Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Sundbyberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Sundbyberg: $1,799 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Sundbyberg
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Sundbyberg Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Sundbyberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Sundbyberg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,799 in Sundbyberg.

Dubai $2,896
Sundbyberg $1,799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,468 in Dubai versus $2,782 in Sundbyberg.

Dubai $4,468
Sundbyberg $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,040 in Dubai versus $3,766 in Sundbyberg.

Dubai $6,040
Sundbyberg $3,766

Living in Dubai is roughly 61% more expensive than in Sundbyberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Sundbyberg 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 AED 46.74

$13.78 SEK 137

-7.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 AED 299

$65.9 SEK 654

23.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 AED 35.55

$10.27 SEK 102

-5.74%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$4.50 SEK 44.70

32.67%

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

$1.66 AED 6.10

$2.58 SEK 25.63

-35.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$2.21 SEK 21.98

-62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

$7.15 SEK 71.0

87.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

$6.94 SEK 68.9

95.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.66

$1.73 SEK 17.16

4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$3.15 SEK 31.29

-50.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.57

$2.96 SEK 29.42

-12.16%

Eggs

$3.58 AED 13.16

$4.67 SEK 46.43

-23.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 AED 44.52

$11.65 SEK 116

4.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.90

$13.34 SEK 132

-28.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 AED 51.0

$27.07 SEK 269

-48.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$3.12 SEK 30.99

-15.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$2.70 SEK 26.86

-29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 AED 6.81

$1.98 SEK 19.67

-6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.51

$4.75 SEK 47.12

-68.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.43 SEK 14.23

-16.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.70

$1.78 SEK 17.65

-43.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$2.33 SEK 23.14

-28.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$1.90 SEK 18.90

-67.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.42

$5.94 SEK 59.0

2.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

$9.96 SEK 99.0

61.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$2.00 SEK 19.83

35.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

$2.53 SEK 25.17

19.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$3.88 SEK 38.50

-62.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 AED 246

$99.2 SEK 985

-32.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 AED 12.31

$8.59 SEK 85.3

-61.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 AED 2.48

$1.20 SEK 11.90

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 AED 30.24

$22.39 SEK 222

-63.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.69 SEK 16.80

-45.56%

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

$26.0K AED 95.5K

$20.3K SEK 201.4K

28.16%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$25.3K SEK 251.5K

-15.03%

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

$248 AED 910

$101 SEK 1,007

144.42%

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

$56.2 AED 206

$28.56 SEK 284

96.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.8 AED 344

$44.49 SEK 442

110.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

$32.36 SEK 321

181.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

$25.90 SEK 257

75.10%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 AED 60.9

$17.17 SEK 171

-3.44%

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

$949 AED 3,486

$59.4 SEK 590

1498.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K AED 62.8K

$5,129 SEK 50.9K

233.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 AED 259

$70.6 SEK 701

-0.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 AED 227

$50.0 SEK 497

23.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$72.5 SEK 720

39.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 419

$134 SEK 1,327

-14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

136.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,644

$617 SEK 6,125

149.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

$1,736 SEK 17.2K

194.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

$1,019 SEK 10.1K

205.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,216 AED 26.5K

$4,060 SEK 40.3K

77.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,383 AED 16.1K

$2,806 SEK 27.9K

56.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 AED 13.1K

$2,541 SEK 25.2K

39.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

2.8

62.14%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sundbyberg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

Sundbyberg

$617 34.3% 59.9% $920

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$398 13.7%

Sundbyberg

$174 9.7% 56.1% $223

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Sundbyberg

$264 14.7% 13.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$295 10.2%

Sundbyberg

$401 22.3% 35.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$156 5.4%

Sundbyberg

$147 8.2% 5.9% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$124 4.3%

Sundbyberg

$67 3.7% 46.3% $58

Getting Around

Dubai

$80 2.8%

Sundbyberg

$129 7.2% 62.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,510 in Dubai and $1,063 in Sundbyberg. 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: $81 in Dubai vs $66 in Sundbyberg. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $401, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇪 Sundbyberg

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

54,120

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Sundbyberg 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Sundbyberg

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 Sundbyberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sundbyberg is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and eating out. The 61% 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: $2,510 in Dubai versus $1,063 in Sundbyberg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dubai runs roughly 32% less than in Sundbyberg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $949 in Dubai versus $59 in Sundbyberg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,799 in Sundbyberg versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sundbyberg but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Sundbyberg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Sundbyberg wins on affordability, Dubai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.