Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Haugesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Haugesund: $2,654 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Dubai
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$2,896
/mo nomad
Haugesund
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,654
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Haugesund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $2,654 in Haugesund.

  • Dubai $2,896
  • Haugesund $2,654

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $3,956 in Haugesund.

  • Dubai $4,384
  • Haugesund $3,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $5,259 in Haugesund.

  • Dubai $5,872
  • Haugesund $5,259

Living in Dubai is roughly 9% more expensive than in Haugesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Haugesund 97% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.67 AED 46.55
$21.97 NOK 207
-42.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.7 AED 300
$105 NOK 987
-22.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.34 AED 34.30
$14.38 NOK 135
-35.05%
Cappuccino
$5.89 AED 21.62
$4.59 NOK 43.19
28.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 AED 6.20
$5.08 NOK 47.78
-66.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 AED 2.86
$3.98 NOK 37.48
-80.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.66 AED 50.2
$11.63 NOK 109
17.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.49 AED 49.54
$10.31 NOK 97.0
30.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 AED 6.78
$2.18 NOK 20.52
-15.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.50 AED 5.50
$3.80 NOK 35.73
-60.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.57 AED 9.45
$3.50 NOK 32.92
-26.57%
Eggs
$3.32 AED 12.18
$4.79 NOK 45.06
-30.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.60 AED 46.28
$11.80 NOK 111
6.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.66 AED 35.46
$15.02 NOK 141
-35.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.78 AED 46.93
$33.81 NOK 318
-62.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.60 AED 9.54
$3.08 NOK 29.02
-15.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 AED 6.99
$2.12 NOK 20.00
-10.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.91 AED 7.02
$3.44 NOK 32.37
-44.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 AED 5.02
$4.21 NOK 39.58
-67.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 AED 4.14
$2.42 NOK 22.77
-53.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 AED 3.71
$3.32 NOK 31.23
-69.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 AED 5.30
$3.00 NOK 28.20
-52.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 AED 2.48
$1.83 NOK 17.26
-63.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.88 AED 21.59
$17.21 NOK 162
-65.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.15 AED 59.3
$14.47 NOK 136
11.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.72 AED 10.00
$3.58 NOK 33.70
-24.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 AED 11.32
$4.16 NOK 39.17
-25.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.60 AED 5.87
$3.56 NOK 33.51
-55.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.0 AED 279
$67.4 NOK 635
12.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 AED 11.91
$12.19 NOK 115
-73.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.71 AED 2.61
$1.79 NOK 16.81
-60.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.96 AED 29.22
$56.2 NOK 529
-85.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 AED 3.62
$2.45 NOK 23.03
-60.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K AED 100.6K
$44.3K NOK 417.0K
-38.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K AED 80.9K
$43.5K NOK 409.6K
-49.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$249 AED 913
$275 NOK 2,591
-9.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.4 AED 200
$32.80 NOK 309
65.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$91.5 AED 336
$55.8 NOK 525
63.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$103 AED 380
$49.71 NOK 468
108.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.32 AED 155
$36.17 NOK 341
17.00%
Cinema Ticket
$16.29 AED 59.8
$16.92 NOK 159
-3.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$844 AED 3,098
$241 NOK 2,269
249.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K AED 67.1K
$2,918 NOK 27.5K
525.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.0 AED 246
$97.4 NOK 917
-31.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.9 AED 213
$53.6 NOK 504
8.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 AED 375
$87.1 NOK 820
17.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.7 AED 363
$155 NOK 1,463
-36.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,393 AED 8,788
$1,576 NOK 14.8K
51.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,533 AED 5,630
$1,067 NOK 10.0K
43.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,594 AED 16.9K
$2,099 NOK 19.8K
118.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,939 AED 10.8K
$1,668 NOK 15.7K
76.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,046 AED 25.9K
$6,302 NOK 59.3K
11.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,222 AED 15.5K
$4,637 NOK 43.6K
-8.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dubai
Haugesund
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,461 AED 12.7K
$3,952 NOK 37.2K
-12.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.54
5.2
-12.69%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Haugesund: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Dubai
$1.5K
Haugesund
$1.1K 30.4% $466
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
$394
Haugesund
$364 7.7% $31
Eating Out
Dubai
$305
Haugesund
$389 27.4% $84
Groceries & Markets
Dubai
$292
Haugesund
$471 61.4% $179
Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
$147
Haugesund
$177 20.8% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
$136
Haugesund
$84 38.5% $52
Getting Around
Dubai
$89
Haugesund
$103 15.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $1,576 in Haugesund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Haugesund pays 14% 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 $105 in Haugesund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $471 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇪 Dubai
🇳🇴 Haugesund
🕒 Local time
21:22 9:22 PM
19:22 7:22 PM
2 h behind Dubai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,790,000
38,362
💱 Currency
UAE Dirham AED د.إ
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dubai Haugesund 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dubai
  • Haugesund

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 Haugesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Haugesund cheaper than Dubai?
Haugesund is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Dubai or Haugesund?
On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Haugesund. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Dubai and Haugesund?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,576 in Haugesund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Haugesund runs roughly 13% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $241 in Haugesund. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $2,000 enough to cover costs in Dubai or in Haugesund?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Haugesund is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is Dubai or Haugesund more family-friendly?
For families, Haugesund is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Dubai or Haugesund?
Safety-wise, Dubai and Haugesund are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Haugesund gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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