Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Taby

For one person, living is cheaper in Taby: $2,122 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Taby
Learn more

Taby Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Taby

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Taby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $2,122 in Taby.

Dubai $2,883
Taby $2,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $3,043 in Taby.

Dubai $4,403
Taby $3,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $3,964 in Taby.

Dubai $5,923
Taby $3,964

Living in Dubai is roughly 36% more expensive than in Taby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Taby 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$13.66 SEK 135

-4.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$65.8 SEK 652

24.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$10.09 SEK 100.0

-4.46%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$4.28 SEK 42.41

42.29%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$3.58 SEK 35.48

-55.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$2.34 SEK 23.19

-67.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$6.95 SEK 68.9

98.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$8.79 SEK 87.1

52.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.70 SEK 16.83

9.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$3.02 SEK 29.90

-49.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$3.91 SEK 38.75

-34.78%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$5.20 SEK 51.5

-36.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$12.81 SEK 127

-5.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$12.82 SEK 127

-28.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$17.59 SEK 174

-27.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$3.13 SEK 31.05

-18.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$2.62 SEK 25.97

-27.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$1.97 SEK 19.52

-7.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$4.50 SEK 44.60

-68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$1.70 SEK 16.88

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-48.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$2.33 SEK 23.13

-34.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$1.90 SEK 18.87

-63.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$7.00 SEK 69.4

-8.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$12.21 SEK 121

35.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$1.90 SEK 18.84

34.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.21 SEK 21.90

39.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$4.17 SEK 41.32

-62.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$101 SEK 1,002

-24.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$5.87 SEK 58.1

-45.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$1.55 SEK 15.38

-54.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$57.4 SEK 569

-85.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$1.84 SEK 18.22

-45.11%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$33.3K SEK 330.3K

-21.58%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$32.7K SEK 324.2K

-33.23%

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

$245 AED 900

$177 SEK 1,758

38.08%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$27.61 SEK 274

108.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$40.66 SEK 403

124.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$17.11 SEK 170

-6.25%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$156 SEK 1,543

460.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$16.3K SEK 161.4K

10.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$98.0 SEK 971

-27.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$53.0 SEK 526

17.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$94.4 SEK 935

12.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$183 SEK 1,813

-44.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$1,023 SEK 10.1K

139.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$870 SEK 8,625

73.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,411 SEK 14.0K

228.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$1,189 SEK 11.8K

148.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$5,994 SEK 59.4K

20.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$6,951 SEK 68.9K

-39.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

$3,306 SEK 32.8K

8.43%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Taby: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Taby

$870 41% 42.4% $639

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Taby

$246 11.6% 37.6% $148

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Taby

$267 12.6% 14.2% $44

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Taby

$380 17.9% 31.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Taby

$193 9.1% 25.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Taby

$34 * 1.6% 75% $103

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Taby

$131 6.2% 47.6% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $1,023 in Taby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 8% 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 $66.0 in Taby. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $380, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇪 Taby

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

58,123

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Taby 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Taby

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 Taby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taby is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 8% 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: $2,454 in Dubai versus $1,023 in Taby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taby 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 $873 in Dubai versus $156 in Taby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,122 in Taby versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Taby but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Taby the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taby 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 Taby 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 Taby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.