Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grimstad and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Grimstad: $2,129 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Grimstad
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Grimstad Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Grimstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,129

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Grimstad 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 Grimstad and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,129 in Grimstad versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Grimstad $2,129
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,634 in Grimstad versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Grimstad $3,634
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,140 in Grimstad versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Grimstad $5,140
Dubai $5,872

Living in Grimstad costs roughly 26% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Grimstad 58% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 NOK 200

$12.67 AED 46.55

67.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 NOK 726

$81.7 AED 300

-5.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.35 NOK 145

$9.34 AED 34.30

64.35%

Cappuccino

$4.81 NOK 45.27

$5.89 AED 21.62

-18.34%

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

$4.08 NOK 38.42

$1.69 AED 6.20

141.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 NOK 31.72

$0.78 AED 2.86

332.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.48 NOK 108

$13.66 AED 50.2

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.48 NOK 98.7

$13.49 AED 49.54

-22.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 NOK 23.91

$1.84 AED 6.78

38.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.63 NOK 34.17

$1.50 AED 5.50

142.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 29.32

$2.57 AED 9.45

21.01%

Eggs

$3.54 NOK 33.34

$3.32 AED 12.18

6.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.95 NOK 122

$12.60 AED 46.28

2.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.02 NOK 132

$9.66 AED 35.46

45.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.27 NOK 228

$12.78 AED 46.93

89.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 NOK 19.15

$2.60 AED 9.54

-21.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NOK 22.26

$1.90 AED 6.99

24.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 NOK 32.37

$1.91 AED 7.02

80.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 NOK 40.26

$1.37 AED 5.02

212.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 NOK 26.06

$1.13 AED 4.14

145.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 NOK 26.49

$1.01 AED 3.71

178.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 NOK 28.97

$1.44 AED 5.30

113.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 NOK 17.63

$0.67 AED 2.48

179.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.68 NOK 176

$5.88 AED 21.59

217.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 NOK 147

$16.15 AED 59.3

-3.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 NOK 32.24

$2.72 AED 10.00

25.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 NOK 39.21

$3.08 AED 11.32

35.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.31 NOK 49.98

$1.60 AED 5.87

231.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.9 NOK 855

$76.0 AED 279

19.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 NOK 112

$3.24 AED 11.91

266.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NOK 17.40

$0.71 AED 2.61

160.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.8 NOK 657

$7.96 AED 29.22

776.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 21.89

$0.98 AED 3.62

137.76%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.8K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

77.18%

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

$43.9K NOK 413.5K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

99.40%

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

$301 NOK 2,837

$249 AED 913

21.29%

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

$33.76 NOK 318

$54.4 AED 200

-37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$91.5 AED 336

-40.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.35 NOK 389

$103 AED 380

-60.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$15.75 NOK 148

$16.29 AED 59.8

-3.31%

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

$233 NOK 2,191

$844 AED 3,098

-72.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K NOK 147.6K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-14.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 NOK 900

$67.0 AED 246

42.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 NOK 492

$57.9 AED 213

-9.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 NOK 996

$102 AED 375

3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 NOK 1,478

$98.7 AED 363

59.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NOK 8,245

$2,393 AED 8,788

-63.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 NOK 5,006

$1,533 AED 5,630

-65.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 NOK 18.1K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-58.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 NOK 16.5K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-40.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,591 NOK 43.2K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-34.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 NOK 31.6K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-20.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,349 NOK 40.9K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

25.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.9

4.54

7.93%

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

Last update for Grimstad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grimstad

$532 25%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 188% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Grimstad

$435 20.4%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 33% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grimstad

$389 18.3%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 1.3% $5.1

Eating Out

Grimstad

$382 17.9%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 20% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Grimstad

$185 8.7%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 20.7% $38

Getting Around

Grimstad

$133 6.3%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 33.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Grimstad

$73 3.4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 86.6% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $876 in Grimstad and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grimstad pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77.0 in Grimstad vs $82.0 in Dubai. Groceries flip the comparison at $435 vs $292, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Grimstad

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

2 h ahead of Grimstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,093

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grimstad Dubai 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Grimstad
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

Grimstad vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 26% higher in Grimstad, 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: $876 in Grimstad versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Grimstad runs roughly 20% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $233 in Grimstad versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,129 in Grimstad versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Grimstad but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Grimstad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Grimstad 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, Grimstad 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 Grimstad 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.