Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Dubai

For one person, living costs are similar in Sarpsborg and in Dubai: $2,841 and $2,883 a month, rent and utilities included.

135

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,841

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,841 in Sarpsborg versus $2,883 in Dubai.

Sarpsborg $2,841
Dubai $2,883

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,154 in Sarpsborg versus $4,403 in Dubai.

Sarpsborg $4,154
Dubai $4,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,467 in Sarpsborg versus $5,923 in Dubai.

Sarpsborg $5,467
Dubai $5,923

Living in Sarpsborg costs roughly 1% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sarpsborg 110% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.33 NOK 380

$12.99 AED 47.72

210.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 NOK 938

$81.9 AED 301

21.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.43 NOK 183

$9.64 AED 35.40

101.56%

Cappuccino

$5.72 NOK 53.8

$6.09 AED 22.38

-6.08%

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

$2.78 NOK 26.16

$1.61 AED 5.93

72.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 NOK 24.48

$0.75 AED 2.76

246.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.25 NOK 58.8

$13.79 AED 50.6

-54.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 NOK 79.1

$13.41 AED 49.25

-37.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NOK 26.36

$1.86 AED 6.83

50.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 NOK 31.37

$1.53 AED 5.62

117.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 NOK 38.86

$2.55 AED 9.38

61.96%

Eggs

$4.28 NOK 40.27

$3.28 AED 12.06

30.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 NOK 119

$12.14 AED 44.57

3.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.89 NOK 150

$9.15 AED 33.62

73.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.18 NOK 341

$12.80 AED 47.00

182.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 NOK 35.39

$2.56 AED 9.39

46.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 NOK 26.60

$1.91 AED 7.03

48.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 NOK 36.55

$1.82 AED 6.69

113.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.07

$1.43 AED 5.26

249.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.05

$1.10 AED 4.04

170.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 31.28

$0.92 AED 3.40

260.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 NOK 24.45

$1.52 AED 5.58

71.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 NOK 24.58

$0.69 AED 2.54

278.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.94 NOK 169

$6.41 AED 23.55

179.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 NOK 167

$16.52 AED 60.7

7.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 NOK 31.02

$2.56 AED 9.41

28.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 NOK 43.22

$3.08 AED 11.32

49.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 NOK 25.40

$1.58 AED 5.82

70.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.1 NOK 707

$75.9 AED 279

-1.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 NOK 115

$3.19 AED 11.72

281.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NOK 18.10

$0.71 AED 2.62

170.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.9 NOK 592

$8.21 AED 30.13

666.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 NOK 21.00

$1.01 AED 3.73

120.79%

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

$54.3K NOK 511.0K

$26.1K AED 96.0K

107.65%

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

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

$21.8K AED 80.2K

96.96%

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

$299 NOK 2,815

$245 AED 900

22.02%

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

$31.27 NOK 294

$57.5 AED 211

-45.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$91.3 AED 335

-40.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 472

$105 AED 385

-52.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.34 NOK 380

$46.58 AED 171

-13.40%

Cinema Ticket

$19.99 NOK 188

$16.04 AED 58.9

24.63%

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

$243 NOK 2,286

$873 AED 3,206

-72.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NOK 123.0K

$18.0K AED 66.2K

-27.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 NOK 1,073

$70.8 AED 260

60.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 NOK 586

$62.3 AED 229

-0.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,086

$106 AED 390

8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 NOK 1,679

$102 AED 376

74.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 NOK 11.6K

$2,454 AED 9,014

-49.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,537

$1,510 AED 5,545

-32.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

$4,640 AED 17.0K

-66.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 NOK 12.9K

$2,961 AED 10.9K

-53.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,847 NOK 55.0K

$7,219 AED 26.5K

-19.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 NOK 39.3K

$4,232 AED 15.5K

-1.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,626 NOK 24.7K

$3,584 AED 13.2K

-26.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

4.54

14.10%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarpsborg

$1K 35.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4% 49% $497

Eating Out

Sarpsborg

$519 18.3%

Dubai

$311 10.8% 40.1% $208

Groceries & Markets

Sarpsborg

$516 18.1%

Dubai

$288 10% 44.1% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarpsborg

$384 13.5%

Dubai

$394 13.7% 2.5% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sarpsborg

$211 7.4%

Dubai

$154 5.3% 27.3% $58

Getting Around

Sarpsborg

$108 3.8%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 17.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sarpsborg

$90 3.2%

Dubai

$137 4.8% 51.9% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,232 in Sarpsborg and $2,454 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 37% 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: $100 in Sarpsborg vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $288 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

00:40 12:40 AM

2 h ahead of Sarpsborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,906

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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Sarpsborg Dubai 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarpsborg
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

Sarpsborg vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarpsborg is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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: $1,232 in Sarpsborg versus $2,454 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sarpsborg runs roughly 1% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $243 in Sarpsborg versus $873 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 $2,000. Sarpsborg is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Sarpsborg 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, Sarpsborg 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 Sarpsborg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.