Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Malmo: $2,046 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 Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,046 in Malmo versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Malmo $2,046
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,083 in Malmo versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Malmo $3,083
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,121 in Malmo versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Malmo $4,121
Dubai $5,788

Living in Malmo 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: Malmo 53% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 149

$13.04 AED 47.89

14.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 SEK 740

$81.4 AED 299

-9.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 122

$9.32 AED 34.25

30.69%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.23

$5.97 AED 21.93

-19.10%

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

$3.35 SEK 33.52

$1.63 AED 5.98

105.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.97

$0.81 AED 2.99

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SEK 84.5

$13.65 AED 50.1

-38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SEK 90.9

$13.38 AED 49.15

-31.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.26

$1.81 AED 6.64

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 SEK 28.67

$1.57 AED 5.78

82.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 33.22

$2.49 AED 9.16

33.33%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$3.28 AED 12.04

25.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 127

$12.67 AED 46.53

0.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 119

$9.75 AED 35.80

21.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 SEK 216

$13.18 AED 48.40

63.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.93

$2.61 AED 9.57

14.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$1.93 AED 7.09

33.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.61

$1.92 AED 7.05

54.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.43

$1.36 AED 5.00

205.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.62

$1.17 AED 4.29

41.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.29

$1.01 AED 3.71

51.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 SEK 24.65

$1.51 AED 5.56

63.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SEK 12.24

$0.62 AED 2.29

98.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 SEK 77.1

$5.85 AED 21.50

31.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 SEK 115

$16.14 AED 59.3

-28.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 20.05

$2.65 AED 9.74

-24.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SEK 23.43

$2.95 AED 10.82

-20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.45

$1.64 AED 6.03

92.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 SEK 635

$73.6 AED 270

-13.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.9

$3.17 AED 11.66

89.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 24.07

$0.71 AED 2.63

239.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.13 SEK 491

$7.96 AED 29.23

517.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.36

$0.99 AED 3.64

75.76%

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

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

17.92%

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

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

47.15%

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

$138 SEK 1,380

$250 AED 920

-44.84%

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

$26.21 SEK 262

$54.2 AED 199

-51.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 SEK 361

$91.8 AED 337

-60.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.93 SEK 399

$98.6 AED 362

-59.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.69 SEK 287

$42.61 AED 156

-32.67%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 SEK 172

$16.03 AED 58.9

7.11%

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

$167 SEK 1,666

$843 AED 3,098

-80.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-81.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 SEK 979

$68.0 AED 250

44.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 SEK 442

$57.9 AED 213

-23.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,125

$101 AED 370

11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 SEK 1,520

$101 AED 371

50.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-55.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 SEK 8,173

$1,506 AED 5,531

-45.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-61.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-55.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-43.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-23.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-10.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

4.54

-32.82%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$818 40.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 84.1% $688

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$372 18.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 21.2% $79

Eating Out

Malmo

$298 14.6%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 3.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$200 9.8%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 97.8% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$183 9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 19.5% $36

Getting Around

Malmo

$94 4.6%

Dubai

$87 3% 7.7% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 75.9% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Malmo and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 11% 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: $74.0 in Malmo vs $81.0 in Dubai. Groceries flip the comparison at $372 vs $293, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

2 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

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

Malmo Dubai 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
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

Malmo vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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: $1,063 in Malmo 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 Malmo runs roughly 16% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $167 in Malmo versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,046 in Malmo versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malmo but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Malmo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Malmo 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, Malmo 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 Malmo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.