Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,823 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
Learn more

Lulea Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Lulea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,823 in Lulea.

Dubai $2,854
Lulea $1,823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $2,920 in Lulea.

Dubai $4,321
Lulea $2,920

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $4,016 in Lulea.

Dubai $5,788
Lulea $4,016

Living in Dubai is roughly 57% more expensive than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Lulea 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$11.72 SEK 117

11.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$95.5 SEK 955

-14.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$10.95 SEK 109

-14.89%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$4.36 SEK 43.52

36.93%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$2.51 SEK 25.10

-35.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$1.87 SEK 18.66

-56.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$8.58 SEK 85.8

59.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$9.49 SEK 94.8

40.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.77 SEK 17.71

2.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$3.26 SEK 32.60

-51.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$4.94 SEK 49.41

-49.60%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$4.65 SEK 46.43

-29.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$12.25 SEK 122

3.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$13.21 SEK 132

-26.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$26.18 SEK 262

-49.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.55 SEK 25.47

2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$2.65 SEK 26.53

-27.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.49 SEK 24.87

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-66.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$2.04 SEK 20.39

-42.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.54 SEK 15.43

-34.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$3.36 SEK 33.58

-55.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$1.29 SEK 12.93

-51.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$6.68 SEK 66.7

-12.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$12.05 SEK 120

33.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.78 SEK 17.77

48.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.72 SEK 17.15

71.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$3.32 SEK 33.21

-50.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$55.4 SEK 554

32.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$9.04 SEK 90.3

-64.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$2.05 SEK 20.52

-65.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$70.6 SEK 706

-88.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.77 SEK 17.65

-44.07%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$31.9K SEK 318.5K

-14.10%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$33.5K SEK 334.6K

-32.69%

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

$250 AED 920

$160 SEK 1,603

56.09%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$31.51 SEK 315

72.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$26.96 SEK 269

240.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$46.15 SEK 461

113.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$35.47 SEK 354

20.13%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$12.94 SEK 129

23.88%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$153 SEK 1,528

451.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,466 SEK 54.6K

234.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$117 SEK 1,168

-41.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$31.97 SEK 320

80.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$120 SEK 1,202

-16.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$161 SEK 1,611

-37.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$778 SEK 7,773

205.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$581 SEK 5,811

158.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,418 SEK 14.2K

212.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$1,098 SEK 11.0K

174.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$3,049 SEK 30.5K

133.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$2,254 SEK 22.5K

83.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$2,595 SEK 25.9K

30.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.85

17.92%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Lulea

$581 32% 61.4% $924

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Lulea

$219 12.1% 44.8% $178

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Lulea

$258 14.2% 16.3% $50

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Lulea

$404 22.2% 38% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Lulea

$194 10.7% 31.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Lulea

$72 4% 44.9% $59

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Lulea

$88 4.9% 1.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $778 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 31% 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: $81.0 in Dubai vs $96.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $404 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

73,864

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Lulea 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Lulea

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 Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $2,380 in Dubai versus $778 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lulea runs roughly 33% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $153 in Lulea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,823 in Lulea versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lulea 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 Lulea 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 Lulea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.