Meow

There is a lot more going on in Dubai than in AD. What are your interests? There are all kinds of sports clubs and groups, hobby groups, foodie groups. It's pretty much all here if you seek it out.

There is much more to Dubai than bars and high rise apartments. You'll meet people through work and to start with you need to accept all invitations so that you get to meet people. Don't expect to want to be friends with them all but you have to start somewhere.

Millhouse

Oh course he is male. He's a doctor.

If it was female, the username would have been Old Nurse.

(that was just for you Meow)

Millhouse

So ... in my opinion, it is quite a tough place, and if you are not careful then you can become the sad old git looking into the pint glass (sorry Meow, if this is too crass, but we both know it is true along with the filipina comments - and I don't judge these people, but stating the facts).

But... the good news Doc, is that there is also a lot of things to go here that do not involve drinking and will open up a good source of entertainment. There are big communities into camping, diving, sports, classic cars, bikes, hiking, movies, golf etc. That said, it can get a bit samey - I don't find Dubai any less (or more) boring than AD really if you are into activities rather than just eating and drinking.

I've lived here 8 years and can still probably count on two hands how many times I've been in a bar. I'm rarely bored.

Old doc

I live in a lively part of a large city. I enjoy cooking, eating out, good company and a nice glass or three of red wine. I meet up each month with a group of male friends for poker & beers. I gather gambling is verboten, so that would leave just the beers. I like a good film, and enjoy a decent TV show. Recently watched S3 of The Bridge, Better Call Saul on Netflix, that sort of thing.

I also like driving sports cars, but from what I've read the driving in Dubai is a bit scary and I would aim to live close to work and just use public transport & taxis if that was feasible.

I'm not into bling/shopping.

Millhouse

You will find many a poker night here...

Old doc

Aha, a glimmer of hope!

With the weather out there, and warm seas, I might be tempted to try out SCUBA. And the dune buggie thing/karting. I also like travel, and Dubai is well-placed to hop to India & SE Asia.

Millhouse

Deffo hope on the poker games. The only issue can be getting the chips into the country.

I used to offroad / dune bash the car a lot, much much less so now but it's still a great community to get involved with. I know loads of guys of your demographic doing it.

DXBtoDOH

There are middle age professional women (and no I'm not talking about the you know whats). I can immediately think of two women in my company, senior roles, in their 50s, who are single and who also complain about meeting similar men in Dubai

The UAE can be a very active place and it's all about the efforts you put in. Dubai is certainly more lively than Abu Dhabi, much more so and based on what you described you'd probably enjoy living in the Marina or Downtown with a lot of hustle and bustle right on your doorsteps. But there are also quieter and pleasant communities just a few minutes away. It will take time to meet people as that rarely happens overnight but join a few cycling, trekking, camping or sports groups and you'll meet people easily enough.

And you're right about travels. You should be able to negotiate 5-6 weeks of holiday each year and we're only 7-8 hours from most of SE Asia, not to mention Africa.

As for poker, there's another expat forum that you can easily find via googling and there's a poster on it who runs an active poker group. His stakes are a bit high for me but it's a good group.

Meow

You know I hate you Milly?

Meow

I've seen poker sets for sale here in the last few years. Times are changing. Well, a little, for some things.

Millhouse

Interesting.

I got told to stop playing cards when I was in a shisha cafe the other day.

Meow

Well you do look a bit shifty. Or were you wearing a headscarf and hooped earrings at the time?

Look out for a store called ZOO. Owned by an Emirati and often stocks poker sets. Playing cards are freely available here now and that never used to be the case.

Old doc

Great, well this all sounds very encouraging.

This may sound like a silly question given what seems to me like a fabulous salary, but I guess I'll have to put some money into a freestanding UK pension, as I'll come out of the NHS Superann scheme. [One for "Meow"]

Can someone also please give an estimate of monthly outgoings? I've seen what seem like suitable flats for AED80-100k pa. What about transport, food (I cook), and utilities? Would be great to get an estimate from people who actually live there. I guess you've been asked this a million times.

Also, can you live without a car?

scrubbedexpat141

I like sitting in a pub on my own, reading the paper or watching some sport and I'm only just over half way to 50. So don't worry!

Scuba - yep, lots of people into it and lots of trips from Dubai for weekends etc. My Sister did a couple locally and elsewhere when here last.

Travel - yep. Since living here we've 'done' Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and KL most recently. Ticking off a list of places we wouldn't have been able to afford or even really considered is a wonderfully pleasant feeling.

Won't get a decent place in the Marina for 80-100 I shouldn't think. Most 1 beds down there in the 'nicer' towers are 100-115 I hear.

I pay 100 in Business Bay.

Home location is sort of dependent on work location, no point sitting in traffic every night. Where would you be based for work?

One bed apartment - keep in mind there is two of us;

DEWA (Water and Leccy + Housing Fee [council tax]) = 600 ish per month
Empower (District Cooling - Air Con) = minimal at moment but average 500 per month over the year.
Du (Basic TV + Footie Channels + Fast Internet) = 537

You can easily live without a car, I have friends leaving after 4 years this week who have never had one. That being said, I wouldn't want to NOT have a car. Lots of cool stuff (quiet beach for example) is much easier to get to/from in a car than a cab. The metro is near enough pointless. Cabs are cheap and readily available but pot luck if you get a lunatic or a sensible driver.

DXBtoDOH

Rents are a tricky thing.

You can definitely get a decent one-bedroom in the Marina for between 80-100K. The question is will it be up to your standards? It won't be falling down or terrible but quite basic. Many people find it worthwhile to upgrade to the "nicer" buildings, usually Emaar ones, for 100-120K and that's for a one bedroom.

I find a good value tower in the Marina for rents versus quality is Zumurud Tower. You can get a one-bed for around 85-90K.

You'll also find that Dubai flats in the popular areas tend to be quite small so spending the extra for a 2-bed flat might be worth it for you, especially if you have family come and visit frequently. And it'd feel a bit more grown up. Your income is quite generous and you should be able to easily afford a 2-bedroom flat. On the other hand, there's sense to being frugal in your first year and going for a one-bedroom while you sniff out the land.