Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Arendal: $2,679 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
Learn more

Arendal Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Arendal

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 Arendal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $2,679 in Arendal.

Dubai $2,896
Arendal $2,679

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $3,805 in Arendal.

Dubai $4,384
Arendal $3,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $4,931 in Arendal.

Dubai $5,872
Arendal $4,931

Living in Dubai is roughly 8% more expensive than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Arendal 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$19.51 NOK 184

-35.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$65.8 NOK 619

24.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$15.52 NOK 146

-39.82%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$5.33 NOK 50.2

10.51%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$3.49 NOK 32.84

-51.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$3.25 NOK 30.62

-76.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$11.55 NOK 109

18.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$12.08 NOK 114

11.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$2.31 NOK 21.78

-20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$3.47 NOK 32.63

-56.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$3.78 NOK 35.56

-32.01%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$4.93 NOK 46.38

-32.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$14.81 NOK 139

-14.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$14.35 NOK 135

-32.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$33.30 NOK 314

-61.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.49 NOK 32.83

-25.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.63 NOK 24.75

-27.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$3.48 NOK 32.74

-45.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$4.74 NOK 44.63

-71.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$2.55 NOK 23.97

-55.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$3.10 NOK 29.18

-67.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$2.82 NOK 26.55

-48.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$2.24 NOK 21.13

-70.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$17.67 NOK 166

-66.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$14.46 NOK 136

11.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$3.74 NOK 35.19

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-29.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$3.69 NOK 34.72

-56.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$90.2 NOK 849

-15.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-46.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.70 NOK 16.03

-58.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$105 NOK 986

-92.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$2.26 NOK 21.31

-56.64%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

-43.26%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

-46.26%

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

$249 AED 913

$252 NOK 2,372

-1.38%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$34.68 NOK 326

56.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$79.7 NOK 751

14.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$36.61 NOK 345

182.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$15.38 NOK 145

5.92%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$314 NOK 2,952

169.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

32.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$125 NOK 1,176

-46.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$43.59 NOK 410

32.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$124 NOK 1,165

-17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$204 NOK 1,922

-51.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

115.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$1,039 NOK 9,783

47.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

195.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

102.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

71.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

34.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

-16.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.68

-2.99%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Arendal

$1K 38.8% 32.2% $494

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Arendal

$366 13.7% 7.1% $28

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Arendal

$375 14% 23% $70

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Arendal

$488 18.2% 67.3% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Arendal

$223 8.3% 52.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Arendal

$67 2.5% 50.5% $69

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Arendal

$120 4.5% 34.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $1,109 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $66.0 in Arendal. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $488, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

46,406

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Arendal 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Arendal

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 Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai and Arendal differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,896 vs $2,679 including rent). Arendal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Arendal. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,109 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $314 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 67% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,679 in Arendal versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Arendal but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Arendal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Arendal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arendal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.