Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Gothenburg: $2,042 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,042

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg and in Dubai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Gothenburg and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Gothenburg $2,042
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Gothenburg versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Gothenburg $3,064
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in Gothenburg versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Gothenburg $4,086
Dubai $5,788

Living in Gothenburg costs roughly 28% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 52% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 SEK 128

$13.04 AED 47.89

-1.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 SEK 834

$81.4 AED 299

2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 SEK 122

$9.32 AED 34.25

30.90%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SEK 48.09

$5.97 AED 21.93

-19.43%

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

$2.81 SEK 28.09

$1.63 AED 5.98

72.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.46

$0.81 AED 2.99

177.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.7

$13.65 AED 50.1

-48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 SEK 72.8

$13.38 AED 49.15

-45.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.48

$1.81 AED 6.64

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 SEK 28.12

$1.57 AED 5.78

78.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.25

$2.49 AED 9.16

29.72%

Eggs

$3.75 SEK 37.44

$3.28 AED 12.04

14.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 SEK 112

$12.67 AED 46.53

-11.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 SEK 115

$9.75 AED 35.80

17.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 SEK 163

$13.18 AED 48.40

23.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.85

$2.61 AED 9.57

14.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.98

$1.93 AED 7.09

29.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.79

$1.92 AED 7.05

55.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 SEK 43.27

$1.36 AED 5.00

218.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 18.03

$1.17 AED 4.29

53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.86

$1.01 AED 3.71

67.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SEK 19.66

$1.51 AED 5.56

30.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 SEK 15.74

$0.62 AED 2.29

153.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.6

$5.85 AED 21.50

39.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 SEK 147

$16.14 AED 59.3

-8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.88

$2.65 AED 9.74

-24.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.41

$2.95 AED 10.82

-24.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.59 SEK 35.89

$1.64 AED 6.03

118.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 863

$73.6 AED 270

17.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 60.2

$3.17 AED 11.66

90.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 SEK 16.43

$0.71 AED 2.63

130.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 SEK 588

$7.96 AED 29.23

639.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.24

$0.99 AED 3.64

73.74%

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

$32.4K SEK 323.7K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

18.34%

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

$33.4K SEK 333.7K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

48.13%

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

$101 SEK 1,012

$250 AED 920

-59.54%

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

$19.36 SEK 193

$54.2 AED 199

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.87 SEK 338

$91.8 AED 337

-63.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 SEK 346

$98.6 AED 362

-64.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.33 SEK 243

$42.61 AED 156

-42.90%

Cinema Ticket

$18.36 SEK 183

$16.03 AED 58.9

14.54%

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

$223 SEK 2,229

$843 AED 3,098

-73.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,448 SEK 44.5K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-75.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 SEK 869

$68.0 AED 250

27.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.02 SEK 330

$57.9 AED 213

-42.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 857

$101 AED 370

-14.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 SEK 1,323

$101 AED 371

30.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 SEK 10.3K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-56.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 SEK 9,273

$1,506 AED 5,531

-38.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 SEK 17.7K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-60.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 SEK 13.8K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-53.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,117 SEK 61.1K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-14.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 SEK 33.8K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-18.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 SEK 34.4K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

1.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

4.54

-32.60%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$928 45.4%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 62.3% $578

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.4%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 17.6% $63

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$267 13.1%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 15.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 157% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$152 7.4%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 3.1% $4.7

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.6%

Dubai

$87 3% 24.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$71 3.5%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 83.3% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,035 in Gothenburg and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Gothenburg vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $293 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

2 h ahead of Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

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).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Dubai 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
Dubai

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

Gothenburg vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gothenburg is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Gothenburg, 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: $1,035 in Gothenburg versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gothenburg runs roughly 17% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $223 in Gothenburg versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gothenburg but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Gothenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gothenburg 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, Gothenburg and Dubai 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 Gothenburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.