Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Drammen

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.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
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Drammen Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Drammen

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

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

Dubai $2,896
Drammen $2,644

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

Dubai $4,384
Drammen $3,996

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

Dubai $5,872
Drammen $5,349

Dubai costs about 10% more than Drammen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$21.14 NOK 199

-40.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$124 NOK 1,170

-34.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$10.71 NOK 101

-12.79%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$5.04 NOK 47.44

16.87%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$3.94 NOK 37.13

-57.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$1.99 NOK 18.71

-60.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$11.22 NOK 106

21.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$6.98 NOK 65.7

93.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$2.48 NOK 23.30

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$4.19 NOK 39.48

-64.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$4.73 NOK 44.52

-45.67%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$4.64 NOK 43.71

-28.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$13.55 NOK 128

-7.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$15.24 NOK 143

-36.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$30.80 NOK 290

-58.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.23 NOK 30.42

-19.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.71 NOK 25.47

-29.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$3.37 NOK 31.71

-43.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$5.81 NOK 54.7

-76.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$2.61 NOK 24.61

-56.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$2.89 NOK 27.23

-65.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$3.03 NOK 28.51

-52.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$2.35 NOK 22.14

-71.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$16.74 NOK 158

-64.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$15.55 NOK 146

3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$3.36 NOK 31.58

-19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$4.15 NOK 39.11

-25.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$3.37 NOK 31.68

-52.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$91.5 NOK 862

-17.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$11.86 NOK 112

-72.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.81 NOK 17.07

-60.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$69.4 NOK 653

-88.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$2.27 NOK 21.35

-56.83%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$45.6K NOK 429.1K

-39.92%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$45.1K NOK 424.8K

-51.18%

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

$249 AED 913

$261 NOK 2,459

-4.88%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$33.66 NOK 317

61.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$53.0 NOK 499

72.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$78.6 NOK 740

31.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$17.96 NOK 169

-9.30%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$236 NOK 2,225

256.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$15.5K NOK 145.5K

18.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$98.9 NOK 931

-32.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$59.2 NOK 557

-2.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$131 NOK 1,233

-22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$150 NOK 1,414

-34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,346 NOK 12.7K

77.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$1,004 NOK 9,447

52.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$2,043 NOK 19.2K

124.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,560 NOK 14.7K

88.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$10.4K NOK 97.5K

-31.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$6,335 NOK 59.6K

-33.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$3,627 NOK 34.1K

-4.59%

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 Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Drammen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Drammen

$1K 38% 34.5% $529

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Drammen

$348 13.2% 11.8% $46

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Drammen

$356 13.5% 16.5% $50

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Drammen

$499 18.9% 70.9% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Drammen

$198 7.5% 34.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Drammen

$114 4.3% 15.8% $21

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Drammen

$126 4.8% 41.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,346 in Drammen. 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 $82.0 in Dubai versus $124 in Drammen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $499 – making Dubai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇴 Drammen

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

104,625

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Drammen 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Drammen

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 Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,344 per month in Dubai and $3,965 in Drammen. 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 $844 per month in Dubai and $236 in Drammen. 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 $2,896 in Dubai and $2,644 in Drammen. 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.