shake2000

Hello,

We're a Canadian family of 4 considering an all in offer of 50k AED per month to move to Dubai. Elder child is 4 and the other is 6 months.
Relocation, insurance for self plus family and a savings plan (Defined contrib) are on offer.
The offer is from a multinational consulting firm and I will be joining at a director/principal level (equivalent in Canada atleast). The role is new in the region with a scarcity of local resources with the required skill set.
We live a pretty comfortable life here and I am wondering if it is worth the move? We will of course need 2 cars, a 3 bedroom villa and a normal lifestyle with some savings. Mrs is currently not working because of new addition to family and plans to start her search in a year or so. Offer is about 50% above my current take home but schooling is free in Canada and rents are cheaper.

There is a bonus on offer which I do not want to take into account as it is not guaranteed. I would like to make the decision on take home today with no future assumptions. We both have family in the region which will be another positive but the decision mainly depends on "is it enough?".

You feedback is much appreciated.

Best regards!

DXBtoDOH

You can live comfortably enough on 50k a month.

Budget up to 200k for a villa, including expenses. A decent 3-bedroom villa in a decent area close enough to amenities.

School fees vary. If you want an American school such as ASD or Dubai American Academy, which have a lot of Canadians, fees are pretty high. British curriculum schools are a bit cheaper. And there's a range of generic international schools of varying quality. For the primary years you should be able to find school places around 50k a month per child.

Gems Wellington is a well regarded school and here's their fee structure:
Fees and Payments | GEMS Wellington International School - Dubai

Jumeirah Primary is another good option:
Fees and Payments | GEMS Jumeirah Primary School

The consensus I've picked up from my friends who are parents is that at the primary levels there's not really much difference in teaching quality between the midrange and more expensive schools. The real difference comes at the secondary levels.

Since you'll only need one set of school fees for a few years, you will live well enough and manage to put aside quite a bit in savings if you're pragmatic. If your wife returns to work in a few years then you'll do even better.

By the way, my advice is for your first year in the UAE, get an apartment. Look for a big 3-bedroom flat. Apartment rents are cheaper and utilities expenses much lower, especially if you avoid district cooling schemes that require you to pay separately for air conditioning. A good place would be Dubai Marina because there's scores of cafes and shops and your wife can walk to them with the baby and not feel trapped in a housing estate. Another fantastic option is the Greens, perennially popular with young families. It'll also allow you to have a firmer grip on expenditures and figure out the lay of the land when it comes to costs. After a year, which will past quickly enough, upgrade to a villa if you want (you'd be surprised by how many families with babies/toddlers prefer to remain in apartments in the Marina or Greens or Downtown or JLT, because of the flexibility it offers to the housewife and proximity to meeting other mums with children).

shake2000

Thank you DXBTODOH, appreciate the detailed response.

The Mrs is tired of moving and insists we go straight to a villa but will see how that goes as I will probably be in a hotel for the first month and will be looking for housing.
If my work is in DIFC are there any preferred areas? I understand a car is a must in Dubai but wondering how parking and commute are. Is parking expensive?
We're city folks and will be moving from downtown Toronto where I walk to work or have the option to work remotely 4 days a week, it will be a big change.
Thank you again!

DXBtoDOH

You will move around a lot. Probably. Most people do. It's the nature of expatdom.

If office is in DIFC, best place to live is Jumeirah / Umm Suqeim, which are areas alongside the beaches and probably the best place to live in Dubai. Housing ranges from smaller, older villas to palaces, and while expensive it is possible to find smaller and older 3-bed villas for under 200k. Many who do and put up with the inconvenience of something older do so because the location is fantastic and the access to a range of amenities fantastic and the beaches are so close by, even within walking distance. Driving distance is probably between 15-20 minutes depending on how quickly you get through lights and into DIFC (the latter is the problematic part - do you get assigned parking? There is a metro stop in front of DIFC, FYI, and many do take the metro).

The other perennially popular options are Emirates Living (Springs, Greens, Meadows, Lakes and Emirates Hills). Large master planned housing estate. Springs villas are the cheapest, Lakes midrange and Meadows more expensive, while EH is for the nouveau riche). Equally popular is Arabian Ranches, built by the same builder. And there's a bunch of smaller new communities, all very suburban and which don't appeal to me because they're 'out' there in the desert. But the back route to DIFC isn't too bad. And people who live there tend to 'love' living there.

Go to propertyfinder.ae and you'll get a general sense of prices and compare it to the Dubai maps on google earth. Be aware that rents are usually paid in 1-4 cheques for the entire year, with 1-2 being more common for villas.

By the way, if you have more questions about Dubai, including your package and schooling, post them on the main forum page for ME expats, rather than this subforum, which gets far fewer traffic. There's a fair few folks on here who work in DIFC and who can provide more detailed responses.

shake2000

Thank you again, this is awesome information. I will post in the other sections as I start looking into and have more questions.

For rent cheques I have been told the company will help with upfront payment so that should be OK , more like a loan I guess.

Thank you, you've been very helpful!