littlejimmy

The bright lights and the promise of a great lifestyle for me and my family, away from the increasingly grim UK, have finally beckoned me and I have accepted a job in Dubai. I'm coming on 5th August and the family (wife and 2 kids, 1 primary school age) are following me about a month later, depending on the schooling situation.

Everyone I've spoken to here and over there (agency/new employer) has said it's great, but after reading this forum, I'm wondering what I've let myself in for. The road situation sounds horrific (although it's getting worse ever here, to be fair) and then there's the alleged behaviour of some of the landlords. Surely the government there have to do something. With the metro system not coming on-line till 2009, it could be a long 3 years if they just let the place expand and expand the way it seems to be.

Then there's the cost of living. I've done sums after sums based on info from several sources and thought we'd do quite nicely, but I'm wondering if I've allowed enough for everything. Is 110k per annum enough for a good villa or flat in a good area? Are groceries more expensive? Oh me, oh my. Doubts are clouding my mind.

Any advice would be appreciated. Even just a bit of encouragement, and an assurance that the good stuff outweighs the bad

Ta.

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

110K what?

MataHari

Hi LJ,

Been here for 2 years, and love it! Just go for it. You can be happy (or unhappy) everywhere, a lot of it depends on your own attitude, flexibility etc.
But just forget about saving money, do it for the experience.

Now bring on the moaners

Jude J

Hi, I dont live in Dubai so cant offer first hand experience but my sister and her family (husband, two kids age 8 & 6) have lived there for just over a year and they are very happy with it. They have gone from HK tho and the kids have never lived in UK so maybe they found it easier to adjust to the climate etc. My sis tells me there is so much to do, and a great ex-pat community which they really enjoy.

As for money, my brother in law has a good job and I wouldn't know how much he earns but she has said that money has been a little tight. They have just brought a villa and had lots of up front and hidden costs but she still hasn't felt the need to work herself so it cant be that bad!

Worrying at this stage is completely normal! When we moved to NZ 4 years ago it seemed like a great idea until about a week before we left UK, but it turned out to be the best thing we ever did.

NorthernLad

Personally, I think it depends on what you make of it. Yes, there are some negative aspects of life in Dubai, but you get them anywhere.

We certainly don't regret moving here, I think that sometimes people take the lifestyle here for granted (you see a lot of expat families where the women don't need to work, they drive big 4x4s, have maids etc... and seem to forget it is unlikely they could live like that back at home).

Not checked rental prices lately, but I'd guess for a little more you would get a 3 bedroom place in the Arabian Ranches, Springs (used to be) a little more expensive. All depends on where you will be working and if you mind a drive (or sitting in traffic) to work.

Don't take too much of what you read to heart, for me I'd rather make a move and try somewhere new rather than sit back and think 'what if' for the next few years!

Eeyore

Oh, of course they will have. It's pretty standard practice for employers; they play up the "constant sunshine/no income tax" angles in hopes that they can lowball you on the salary.

The UK is still nowhere close to Dubai's roadal insanity.

There's nowt "alleged" about it; while there are obviously good landlords, there as just as many unscrupulous, avaricious sons of camels. But at least there's the rent tribunal; if more people actually used it, fewer unscrupulous, avaricious sons of camels would try it on.

If you mean you have a 110k rent allowance, then it won't buy you anything fantastic, but it'll get you something liveable in a reasonable area.

Some are, some aren't. Bear in mind that Dubai is going through the classic inflationary phase of all developing economies, so the price of everything is ultimately moving upwards.

The bottom line is money. The more you're earning, or the more your company will pay for, the more you're insulated from the rising cost of living. No matter how pleasant the climate (from Oct-April, anyway), if you aren't earning enough to give yourself some kind of buffer against the cost of living, you won't have as good a time as other people.

If your company will cover your rent, utility bills, car and school fees in addition to paying you a salary of *at least* AED 20,000 per month, then you'll be laughing. You'll also be a lot better off than most people here!

littlejimmy

Thanks for that, everyone.

My package is just over 30k Dhms per month, all-in. Medical insurance is provided by my company.

I might be looking at an apartment rather than a villa. I want to live in a reasonable area, not too far from the schools and not too far from work, if possible. I will avoid Sharjah, as it seems to get a bad press on here.

Eeyore

When you say "all-in", do you mean that you get 30k in your pocket every month and your company pays for rent, utility bills, school fees etc? Or have you been given a basic salary plus allowances for rent, transport etc, all of which add up to a total of 30k?

Autonomy

What area will you be working in?

littlejimmy

Correct, Gareth. The only extra is the medical insurance.
I had several offers, all of which came in at around the 30k mark.

Autonomy, I'm not sure. It's a construction consultant company, so I guess it's central Dubai (if there's such a place). The address is a PO box number.

Autonomy

Dubai is kind of long and thin. There's no real centre as such. Most likely (I would guess) you would be working in Bur Dubai (Old part next to the Creek), Sheikh Zayad Road (sort of the most central) or in "New Dubai" which is at one end - this has Media City Free Zone etc.

I guess a lot of people aim to live kind of near to where they work to cut the travel down. So if you can find out where you will be working this will help a lot in where you might live.

What ever you do though - don't decide on where you will live until you can get out here and see it first and get a real feel for the area and the traffic and construction etc. A nice picture of a nice apartment in a nice building with a pool etc will not show you the road / house / airport getting built on your doorstep!

W10

If its 30k in your pocket with everything paid for by the company then you'll be fine financially, although the cost of living is rising astronomically - the biggest burden is rent (which quite frankly is beyond ridiculous)

Frankly, all the other shit which comes with dubai gets to me frequently and I reckon I'll give it another year before going.

But some people love playing the colonial lord and master and stay here for decades.

littlejimmy

It's not 30k in my pocket. I have to pay for everything myself. As I see it, I might have to live within my means for 6 months, then renegotiate. I wasn't short of offers without even going out there, so I don't see that as a problem, especially with jobs like the Metro going on.

Eeyore

You'll be able to get by, but you won't have a particularly luxurious lifestyle and you probably won't be able to save much money. 30k really won't go far after you've paid for a villa or apartment in a decent area (especially if your children expect separate bedrooms, so you'll be needing a 3-bed at least), a couple of cars, school fees etc.

Unfortunately, because Dubai is very much an "image is everything" kind of place, lots of Western expats (and UAE nationals) live beyond their means and end up in significant debt trying to maintain a lifestyle that they really can't afford - and plenty more find themselves largely debt-free but struggling. Be realistic about what it's going to cost you to live here; it *will* be more expensive than you've been led to believe.

30k is a lot more than many professional Western expats earn - so you should also be realistic about your chances of significantly improving upon it should you try to renegotiate. Unless you're in some way indispensable, your company will probably be able to find someone else with similar experience to you who'll do the job for 30k or less.

On the plus side, you'll be coming to Dubai at what will hopefully be the peak of rent inflation. Starting at the end of the year, and throughout 2007, a huge flood of new property will be hitting the rental market. Since rent rises have been largely driven by lack of supply, this should ensure prices plateau, if not fall a bit.

W10

Ah ok then.

Well 30k is a good wage - but remember, Dubai is not the UK. You have to pay for EVERYTHING out here, and it is a consumer/ultra capitalist culture - you can easily get sucked into spending money on stuff you don't want or need. You should still be ok though. The problem Dubai has it that it is pricing itself out of the market. A lot of people I know have got hacked off and left.

The govt claims rents and inflation of 20% or so are ok because it is a free market, but salaries are not rising by anything like that amount because (you guessed it) the labour market isn't a free market.

A 3 bed apartment (which is better in my opinion as they tend to have better facilities and don't have the Dh2000 a month water bills in the summer) will set you back anywhere between 100k and 140k maybe?? But you will have to pay 5% of the rental cost in tax each year (split into monthly payments)

Education is expensive I believe (someone else will have to give figures), and not that good (although I hear varying reports but lets face it most of the teachers earn a pittance and the whole (arabic) education side of dubai is aimed at learning to pass exams and not learning for knowledge.

Cars are cheap but bank loans are not, in fact they are extortionate.

You may have to sponsor your wife and children, which also costs a few thousand dirhams a year.

Alcohol is expensive unless you're female and there are a lot of hidden taxes, oh and internet access is expensive and rubbish.

Any other costs?? I don't have TV so I don't know how much that costs.