Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,823 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,823

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,823 in Lulea versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Lulea $1,823
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,920 in Lulea versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Lulea $2,920
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,016 in Lulea versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Lulea $4,016
Dubai $5,788

Living in Lulea costs roughly 36% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lulea 36% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 SEK 117

$13.04 AED 47.89

-10.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.5 SEK 955

$81.4 AED 299

17.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 SEK 109

$9.32 AED 34.25

17.49%

Cappuccino

$4.36 SEK 43.52

$5.97 AED 21.93

-26.97%

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

$2.51 SEK 25.10

$1.63 AED 5.98

53.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 SEK 18.66

$0.81 AED 2.99

130.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.58 SEK 85.8

$13.65 AED 50.1

-37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.49 SEK 94.8

$13.38 AED 49.15

-29.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.71

$1.81 AED 6.64

-2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 SEK 32.60

$1.57 AED 5.78

107.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 SEK 49.41

$2.49 AED 9.16

98.39%

Eggs

$4.65 SEK 46.43

$3.28 AED 12.04

41.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 SEK 122

$12.67 AED 46.53

-3.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.21 SEK 132

$9.75 AED 35.80

35.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.18 SEK 262

$13.18 AED 48.40

98.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.47

$2.61 AED 9.57

-2.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 SEK 26.53

$1.93 AED 7.09

37.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.87

$1.92 AED 7.05

29.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$1.36 AED 5.00

202.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 SEK 20.39

$1.17 AED 4.29

74.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.43

$1.01 AED 3.71

52.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 SEK 33.58

$1.51 AED 5.56

122.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 SEK 12.93

$0.62 AED 2.29

108.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 SEK 66.7

$5.85 AED 21.50

14.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 SEK 120

$16.14 AED 59.3

-25.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.77

$2.65 AED 9.74

-32.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 SEK 17.15

$2.95 AED 10.82

-41.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 33.21

$1.64 AED 6.03

102.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SEK 554

$73.6 AED 270

-24.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 SEK 90.3

$3.17 AED 11.66

185.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.52

$0.71 AED 2.63

188.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.6 SEK 706

$7.96 AED 29.23

787.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.65

$0.99 AED 3.64

78.79%

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

$31.9K SEK 318.5K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

16.41%

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

$33.5K SEK 334.6K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

48.56%

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

$160 SEK 1,603

$250 AED 920

-35.93%

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

$31.51 SEK 315

$54.2 AED 199

-41.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.96 SEK 269

$91.8 AED 337

-70.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.15 SEK 461

$98.6 AED 362

-53.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.47 SEK 354

$42.61 AED 156

-16.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 SEK 129

$16.03 AED 58.9

-19.28%

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

$153 SEK 1,528

$843 AED 3,098

-81.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,466 SEK 54.6K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-70.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 SEK 1,168

$68.0 AED 250

71.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.97 SEK 320

$57.9 AED 213

-44.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 SEK 1,202

$101 AED 370

19.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 SEK 1,611

$101 AED 371

59.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 SEK 7,773

$2,380 AED 8,741

-67.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 SEK 5,811

$1,506 AED 5,531

-61.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 SEK 14.2K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-68.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 SEK 11.0K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-63.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,049 SEK 30.5K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-57.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,254 SEK 22.5K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-45.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 SEK 25.9K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-23.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.54

-15.20%

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

Last update for Lulea: 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

Lulea

$581 32%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 159% $924

Groceries & Markets

Lulea

$404 22.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 27.5% $111

Eating Out

Lulea

$258 14.2%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 19.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lulea

$219 12.1%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 81.1% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Lulea

$194 10.7%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 23.9% $46

Getting Around

Lulea

$88 4.9%

Dubai

$87 3% 1.3% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lulea

$72 4%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 81.4% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $778 in Lulea and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 31% 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: $96.0 in Lulea vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $293 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lulea

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

2 h ahead of Lulea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,864

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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Between locations

Lulea Dubai 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lulea
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

Lulea vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Dubai. 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: $778 in Lulea 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 Lulea 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 $153 in Lulea versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,823 in Lulea versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lulea 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, Lulea 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 Lulea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.