Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Stockholm: $2,548 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Stockholm

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $2,548 in Stockholm.

Dubai $2,854
Stockholm $2,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $3,806 in Stockholm.

Dubai $4,321
Stockholm $3,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $5,064 in Stockholm.

Dubai $5,788
Stockholm $5,064

Living in Dubai is roughly 12% more expensive than in Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Stockholm 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$18.26 SEK 182

-28.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$97.8 SEK 978

-16.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$11.71 SEK 117

-20.41%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$4.89 SEK 48.92

22.09%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$3.72 SEK 37.15

-56.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$3.03 SEK 30.29

-73.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$8.16 SEK 81.5

67.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$8.96 SEK 89.5

49.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.81 SEK 18.05

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$3.84 SEK 38.41

-59.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$3.75 SEK 37.52

-33.60%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$5.04 SEK 50.4

-34.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$12.90 SEK 129

-1.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$12.70 SEK 127

-23.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$21.70 SEK 217

-39.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$3.61 SEK 36.03

-27.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$2.80 SEK 27.97

-31.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$3.14 SEK 31.36

-38.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$4.36 SEK 43.52

-68.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.70 SEK 16.99

-31.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.78 SEK 17.83

-43.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$2.51 SEK 25.06

-39.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$2.43 SEK 24.33

-74.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$8.52 SEK 85.1

-31.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$11.83 SEK 118

36.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$2.03 SEK 20.29

30.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.55 SEK 25.49

15.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$4.31 SEK 43.11

-61.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$106 SEK 1,059

-30.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$5.83 SEK 58.3

-45.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.51 SEK 15.09

-52.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$56.0 SEK 560

-85.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.79 SEK 17.90

-44.69%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

-17.81%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

-33.82%

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

$250 AED 920

$248 SEK 2,479

0.94%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$21.17 SEK 212

156.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$39.91 SEK 399

129.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$47.51 SEK 475

107.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$38.80 SEK 388

9.82%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$19.19 SEK 192

-16.47%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$159 SEK 1,585

431.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

11.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$112 SEK 1,119

-39.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$57.4 SEK 574

0.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$134 SEK 1,340

-24.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$181 SEK 1,809

-44.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

40.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

48.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

68.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

-36.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

-34.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

-3.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.37

34.72%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2% 27.7% $418

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Stockholm

$309 12% 22% $87

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Stockholm

$326 12.6% 5.5% $17

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Stockholm

$415 16.1% 41.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Stockholm

$218 8.5% 47.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Stockholm

$86 3.3% 34.3% $45

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Stockholm

$137 5.3% 57.1% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $1,694 in Stockholm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Dubai vs $98.0 in Stockholm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $415 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

984,748 Capital

💱 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 = 8.93 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 = 11.2 SEK (100 SEK = 8.93 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Stockholm 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Stockholm

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 Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stockholm is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Stockholm. 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: $2,380 in Dubai versus $1,694 in Stockholm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Stockholm runs roughly 44% 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 $159 in Stockholm. 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. Stockholm is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Stockholm 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 Stockholm 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 Stockholm gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.