Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Vasteras

For one person, living is cheaper in Vasteras: $1,818 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Vasteras
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Vasteras Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Vasteras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Vasteras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,818 in Vasteras.

Dubai $2,896
Vasteras $1,818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $2,764 in Vasteras.

Dubai $4,384
Vasteras $2,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $3,710 in Vasteras.

Dubai $5,872
Vasteras $3,710

Living in Dubai is roughly 59% more expensive than in Vasteras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Vasteras 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$13.70 SEK 136

-7.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$64.6 SEK 640

26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$9.91 SEK 98.2

-5.75%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$4.23 SEK 41.92

39.24%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$2.25 SEK 22.27

-24.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$2.22 SEK 21.97

-64.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$7.15 SEK 70.8

91.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$7.08 SEK 70.2

90.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.40 SEK 13.87

31.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$3.00 SEK 29.70

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$3.57 SEK 35.37

-28.01%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$3.89 SEK 38.55

-14.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$12.11 SEK 120

4.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$12.74 SEK 126

-24.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$22.30 SEK 221

-42.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.19 SEK 31.59

-18.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.53 SEK 25.05

-24.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$3.67 SEK 36.37

-47.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$4.39 SEK 43.46

-68.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.47 SEK 14.55

-23.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.70 SEK 16.80

-40.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$2.18 SEK 21.62

-33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$1.49 SEK 14.73

-55.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$7.08 SEK 70.2

-16.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$13.30 SEK 132

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.32 SEK 13.10

106.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.17 SEK 21.54

41.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$3.32 SEK 32.88

-51.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$70.7 SEK 700

7.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$3.51 SEK 34.78

-7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$2.50 SEK 24.78

-71.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$81.0 SEK 802

-90.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.66 SEK 16.49

-40.96%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$33.2K SEK 328.6K

-17.43%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$32.0K SEK 317.5K

-31.24%

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

$249 AED 913

$183 SEK 1,817

35.50%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$22.17 SEK 220

145.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$43.15 SEK 428

111.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$34.14 SEK 338

202.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$19.65 SEK 195

115.37%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$16.74 SEK 166

-2.69%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$151 SEK 1,499

457.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$4,881 SEK 48.4K

274.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$101 SEK 1,002

-33.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$40.24 SEK 399

43.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$86.7 SEK 859

17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$134 SEK 1,323

-26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$750 SEK 7,429

219.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$601 SEK 5,957

154.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,366 SEK 13.5K

236.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$997 SEK 9,880

194.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$3,564 SEK 35.3K

97.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$2,404 SEK 23.8K

75.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$2,996 SEK 29.7K

15.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.53

28.61%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Vasteras: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Vasteras

$601 33.1% 60.8% $932

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Vasteras

$249 13.7% 36.9% $146

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Vasteras

$258 14.2% 15.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Vasteras

$380 20.9% 30.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Vasteras

$163 9% 11% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Vasteras

$68 3.7% 50.3% $68

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Vasteras

$100 5.5% 12.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $750 in Vasteras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 15% 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 $65.0 in Vasteras. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $380, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇪 Vasteras

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

110,877

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Vasteras 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Vasteras

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 Vasteras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vasteras is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $750 in Vasteras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Vasteras runs roughly 7% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $151 in Vasteras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,818 in Vasteras versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vasteras but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Vasteras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Vasteras 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 Vasteras 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 Vasteras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.