Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Alesund

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.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Alesund

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

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

Dubai $2,896
Alesund $2,329

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

Dubai $4,384
Alesund $3,663

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

Dubai $5,872
Alesund $4,997

Dubai costs about 24% more than Alesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$21.26 NOK 200

-40.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$88.8 NOK 836

-8.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$13.23 NOK 125

-29.40%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$4.07 NOK 38.31

44.72%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$2.08 NOK 19.55

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$2.35 NOK 22.12

-66.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$11.33 NOK 107

20.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$9.62 NOK 90.6

40.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$2.21 NOK 20.78

-16.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$3.04 NOK 28.64

-50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$3.08 NOK 28.99

-16.56%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-24.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$14.88 NOK 140

-15.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$13.80 NOK 130

-30.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$20.84 NOK 196

-38.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.63 NOK 24.72

-1.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.27 NOK 21.34

-16.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.26 NOK 21.28

-15.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$3.66 NOK 34.46

-62.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-53.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.54 NOK 14.45

-34.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$3.00 NOK 28.19

-52.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$1.82 NOK 17.11

-63.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$14.98 NOK 141

-60.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$18.89 NOK 178

-14.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$3.48 NOK 32.73

-21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$3.93 NOK 36.99

-21.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$5.07 NOK 47.76

-68.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$87.3 NOK 822

-13.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$12.15 NOK 114

-73.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.91 NOK 18.03

-62.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$73.0 NOK 687

-89.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$2.19 NOK 20.59

-55.25%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

-43.54%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

-48.47%

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

$249 AED 913

$285 NOK 2,683

-12.82%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$32.82 NOK 309

65.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$59.2 NOK 557

54.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$58.6 NOK 552

76.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$31.12 NOK 293

35.99%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$17.43 NOK 164

-6.54%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$235 NOK 2,209

259.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

618.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$86.7 NOK 816

-22.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$45.43 NOK 428

27.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$115 NOK 1,082

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$139 NOK 1,312

-29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

119.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$783 NOK 7,368

95.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

296.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

81.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

57.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

75.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

-18.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.22

7.58%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alesund: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Alesund

$783 33.6% 48.9% $750

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Alesund

$377 16.2% 4.4% $17

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Alesund

$352 15.1% 15.4% $47

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Alesund

$420 18% 44% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Alesund

$174 7.5% 18.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Alesund

$93 4% 31.3% $43

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Alesund

$129 5.6% 45.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,090 in Alesund. 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 $82.0 in Dubai versus $89.0 in Alesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $420 – making Dubai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇴 Alesund

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

58,683

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

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).

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).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Alesund 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Alesund

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

Dubai vs Alesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,344 per month in Dubai and $3,493 in Alesund. 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 $82.0 in Dubai and $89.0 in Alesund. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,896 in Dubai and $2,329 in Alesund. 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.