Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trondheim and Dubai

For one person, living costs are similar in Trondheim and in Dubai: $2,836 and $2,854 a month, rent and utilities included.

138

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,836

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,836 in Trondheim versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Trondheim $2,836
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,192 in Trondheim versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Trondheim $4,192
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,548 in Trondheim versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Trondheim $5,548
Dubai $5,788

Living in Trondheim 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: Trondheim 112% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 NOK 199

$13.04 AED 47.89

59.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 NOK 1,001

$81.4 AED 299

28.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.41 NOK 147

$9.32 AED 34.25

65.34%

Cappuccino

$5.40 NOK 51.6

$5.97 AED 21.93

-9.55%

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

$5.72 NOK 54.7

$1.63 AED 5.98

250.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 NOK 40.05

$0.81 AED 2.99

417.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.00 NOK 124

$13.65 AED 50.1

-4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.71 NOK 121

$13.38 AED 49.15

-5.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.68

$1.81 AED 6.64

37.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 NOK 33.54

$1.57 AED 5.78

123.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.94

$2.49 AED 9.16

46.99%

Eggs

$4.85 NOK 46.34

$3.28 AED 12.04

47.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 NOK 123

$12.67 AED 46.53

1.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.04 NOK 153

$9.75 AED 35.80

64.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.35 NOK 299

$13.18 AED 48.40

137.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 NOK 37.71

$2.61 AED 9.57

51.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 NOK 26.81

$1.93 AED 7.09

45.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 NOK 35.79

$1.92 AED 7.05

95.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.69 NOK 54.3

$1.36 AED 5.00

318.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 NOK 27.46

$1.17 AED 4.29

146.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 29.16

$1.01 AED 3.71

201.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 NOK 27.91

$1.51 AED 5.56

93.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 NOK 21.27

$0.62 AED 2.29

259.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.05 NOK 163

$5.85 AED 21.50

191.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.35 NOK 175

$16.14 AED 59.3

13.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.61 NOK 34.49

$2.65 AED 9.74

36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 NOK 42.89

$2.95 AED 10.82

52.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.67 NOK 44.57

$1.64 AED 6.03

184.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.7 NOK 952

$73.6 AED 270

35.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.12 NOK 87.1

$3.17 AED 11.66

187.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 NOK 14.82

$0.71 AED 2.63

118.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 NOK 569

$7.96 AED 29.23

649.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 23.28

$0.99 AED 3.64

146.46%

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

$45.7K NOK 436.7K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

67.05%

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

$44.1K NOK 420.7K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

95.46%

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

$274 NOK 2,618

$250 AED 920

9.48%

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

$34.85 NOK 333

$54.2 AED 199

-35.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 NOK 782

$91.8 AED 337

-10.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.04 NOK 411

$98.6 AED 362

-56.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.57 NOK 378

$42.61 AED 156

-7.13%

Cinema Ticket

$20.68 NOK 198

$16.03 AED 58.9

29.01%

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

$291 NOK 2,776

$843 AED 3,098

-65.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,315 NOK 41.2K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-76.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,021

$68.0 AED 250

57.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 NOK 483

$57.9 AED 213

-12.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 NOK 1,122

$101 AED 370

16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 NOK 1,493

$101 AED 371

54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 NOK 13.7K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-39.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 NOK 10.7K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-25.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,196 NOK 21.0K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-50.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,647 NOK 15.7K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-45.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,325 NOK 60.4K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-11.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,083 NOK 48.5K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

22.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,213 NOK 40.2K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

24.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

4.54

17.18%

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

Last update for Trondheim: 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

Trondheim

$1.1K 39.5%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 34.4% $385

Groceries & Markets

Trondheim

$504 17.8%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 41.9% $211

Eating Out

Trondheim

$408 14.4%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 24.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trondheim

$391 13.8%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 1.4% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Trondheim

$194 6.8%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 24% $47

Getting Around

Trondheim

$135 4.8%

Dubai

$87 3% 35.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Trondheim

$84 3%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 54.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,432 in Trondheim and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trondheim pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $105 in Trondheim vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $504 vs $293 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

2 h ahead of Trondheim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,121

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

Trondheim Dubai 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Trondheim
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

Trondheim vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 24% higher in Trondheim, 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: $1,432 in Trondheim 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 Trondheim runs roughly 35% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $291 in Trondheim 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 $3,000. Trondheim is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Trondheim 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, Trondheim 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 Trondheim 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.