Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubai: $2,854 a month against $3,443 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,443

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,443 in Oslo versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Oslo $3,443
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,981 in Oslo versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Oslo $4,981
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,519 in Oslo versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Oslo $6,519
Dubai $5,788

Living in Oslo is roughly 21% more expensive than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 157% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.80 NOK 199

$13.04 AED 47.89

59.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,194

$81.4 AED 299

53.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.81 NOK 151

$9.32 AED 34.25

69.64%

Cappuccino

$6.03 NOK 57.6

$5.97 AED 21.93

1.01%

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

$4.41 NOK 42.10

$1.63 AED 5.98

170.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 31.33

$0.81 AED 2.99

304.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.75 NOK 112

$13.65 AED 50.1

-13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.73 NOK 122

$13.38 AED 49.15

-4.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.53

$1.81 AED 6.64

35.91%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 NOK 40.08

$1.57 AED 5.78

167.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 NOK 44.16

$2.49 AED 9.16

85.54%

Eggs

$5.99 NOK 57.2

$3.28 AED 12.04

82.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 NOK 142

$12.67 AED 46.53

17.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.56 NOK 149

$9.75 AED 35.80

59.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.16 NOK 298

$13.18 AED 48.40

136.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 32.05

$2.61 AED 9.57

28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 NOK 24.62

$1.93 AED 7.09

33.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.63

$1.92 AED 7.05

83.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 NOK 54.9

$1.36 AED 5.00

322.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 25.46

$1.17 AED 4.29

128.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 27.08

$1.01 AED 3.71

181.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 NOK 30.05

$1.51 AED 5.56

108.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.66

$0.62 AED 2.29

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.09 NOK 182

$5.85 AED 21.50

226.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 NOK 158

$16.14 AED 59.3

2.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 32.01

$2.65 AED 9.74

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 41.31

$2.95 AED 10.82

46.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.84 NOK 46.25

$1.64 AED 6.03

195.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 NOK 789

$73.6 AED 270

12.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.70 NOK 112

$3.17 AED 11.66

269.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NOK 17.68

$0.71 AED 2.63

160.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.0 NOK 659

$7.96 AED 29.23

766.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 22.23

$0.99 AED 3.64

135.35%

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

$47.4K NOK 453.0K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

73.28%

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

$43.5K NOK 415.8K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

93.15%

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

$415 NOK 3,967

$250 AED 920

65.88%

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

$33.37 NOK 319

$54.2 AED 199

-38.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 NOK 526

$91.8 AED 337

-39.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 NOK 561

$98.6 AED 362

-40.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.61 NOK 273

$42.61 AED 156

-32.86%

Cinema Ticket

$19.45 NOK 186

$16.03 AED 58.9

21.33%

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

$233 NOK 2,229

$843 AED 3,098

-72.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K NOK 147.2K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-15.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 962

$68.0 AED 250

48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 NOK 560

$57.9 AED 213

1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 NOK 1,276

$101 AED 370

32.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,462

$101 AED 371

51.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 NOK 19.3K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-15.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 NOK 15.0K

$1,506 AED 5,531

4.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 NOK 29.2K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-31.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 NOK 22.4K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-22.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K NOK 112.2K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

65.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,804 NOK 65.0K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

64.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,578 NOK 43.7K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

35.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

4.54

8.81%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 4.4% $70

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$514 15.1%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 43.1% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$504 14.8%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 21.3% $107

Eating Out

Oslo

$401 11.7%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 23.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$201 5.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 26.6% $53

Getting Around

Oslo

$123 3.6%

Dubai

$87 3% 29.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$98 2.9%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 33.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,021 in Oslo and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 35% 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: $125 in Oslo vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $514 vs $293 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

2 h ahead of Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 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 NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oslo Dubai 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
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

Oslo vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Oslo, 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: $2,021 in Oslo 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 Dubai runs roughly 12% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $233 in Oslo versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Dubai is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Dubai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Oslo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Oslo 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 Dubai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.