Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Lillestrom: $2,615 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Lillestrom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $2,615 in Lillestrom.

Dubai $2,883
Lillestrom $2,615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $4,023 in Lillestrom.

Dubai $4,403
Lillestrom $4,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $5,432 in Lillestrom.

Dubai $5,923
Lillestrom $5,432

Living in Dubai is roughly 10% more expensive than in Lillestrom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Lillestrom 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$20.91 NOK 197

-37.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$121 NOK 1,135

-32.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$11.05 NOK 104

-12.76%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$6.17 NOK 58.1

-1.30%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$4.05 NOK 38.09

-60.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$3.12 NOK 29.36

-75.96%

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

$10.45 NOK 98.4

28.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-24.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$3.62 NOK 34.06

-57.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$4.08 NOK 38.37

-37.50%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$5.73 NOK 53.9

-42.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$13.08 NOK 123

-7.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$13.77 NOK 130

-33.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$27.30 NOK 257

-53.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$3.46 NOK 32.55

-26.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$2.81 NOK 26.45

-32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$4.08 NOK 38.40

-55.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$5.45 NOK 51.3

-73.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$2.75 NOK 25.85

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$3.69 NOK 34.71

-75.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$1.79 NOK 16.80

-15.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$2.28 NOK 21.44

-69.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$17.49 NOK 165

-63.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$16.88 NOK 159

-2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$5.57 NOK 52.5

-54.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$5.86 NOK 55.1

-47.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$4.46 NOK 42.01

-64.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$83.8 NOK 789

-9.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$11.92 NOK 112

-73.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$1.85 NOK 17.44

-61.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$69.1 NOK 650

-88.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$2.29 NOK 21.53

-55.90%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$48.5K NOK 456.4K

-46.08%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$44.4K NOK 418.1K

-50.82%

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

$245 AED 900

$269 NOK 2,532

-8.89%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$32.87 NOK 309

75.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$52.5 NOK 494

73.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$49.58 NOK 467

111.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$36.47 NOK 343

27.72%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$17.09 NOK 161

-6.14%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$238 NOK 2,244

266.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$13.1K NOK 122.8K

38.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$101 NOK 955

-30.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$55.8 NOK 525

11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$126 NOK 1,186

-15.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$158 NOK 1,484

-35.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$1,245 NOK 11.7K

97.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$982 NOK 9,242

53.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,945 NOK 18.3K

138.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$1,658 NOK 15.6K

78.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$6,206 NOK 58.4K

16.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$4,015 NOK 37.8K

5.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

$3,767 NOK 35.5K

-4.85%

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 Lillestrom: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Lillestrom

$982 37.5% 35% $528

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Lillestrom

$354 13.6% 10% $40

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Lillestrom

$383 14.7% 23.1% $72

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Lillestrom

$491 18.8% 70.5% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Lillestrom

$198 7.6% 29% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Lillestrom

$84 3.2% 38.8% $53

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Lillestrom

$123 4.7% 38% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lillestrom pays 5% 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 $121 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $491 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

94,585

💱 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

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Dubai Lillestrom 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lillestrom is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Lillestrom. 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lillestrom 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 $238 in Lillestrom. 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. Lillestrom is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Lillestrom 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 Lillestrom 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 Lillestrom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.