Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vasteras and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Vasteras: $1,818 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Vasteras
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Vasteras Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Vasteras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,818

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,818 in Vasteras versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Vasteras $1,818
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,764 in Vasteras versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Vasteras $2,764
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,710 in Vasteras versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Vasteras $3,710
Dubai $5,872

Living in Vasteras costs roughly 37% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vasteras 35% above, Dubai 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 SEK 136

$12.67 AED 46.55

8.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 SEK 640

$81.7 AED 300

-21.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 SEK 98.2

$9.34 AED 34.30

6.10%

Cappuccino

$4.23 SEK 41.92

$5.89 AED 21.62

-28.18%

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

$2.25 SEK 22.27

$1.69 AED 6.20

33.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SEK 21.97

$0.78 AED 2.86

184.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 SEK 70.8

$13.66 AED 50.2

-47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$13.49 AED 49.54

-47.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 SEK 13.87

$1.84 AED 6.78

-23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 SEK 29.70

$1.50 AED 5.50

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 SEK 35.37

$2.57 AED 9.45

38.91%

Eggs

$3.89 SEK 38.55

$3.32 AED 12.18

17.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 SEK 120

$12.60 AED 46.28

-3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 126

$9.66 AED 35.46

31.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 SEK 221

$12.78 AED 46.93

74.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 SEK 31.59

$2.60 AED 9.54

22.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.05

$1.90 AED 6.99

33.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 SEK 36.37

$1.91 AED 7.02

92.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 SEK 43.46

$1.37 AED 5.02

220.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.55

$1.13 AED 4.14

30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$1.01 AED 3.71

68.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 SEK 21.62

$1.44 AED 5.30

51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 SEK 14.73

$0.67 AED 2.48

122.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$5.88 AED 21.59

20.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 SEK 132

$16.15 AED 59.3

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 SEK 13.10

$2.72 AED 10.00

-51.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 SEK 21.54

$3.08 AED 11.32

-29.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 32.88

$1.60 AED 5.87

107.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 SEK 700

$76.0 AED 279

-6.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 SEK 34.78

$3.24 AED 11.91

8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 SEK 24.78

$0.71 AED 2.61

252.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 802

$7.96 AED 29.22

917.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.49

$0.98 AED 3.62

69.39%

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

$33.2K SEK 328.6K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

21.11%

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

$32.0K SEK 317.5K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

45.43%

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

$183 SEK 1,817

$249 AED 913

-26.20%

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

$22.17 SEK 220

$54.4 AED 200

-59.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.15 SEK 428

$91.5 AED 336

-52.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 SEK 338

$103 AED 380

-66.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 SEK 195

$42.32 AED 155

-53.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.74 SEK 166

$16.29 AED 59.8

2.76%

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

$151 SEK 1,499

$844 AED 3,098

-82.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,881 SEK 48.4K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-73.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 SEK 1,002

$67.0 AED 246

50.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 SEK 399

$57.9 AED 213

-30.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 SEK 859

$102 AED 375

-15.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,323

$98.7 AED 363

35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 SEK 7,429

$2,393 AED 8,788

-68.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 SEK 5,957

$1,533 AED 5,630

-60.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 SEK 13.5K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-70.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 SEK 9,880

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-66.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,564 SEK 35.3K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-49.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,404 SEK 23.8K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-43.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,996 SEK 29.7K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-13.42%

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 Vasteras: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vasteras

$601 33.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 155% $932

Groceries & Markets

Vasteras

$380 20.9%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 23.3% $89

Eating Out

Vasteras

$258 14.2%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 18.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vasteras

$249 13.7%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 58.6% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Vasteras

$163 9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 9.9% $16

Getting Around

Vasteras

$100 5.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Vasteras

$68 3.7%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 101% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Vasteras and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 15% 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: $65.0 in Vasteras vs $82.0 in Dubai. Groceries flip the comparison at $380 vs $292, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Vasteras

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

2 h ahead of Vasteras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,877

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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Vasteras Dubai 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Vasteras
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

Vasteras vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vasteras is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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: $750 in Vasteras 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 Vasteras runs roughly 7% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $151 in Vasteras versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,818 in Vasteras versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vasteras but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Vasteras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Vasteras 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, Vasteras 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 Vasteras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.