Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Holmestrand

For one person, living costs are similar in Dubai and in Holmestrand: $2,883 and $2,828 a month, rent and utilities included.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Holmestrand
Learn more

Holmestrand Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Holmestrand

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Holmestrand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $2,828 in Holmestrand.

Dubai $2,883
Holmestrand $2,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $4,256 in Holmestrand.

Dubai $4,403
Holmestrand $4,256

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $5,684 in Holmestrand.

Dubai $5,923
Holmestrand $5,684

Living in Dubai is roughly 2% more expensive than in Holmestrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Holmestrand 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$20.61 NOK 194

-36.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$126 NOK 1,184

-34.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$15.35 NOK 144

-37.20%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$5.87 NOK 55.3

3.75%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$4.37 NOK 41.13

-63.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$3.33 NOK 31.33

-77.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$11.80 NOK 111

16.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$12.44 NOK 117

7.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$2.54 NOK 23.89

-26.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$4.19 NOK 39.45

-63.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$4.56 NOK 42.95

-44.08%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$5.94 NOK 55.9

-44.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$15.04 NOK 142

-19.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$15.40 NOK 145

-40.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$31.11 NOK 293

-58.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$3.25 NOK 30.58

-21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$2.67 NOK 25.10

-28.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$3.42 NOK 32.16

-46.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$5.90 NOK 55.5

-75.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$2.62 NOK 24.63

-58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$2.82 NOK 26.51

-67.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$3.12 NOK 29.38

-51.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$2.35 NOK 22.14

-70.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$18.45 NOK 174

-65.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$16.53 NOK 156

-0.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$3.50 NOK 32.91

-26.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$4.33 NOK 40.74

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$4.55 NOK 42.86

-65.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$83.9 NOK 790

-9.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$12.00 NOK 113

-73.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$1.78 NOK 16.76

-60.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$68.5 NOK 645

-88.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$2.43 NOK 22.91

-58.44%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$48.5K NOK 456.9K

-46.14%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$44.2K NOK 416.5K

-50.63%

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

$245 AED 900

$413 NOK 3,886

-40.64%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$32.94 NOK 310

74.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$53.1 NOK 499

71.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$49.69 NOK 468

110.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$35.97 NOK 339

29.50%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$19.50 NOK 184

-17.74%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$231 NOK 2,177

277.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$15.3K NOK 144.1K

17.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$99.6 NOK 938

-28.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$59.1 NOK 556

5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$133 NOK 1,251

-20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$159 NOK 1,493

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$1,219 NOK 11.5K

101.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$1,005 NOK 9,462

50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,960 NOK 18.5K

136.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$1,639 NOK 15.4K

80.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$6,235 NOK 58.7K

15.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$4,007 NOK 37.7K

5.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.94

-8.10%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Holmestrand: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Holmestrand

$1K 35.6% 33.4% $505

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Holmestrand

$499 17.6% 26.7% $105

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Holmestrand

$396 14% 27.2% $85

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Holmestrand

$513 18.2% 78.2% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Holmestrand

$203 7.2% 31.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Holmestrand

$89 3.1% 35.2% $48

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Holmestrand

$123 4.4% 38.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $1,219 in Holmestrand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $126 in Holmestrand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $513 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇴 Holmestrand

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

26,932

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Holmestrand 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Holmestrand

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 Holmestrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Holmestrand is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $4,242 in Holmestrand to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,454 in Dubai versus $1,219 in Holmestrand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Holmestrand runs roughly 10% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $873 in Dubai versus $231 in Holmestrand. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Holmestrand is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Holmestrand 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.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Holmestrand 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 Holmestrand gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.