Dubai - living costs
Discussion
Hi all
Hoping for some advice from UK expats living in Dubai. How much would it cost to rent (and run) a decent 4/5 bedroom house in Dubai per month? Also what expenses do you have that you wouldn't expect to have in the UK (for example school fees, healthcare etc)
"A friend of mine" is considering a 2 year contract and, as you can imagine, there are lots of things to compare. This is probably the main one so any advice appreciated.
Hoping for some advice from UK expats living in Dubai. How much would it cost to rent (and run) a decent 4/5 bedroom house in Dubai per month? Also what expenses do you have that you wouldn't expect to have in the UK (for example school fees, healthcare etc)
"A friend of mine" is considering a 2 year contract and, as you can imagine, there are lots of things to compare. This is probably the main one so any advice appreciated.
I had a 7 beddroom palace in Al Barsha (local populated area). If you can stand the constant quad bikes/roosters etc it is a cheap place to live. I paid 195k AED per year (35k GBP) up-front with a months deposit.
If you want to go for an ex-pat area then the Springs/Meadows/Arabian Ranches was always a reasonable bet but you will pay the same for a 2 bed villa. A 4 bed in this area will set you back double that.
Moving to one of the less established areas like Jumeriah Triangle will be a bit cheaper but there is less in the way of nearby shops etc.
By law the company must provide health insurance.I got full global medical and dental for the family of 4.
My 2 kids went to Jebel Ali Primary, and old school but a good one. Fees were actually quite cheap as it is a non-profit. 60k AED (11k GBP) per year. Some western schools easily run to double that and the more established are full with years of waiting lists.
Going out/Shopping/entertainment can get a little pricey, we recently moved back to the UK after 15 years in the Middle East (10 in DXB) and found that the cost of a shopping trolley full of food is about 30% of what it was in Dubai. There is no cheap options if you want to eat normal British food.
I didn't save half as much as I should have in my time there, blowing most of it on cars ('89 911 Speedster, M3, XFR, Evo6 race car, Sprint car, Rangerover, S8...etc), family days out, eating out, and speeding fines. What a ride though!
If you want to go for an ex-pat area then the Springs/Meadows/Arabian Ranches was always a reasonable bet but you will pay the same for a 2 bed villa. A 4 bed in this area will set you back double that.
Moving to one of the less established areas like Jumeriah Triangle will be a bit cheaper but there is less in the way of nearby shops etc.
By law the company must provide health insurance.I got full global medical and dental for the family of 4.
My 2 kids went to Jebel Ali Primary, and old school but a good one. Fees were actually quite cheap as it is a non-profit. 60k AED (11k GBP) per year. Some western schools easily run to double that and the more established are full with years of waiting lists.
Going out/Shopping/entertainment can get a little pricey, we recently moved back to the UK after 15 years in the Middle East (10 in DXB) and found that the cost of a shopping trolley full of food is about 30% of what it was in Dubai. There is no cheap options if you want to eat normal British food.
I didn't save half as much as I should have in my time there, blowing most of it on cars ('89 911 Speedster, M3, XFR, Evo6 race car, Sprint car, Rangerover, S8...etc), family days out, eating out, and speeding fines. What a ride though!
for a 4 to 5 bed in one of the ex pat established areas, then budget up to £50k a year, rents have increased recently.
I lived in Mirdiff, not to bad a place to live if you can get an area not under the flight path, I was paying around 25k for a 3 bedroom villa a couple of years ago.
The key is knowing where you are working and the commuting time from your house, as to get to DIFC from Mirdiff it was 10 minutes in the car, however from some of the ex pat areas it could take up to an hour in the rush hour.
I lived in Mirdiff, not to bad a place to live if you can get an area not under the flight path, I was paying around 25k for a 3 bedroom villa a couple of years ago.
The key is knowing where you are working and the commuting time from your house, as to get to DIFC from Mirdiff it was 10 minutes in the car, however from some of the ex pat areas it could take up to an hour in the rush hour.
Basic rule, if it's your first time as an expat, get a deal with housing, medical, home travel, car and school included, (but make sure its a decent school), and then a net of tax salary,
With experience you can do the exact opposite and get an all in salary.
The school my company uses in Asia was unacceptable to me, and I have/had an all in salary and picked my own school, big advantage now the kids are not in school as I still get the salary.
Don't get taken in by a headline salary 120k is not a lot if you have to provide everything.
With experience you can do the exact opposite and get an all in salary.
The school my company uses in Asia was unacceptable to me, and I have/had an all in salary and picked my own school, big advantage now the kids are not in school as I still get the salary.
Don't get taken in by a headline salary 120k is not a lot if you have to provide everything.
Thanks for the advice folks.
My younger kids are settled at a local Grammar School so I don't really want to disrupt them. It looks like a move would make far more financial sense once they have left school and are at Uni (and then I can dump them on the grandparents
).
Not to worry - the Lord moves in mysterious ways.
My younger kids are settled at a local Grammar School so I don't really want to disrupt them. It looks like a move would make far more financial sense once they have left school and are at Uni (and then I can dump them on the grandparents
).Not to worry - the Lord moves in mysterious ways.
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