Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubai: $2,854 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Stavanger despite lower rent and utilities.

153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,140 in Stavanger versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Stavanger $3,140
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,513 in Stavanger versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Stavanger $4,513
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,886 in Stavanger versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Stavanger $5,886
Dubai $5,788

Living in Stavanger is roughly 10% more expensive than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stavanger 134% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.58 NOK 235

$13.04 AED 47.89

88.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.3 NOK 929

$81.4 AED 299

19.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 NOK 152

$9.32 AED 34.25

71.14%

Cappuccino

$6.25 NOK 59.7

$5.97 AED 21.93

4.69%

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

$5.41 NOK 51.7

$1.63 AED 5.98

231.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 NOK 40.57

$0.81 AED 2.99

424.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 NOK 130

$13.65 AED 50.1

0.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.78 NOK 112

$13.38 AED 49.15

-11.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.61

$1.81 AED 6.64

30.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 33.14

$1.57 AED 5.78

121.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 NOK 36.59

$2.49 AED 9.16

53.82%

Eggs

$4.70 NOK 44.87

$3.28 AED 12.04

43.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 NOK 137

$12.67 AED 46.53

13.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.81 NOK 161

$9.75 AED 35.80

72.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.43 NOK 329

$13.18 AED 48.40

161.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 NOK 32.68

$2.61 AED 9.57

31.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 26.00

$1.93 AED 7.09

40.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 NOK 33.78

$1.92 AED 7.05

84.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 NOK 46.90

$1.36 AED 5.00

261.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.35

$1.17 AED 4.29

117.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 NOK 29.79

$1.01 AED 3.71

208.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 NOK 26.81

$1.51 AED 5.56

86.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.33

$0.62 AED 2.29

277.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.13 NOK 164

$5.85 AED 21.50

192.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.45 NOK 176

$16.14 AED 59.3

14.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 NOK 35.54

$2.65 AED 9.74

40.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 NOK 42.52

$2.95 AED 10.82

50.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.76 NOK 45.49

$1.64 AED 6.03

190.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 NOK 831

$73.6 AED 270

18.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 NOK 58.2

$3.17 AED 11.66

92.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NOK 16.69

$0.71 AED 2.63

146.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$103 NOK 981

$7.96 AED 29.23

1190.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 NOK 22.50

$0.99 AED 3.64

138.38%

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

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

72.77%

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

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

79.31%

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

$245 NOK 2,337

$250 AED 920

-2.28%

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

$35.29 NOK 337

$54.2 AED 199

-34.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 NOK 779

$91.8 AED 337

-11.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 NOK 480

$98.6 AED 362

-49.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.81 NOK 352

$42.61 AED 156

-13.61%

Cinema Ticket

$22.03 NOK 210

$16.03 AED 58.9

37.43%

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

$322 NOK 3,080

$843 AED 3,098

-61.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-22.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 NOK 1,212

$68.0 AED 250

86.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.1 NOK 574

$57.9 AED 213

3.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 NOK 1,459

$101 AED 370

51.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,948

$101 AED 371

101.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-30.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-8.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-37.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-33.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-12.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

28.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

46.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

4.54

16.08%

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

Last update for Stavanger: 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

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 9.1% $126

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$513 16.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 42.9% $220

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 14.2%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 31.4% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$362 11.4%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 9.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$245 7.7%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 39.8% $97

Getting Around

Stavanger

$121 3.8%

Dubai

$87 3% 28.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$94 3%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 38.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,658 in Stavanger and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 46% 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: $97.0 in Stavanger vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $513 vs $293 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

2 h ahead of Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

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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Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Dubai 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
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

Stavanger vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Stavanger, 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: $1,658 in Stavanger 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 18% less than in Stavanger. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $322 in Stavanger 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 Stavanger, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Stavanger 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 10% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.