammen, $2,896 in Dubai – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,965 per month in Drammen 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 Drammen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $236 per month in Drammen and $844 in Dubai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 71% cheaper in Dubai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,644 in Drammen and $2,896 in Dubai. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,644 in Drammen 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 Drammen. 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.