Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solna and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Solna: $1,760 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Solna
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Solna Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Solna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,760

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,760 in Solna versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Solna $1,760
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Solna versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Solna $2,721
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Solna versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Solna $3,682
Dubai $5,872

Living in Solna costs roughly 39% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Solna 30% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.11 SEK 140

$12.67 AED 46.55

11.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 SEK 653

$81.7 AED 300

-19.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 SEK 111

$9.34 AED 34.30

19.81%

Cappuccino

$4.74 SEK 46.94

$5.89 AED 21.62

-19.52%

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

$2.26 SEK 22.44

$1.69 AED 6.20

33.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 SEK 14.10

$0.78 AED 2.86

82.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 SEK 74.1

$13.66 AED 50.2

-45.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 SEK 72.5

$13.49 AED 49.54

-45.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 SEK 13.71

$1.84 AED 6.78

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 SEK 25.13

$1.50 AED 5.50

69.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.82

$2.57 AED 9.45

36.58%

Eggs

$3.88 SEK 38.47

$3.32 AED 12.18

16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 SEK 90.2

$12.60 AED 46.28

-27.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.75 SEK 126

$9.66 AED 35.46

31.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.97 SEK 218

$12.78 AED 46.93

71.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 SEK 31.53

$2.60 AED 9.54

22.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 SEK 20.08

$1.90 AED 6.99

6.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.29

$1.91 AED 7.02

28.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 SEK 28.93

$1.37 AED 5.02

113.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.54

$1.13 AED 4.14

30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 SEK 18.49

$1.01 AED 3.71

85.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 SEK 20.94

$1.44 AED 5.30

46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 SEK 10.09

$0.67 AED 2.48

52.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.38 SEK 73.1

$5.88 AED 21.59

25.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.19 SEK 131

$16.15 AED 59.3

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 SEK 13.57

$2.72 AED 10.00

-49.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.82

$3.08 AED 11.32

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 SEK 41.30

$1.60 AED 5.87

160.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.7 SEK 948

$76.0 AED 279

25.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 SEK 35.24

$3.24 AED 11.91

9.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 SEK 24.83

$0.71 AED 2.61

253.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.4 SEK 796

$7.96 AED 29.22

909.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.87

$0.98 AED 3.62

83.67%

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

$33.4K SEK 330.5K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

21.79%

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

$32.4K SEK 320.9K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

47.00%

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

$103 SEK 1,022

$249 AED 913

-58.49%

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

$22.72 SEK 225

$54.4 AED 200

-58.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.38 SEK 400

$91.5 AED 336

-55.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 SEK 375

$103 AED 380

-63.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.05 SEK 258

$42.32 AED 155

-38.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 SEK 145

$16.29 AED 59.8

-9.94%

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

$152 SEK 1,505

$844 AED 3,098

-81.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,015 SEK 49.7K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-72.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,039

$67.0 AED 246

56.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 SEK 400

$57.9 AED 213

-30.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 SEK 860

$102 AED 375

-15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 SEK 1,334

$98.7 AED 363

36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,869

$2,393 AED 8,788

-66.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 SEK 6,132

$1,533 AED 5,630

-59.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-70.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 SEK 10.2K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-64.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,838 SEK 67.7K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-2.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,815 SEK 27.9K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-33.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,500 SEK 34.7K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

1.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

4.54

-22.25%

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

Last update for Solna: 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

Solna

$619 35.2%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 148% $914

Groceries & Markets

Solna

$345 19.6%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 15.4% $53

Eating Out

Solna

$270 15.3%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 13% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solna

$166 9.4%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 137% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Solna

$165 9.4%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 11.2% $18

Getting Around

Solna

$128 7.3%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 30.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Solna

$67 3.8%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 102% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Solna and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solna pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Solna vs $82.0 in Dubai. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $292, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Solna

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

2 h ahead of Solna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,540

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Solna Dubai 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Solna
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

Solna vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Solna is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 64% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Solna, 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: $794 in Solna 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 Solna runs roughly 26% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $152 in Solna versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,760 in Solna versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Solna but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Solna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Solna 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, Solna 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 Solna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.