Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Working in Dubai

Wow...congrats on your statistics. I'm wondering if you've been through some of these stages yourself as it seems to me that you're writing from experience as well...Regards

Been there, done it and have a T-shirt.

About to move back on a new contract again, will revise and update the prices and information within the next 3 weeks.

Wanted to edit the post, but seems it may be too long. I''m going to start posting amendments here:


Amendment: January 2011
Property rental prices still down, but stable. A reasonable studio apartment will cost anything between 30K (International City) and 44K (Motor City, TECOM). One bedroom apartment about 55K to 65K and a two bedroom around 85K. This may sound a lot, but comparatively speaking is about half of what you would have paid 3 years ago. Schooling remains about the same if not slightly higher.

Amendment: January 2011
Other costs that you need to take into account with renting!

When starting out renting an apartment (even buying) bear in mind the following “hidden” costs:

DEWA (Electric and water) deposit: 2,000AED
District cooling deposit: (as most apartment complexes charge separately for this): 1,000 – 2,000
Monthly district cooling charges: About 150 – 250 AED (on top of your electrical consumption)
Dubai Municipality housing levy: About 5% of the rental amount per annum (but normally included in the rent payments)
Estate agents commission – normally 5% of the rental value, although some are prepared to negotiate on this at the moment.

Phone/ Internet connection - Etisalat deposit (about 500) or
Phone/ Internet connection – Du deposit (about 400) depending on which service you are going to use.

Here come the crunch; these have to be paid at the same time that you fork over the cash for the first rental cheque. It may still be okay if you have stayed in Dubai before, but if you are new, coming up with the money can be a problem. To top it all, most banks will not even consider a personal loan or credit faculties’ until you have worked out your full probation period (with your employer)

They say that living in Dubai is expensive. I have a friend who is in Dubai, and she really thank her mother that accompanied her there.

So tell me if I get this straight, if I rent apartment for first time and for 1 month it would be:
Rent + Dewa deposit + District cooling deposit + Monthly district cooling charge + phone & internet + phone& internet deposit = big headache .So my question is do I get deposits back when 1 month ends or part is taken to pay bills?

Astonishing info on this topic btw

MikeSRB wrote:So tell me if I get this straight, if I rent apartment for first time and for 1 month it would be:
Rent + Dewa deposit + District cooling deposit + Monthly district cooling charge + phone & internet + phone& internet deposit = big headache .So my question is do I get deposits back when 1 month ends or part is taken to pay bills?

Astonishing info on this topic btw

Hi there,

First off you'd be lucky to find a place for 1 month. Most rentals are a minimum of a year - normally not less than this. This means 1 month rental deposit and normally the first three months in advance - deposit refundable at the end of the lease.

If you were looking for a place for a temprary stay or for only a few months then I'd check the classifieds. There are still a number of "communal" places about - this is to say fair sized villas where a number of people share and pay a monthly rental. Normally the rent is "all inclusive" furnished, water, electricity, AC, cable tv and internet" price is normally more than what you'd expect to pay if you rented on your own.

Most deposts are refundable (DEWA, Etisalat, Du), although some like Du have a minimum period built into the refund clause - end the contract before then and loose the deposit.

Dbxsoul man, tnx for info.So what would you suggest if I got several job offers and need to visit Dubai to see if offers are legit(and maybe some job hunting on my own) and dont want to rent anything on long term,standard hotel?Reason for 1 month is I want to get to Dubai on visit visa(dont want to get ban if I dont like the job).

MikeSRB wrote:Dbxsoul man, tnx for info.So what would you suggest if I got several job offers and need to visit Dubai to see if offers are legit(and maybe some job hunting on my own) and dont want to rent anything on long term,standard hotel?Reason for 1 month is I want to get to Dubai on visit visa(dont want to get ban if I dont like the job).

Normally with a visit visa you have to provide proof of where you are going to stay - they don't always check, but are entitled to ask how you intend supporting yourself. For this reason you would probably have to check into a hotel. You could always check out earlier after a few days if you managed to find other accomodation.

If you have offers already the visit visa is the way to go; buy the same token to look for work your best option is to do it in person. Remember it is illegal to work here without a work permit/ labour card. In last week the department of labour sent out a reminder to all companies. They will impose the strictest fine on companys employing illegal labour - that is a 100,000 dirham fine and 2 years in jail for any employer who contrevens this.

Last time i checked a room in a communal place (pretty up market) was in the region of about 3,500 AED per month - this is all inclusive and was in a pretty good loaction and had a pool as well.

Check out hotel rates as well, some give better rates for longer stays than others (Golden Sands, Silver Sands etc.). In general you'd be looking at about 250 - 300 AED per day for about a 3 star hotel and up to 500 for a 4 star. You don't even want to know about 5 stars. On a months rental you could probably go down to about 200 per day

Dubai or Abu Dhabi which is more expensie

i think both dubai and abu dhabi is just even . its how you spend your money.spend it wisely.

wow it is very good information my family is also moving to dubai so its good for thm

Very Good article. even with me being a category A , i still believe there is an important thing left out.

The ENVIROMENT !

The sandy air , lack of greenery(probably even oxygen) , extreme heat/radiation , living indoors and in mall , cant be good for you!

the human pysiology was designed to live in lush grean lands with fresh water streams. Living in an artifical enviroment for sure would bring the onset of Diseases and illness. if you dont believe me go to a nearby mall and look around at the people walking.

You have to consider this in the priicng , how much is your life worth ? does shaving a few years off your life worth it ?



so lets say ; average age of a human in US = 80 years ( but most cases i have seen in NA/Europe they live over 90 and some 100)

the average american human being is worth = USD 4.1million

that means , each year of a human being costs approx USD 51,000/-

average life of a person in UAE = 70 years

(above are averages from different sources )

We can assume that UAE will take away about 10 years off your life , so have to consider if Approx USD 510,000/- is worth it or not ?



Also your satistics drops significantly if you live nearby the Emirates Road or any other deathtrap routes in the UAE.



some thing to think about



Bossman

With the global economy the way it is, I guess Category A & B people are finding themselves out of a job, or having to take a drastic cut in their paycheck. To avoid this, they turn to Dubai / Abu Dhabi / elsewhere in the Middle East, because the 'ZERO income tax' is very appealing. Most feel they'll spend a few years here, and then return back once the economy improves back home (wild guess!)

Wow! Its unbelievable. I thought the cost of living in Dubai is much higher than what I expected. That could be a good news for me. Thanks for this.

HI, What about abu dhabi accomodations

This is a great analysis of a typical employee life in Dubai. The city is getting expensive day by day.

Dubai is an expensive city and cost of living is hire here. The tips you have enclosed in your post are

very helping to people who are wondering for a convenient place to live.

But if we compare with the other region like sharjah, ras-al kheimah, abudhabi, which one is the money saving.

Yes EIU is one of the most accurate cost of living information I have found. If you cannot afford to buy a full report from the EIU, check salaryexpectation's worldwide cost of living salary calculator as they use the EIU cost of living indices to calculate exactly how much you need to earn in Dubai to maintain or improve your standard of living.

Hi,

I'm new here. I'm an Speech Therapist currently living in NYC. I have been offered a job in Dubai working at a pediatric medical center. The package is all inclusive, base salary, annual flight home, housing allowance. In addition, the employer is paying for most expenses associated with obtaining my professional license/work visa, as well as handling the process... They offered me AED 15,000/month... Is this a comparable salary for a speech therapist in Dubai? I have 3 years experience... Single, no kids... I've done some research and some of the other speech therapy jobs were offering less than that... So in total that AED 180,000... Is that livable for a single female in Dubai? I would appreciate any advice...

Also, is it possible to pick up work on the side? Here in the US you can have a salaried job and still see private clients on the side and charge an hourly rate... Is that legal in Dubai?

One things for sure - I can see the cost of living rising here by the day...

Hello People,How are you doing?

I completed my MBA in 2012 and have exactly 1 year of work experience. I recently got a job offer from a company in Dubai. The role is in sales. I was offered a salary of 5,000 AED per month. I would really like to know if this is a decent salary enough to live with. But before you type in your replies, I would like to give you some information about me:

1. I'm a bachelor. I will be looking for a bachelor or a sharing accommodation. (No plans of getting married any time soon). Btw, Would be awesome if anyone could suggest any good websites to search for accommodation.

2. Since I've recently started my career, I'm currently not looking for any savings. I believe that the company that I would be joining, if I accept the offer, would have great growth prospects and I'm sure that I can start much more maybe 2 or 3 years down the line. So like i said, I'm not looking to save much. (maybe 500 to 1000 AED per month should be more than enough). Since the industry as well as the company seem to be good, all I'm looking to do is to gain an entry in to this field. Can think about the money part later on once I establish and prove myself.

3. My main expenditure would be on accommodation & utilities, food, internet & TV (if not included in the accommodation), Gym and maybe going out once a week or less.Taking these points into consideration, do you think a 5,000 AED per month is enough to live with? The only point that I'm thinking about is that even if I do not manage much savings, I should not be in such a position that I end asking my parents to send me some money.

Any opinions / ideas / suggestions / comments would be really helpful.
Thanks in Advance, Sukhi

expatSLP ,Hi..
I think for single lady 15000 is good enough to start a career in new country. You can live comfortable lifestyle with saving in this salary. Regarding part time, if you have confidential clients you can take care otherwise it is not legal to look after the job.

Hi everybody! Maybe this info will be usefull for someone who wants to live and work in Dubai!

Restaurants Median Range

Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 29.99 AED 20.00 40.00
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 150.00 AED 100.00 200.00
Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar 20.01 AED 18.00 25.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 35.00 AED 20.00 40.00
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 30.00 AED 23.87 36.73
Cappuccino (regular) 15.00 AED 11.02 18.36
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 1.50 AED 1.50 2.00
Water (0.33 liter bottle) 1.00 AED 1.00 2.00
Markets [Edit] Median
Milk (regular), (1 liter) 5.50 AED 4.62 6.00
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 4.02 AED 3.50 5.00
Rice (white), (1kg) 5.50 AED 4.00 8.00
Eggs (12) 9.00 AED 7.00 12.00
Local Cheese (1kg) 30.00 AED 24.09 50.00
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 24.00 AED 18.36 30.00
Apples (1kg) 8.00 AED 7.50 10.00
Oranges (1kg) 7.00 AED 5.00 10.00
Tomato (1kg) 5.00 AED 4.00 9.00
Potato (1kg) 4.00 AED 3.00 5.00
Lettuce (1 head) 5.00 AED 3.00 6.24
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.00 AED 1.50 3.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 74.23 AED 50.00 90.66
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 27.19 AED 20.00 35.00
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 25.00 AED 20.00 35.00
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) 9.00 AED 8.00 10.00

Transportation Median
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 4.96 AED 4.00 5.80
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 200.00 AED 150.00 300.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.50 AED 3.00 8.00
Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) 1.66 AED 1.50 2.50
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 AED 30.00 60.00
Gasoline (1 liter) 1.72 AED 1.72 1.86
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 70,000.00 AED 57,000.00 75,000.00

Utilities (Monthly) Median
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 500.00 AED 400.00 637.50
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.30 AED 0.30 0.55
Internet (6 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 250.00 AED 200.00 300.00

Sports And Leisure Median
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 358.65 AED 300.00 400.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 75.00 AED 50.00 110.19
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 35.00 AED 35.00 40.18

Clothing And Shoes Median
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 276.50 AED 150.00 350.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 180.00 AED 125.00 250.00
1 Pair of Nike Shoes 300.00 AED 250.00 400.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes 358.65 AED 257.11 425.00

Rent Per Month Median
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 6,000.00 AED 4,500.00 7,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 3,500.00 AED 2,900.00 4,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 11,500.00 AED 8,333.00 14,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 8,000.00 AED 6,000.00 10,000.00

Buy Apartment Price Median
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 16,072.93 AED 12,916.69 20,000.00
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 9,305.56 AED 8,080.60 11,070.04

Salaries And Financing Median
Average Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) 12,000.00 AED 8,000.00 17,150.00
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly 6.00 5.00 7.00
These data are based on 2657 entries in the past 18 months from 390 different contributors.

Last update: January, 2014
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=United+Arab+Emirates&city=Dubai

This table can help to count your future expenses. Also it is good because it shows not only average rates but the range of prices of different goods and servises )))

raintear ,Thank you so much for sharing in detail.

very helpful thread

My brother is moving to Dubai soon this post will definitely help him, Thank you for this detailed post.

Regards.

This is really great, I have a question How much AED is needed to live simply as a bachelor in Dubai without any extra expenses.

Ok I had a look through the table (from numbeo.com) above and agree with all except one figure , which is the last...

Average disposable income, this seems in the current economy to be very very high. Personally I earn a fair salary, but don't have anywhere near that figure left at the end of the month.

Also what you need to bear in mind is that the data which is provided comes from on-line questionnaires, this is dependent on the number of people that take the survey and what they earn. The larger the sample, the more accurate the data.

If 5 General Managers of large companies were the only people to submit data then it is not a true reflection of the situation. Additionally many low wage earners simply don't have access to the internet and probably wouldn't be bothered in completing the survey in any case.

Hello people im after a little info like all people
Iv been asked to provide my expectations of a salery including housing and transport I have 2 children 1 is 17 and the other is 9 I work in the rail industry as a machine operator what im getting at is what sort of gross salary should I be looking at many thank