Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Tonsberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonsberg: $2,630 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Tonsberg
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Tonsberg Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Tonsberg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Tonsberg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $2,630 in Tonsberg.

Dubai $2,883
Tonsberg $2,630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $3,815 in Tonsberg.

Dubai $4,403
Tonsberg $3,815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $5,000 in Tonsberg.

Dubai $5,923
Tonsberg $5,000

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Tonsberg 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$20.94 NOK 197

-37.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$105 NOK 991

-22.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$15.53 NOK 146

-37.93%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$5.45 NOK 51.3

11.74%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$5.61 NOK 52.8

-71.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$5.37 NOK 50.6

-86.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$11.46 NOK 108

20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$10.27 NOK 96.7

30.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$2.47 NOK 23.28

-24.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$3.72 NOK 35.01

-58.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$3.85 NOK 36.24

-33.77%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$4.86 NOK 45.78

-32.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$12.96 NOK 122

-6.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$15.73 NOK 148

-41.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$31.41 NOK 296

-59.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$3.22 NOK 30.33

-20.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$2.57 NOK 24.20

-25.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$3.38 NOK 31.79

-46.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$4.78 NOK 45.04

-70.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$2.52 NOK 23.75

-56.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$2.79 NOK 26.26

-67.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$2.93 NOK 27.54

-48.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$2.35 NOK 22.15

-70.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$17.24 NOK 162

-62.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$16.69 NOK 157

-1.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$3.49 NOK 32.82

-26.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$4.14 NOK 38.94

-25.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$4.55 NOK 42.80

-65.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$84.5 NOK 795

-10.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$11.70 NOK 110

-72.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$1.78 NOK 16.77

-60.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$70.5 NOK 664

-88.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$2.35 NOK 22.13

-57.02%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$47.7K NOK 448.8K

-45.17%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$43.9K NOK 413.4K

-50.26%

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

$245 AED 900

$267 NOK 2,513

-8.20%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$33.09 NOK 312

73.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$53.8 NOK 506

69.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$49.11 NOK 462

113.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$37.03 NOK 349

25.79%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$17.21 NOK 162

-6.80%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$238 NOK 2,236

267.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$12.8K NOK 120.8K

40.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$99.7 NOK 938

-28.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$55.8 NOK 525

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$123 NOK 1,159

-13.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$156 NOK 1,469

-34.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$1,187 NOK 11.2K

106.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$983 NOK 9,254

53.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,474 NOK 13.9K

214.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$1,277 NOK 12.0K

131.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$6,073 NOK 57.2K

18.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$4,046 NOK 38.1K

4.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

$4,435 NOK 41.7K

-19.17%

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 Tonsberg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Tonsberg

$983 37.4% 34.9% $527

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Tonsberg

$354 13.5% 10.2% $40

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Tonsberg

$401 15.3% 28.9% $90

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Tonsberg

$490 18.6% 70% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Tonsberg

$196 7.4% 27.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Tonsberg

$84 3.2% 39% $53

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Tonsberg

$123 4.7% 38.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $1,187 in Tonsberg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tonsberg pays 24% 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 $105 in Tonsberg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $490 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇴 Tonsberg

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

00:17 12:17 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

59,237

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Tonsberg 5,140 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Tonsberg

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 Tonsberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tonsberg 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 24% lower in Tonsberg. 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 $1,187 in Tonsberg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tonsberg runs roughly 11% 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 Tonsberg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Tonsberg is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Tonsberg 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 Tonsberg 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 Tonsberg 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.