Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlskrona: $1,617 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
Learn more

Karlskrona Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Karlskrona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,617 in Karlskrona.

Dubai $2,896
Karlskrona $1,617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $2,525 in Karlskrona.

Dubai $4,384
Karlskrona $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $3,434 in Karlskrona.

Dubai $5,872
Karlskrona $3,434

Living in Dubai is roughly 79% more expensive than in Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Karlskrona 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$12.71 SEK 126

-0.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$63.9 SEK 633

27.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$8.79 SEK 87.1

6.26%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$3.96 SEK 39.23

48.74%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$1.30 SEK 12.90

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$2.19 SEK 21.71

-64.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$7.04 SEK 69.8

94.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$5.09 SEK 50.5

165.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.45 SEK 14.36

26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$2.78 SEK 27.50

-46.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$3.60 SEK 35.72

-28.61%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$4.38 SEK 43.41

-24.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$10.82 SEK 107

16.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$13.33 SEK 132

-27.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$17.14 SEK 170

-25.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.98 SEK 29.52

-12.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.43 SEK 24.06

-21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.97 SEK 29.43

-35.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$4.41 SEK 43.65

-68.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.47 SEK 14.59

-23.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.53 SEK 15.20

-33.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$2.10 SEK 20.82

-31.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$1.36 SEK 13.43

-50.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$7.19 SEK 71.2

-18.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$12.29 SEK 122

31.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.99 SEK 19.74

36.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.69 SEK 16.77

82.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$2.92 SEK 28.94

-45.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$69.8 SEK 691

8.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$12.92 SEK 128

-74.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$2.02 SEK 20.00

-64.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$80.5 SEK 798

-90.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.73 SEK 17.18

-43.35%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$33.4K SEK 330.6K

-17.93%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

-32.78%

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

$249 AED 913

$51.5 SEK 510

382.99%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$27.15 SEK 269

100.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$37.02 SEK 367

147.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$41.67 SEK 413

148.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$16.12 SEK 160

1.05%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$159 SEK 1,572

431.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$98.3 SEK 973

-31.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$20.03 SEK 198

189.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$79.0 SEK 783

29.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$171 SEK 1,698

-42.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$664 SEK 6,583

260.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$564 SEK 5,585

171.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,078 SEK 10.7K

326.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$946 SEK 9,373

210.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$2,898 SEK 28.7K

143.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$2,466 SEK 24.4K

71.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$2,479 SEK 24.6K

39.59%

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 Karlskrona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Karlskrona

$564 34.9% 63.2% $969

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Karlskrona

$116 7.2% 70.7% $279

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Karlskrona

$235 14.5% 23% $70

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Karlskrona

$358 22.2% 22.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Karlskrona

$166 10.3% 13.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Karlskrona

$74 4.6% 45.6% $62

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Karlskrona

$104 6.5% 17.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $664 in Karlskrona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $64.0 in Karlskrona. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $358, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

35,212

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Karlskrona 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlskrona is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $664 in Karlskrona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Karlskrona runs roughly 9% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $159 in Karlskrona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,617 in Karlskrona versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Karlskrona but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Karlskrona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Karlskrona 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 Karlskrona 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 Karlskrona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.