osprey57

Hi
My husband has been offered a job in Dubai with a monthly salary of 35 500 AED. We are a family of three (my son is just 2) and we hope to live in either the Springs or Arabian Ranges areas (3 bed villa). Is this salary enough to cover cost of living plus allow us to save some money?

I have searched the threads here but not found specific enough advice. I read the Wiki article on cost of living but this seems a bit high compared to our estimates. We have done quite a bit of research - talking to aquaintances in the area, looking online at local service providers for costs (TV, internet etc).
I hope you guys can help. We need to make a decision quickly and are beginning to feel a bit lost!

osprey57

Me again.
Just thought I should mention that the offer also includes full medical cover for family, 1 set of flights home a year, relocation allowance of additional 35 000 AED. Housing costs will have to be met by ourselves as will purchasing a vehicle.
We think we should be fine for the first year as my son won't be going to school - the problem will arise when fees kick in.
What I want to know is - is this enough? Are we going to get to Dubai and get screwed? Help. Any advice would be fantastic. So confused.

rowell

It really depends on any commitments back home, if you have none ie mortgage etc then its just about doable, however may have to lower your sights a little on the property front, as you say once your son goes to school that could be a different matter, re-visit the search and there are loads of cost of living breakdowns, good luck with your decision, what line of work will it be? Who is the company? Finally the wiki details are reasonably accurate.

Madam Medusa

oh well, you clearly know better...

MM, xx

Patsy Stoned

Obviously she does............ Osprey... why ask us if you think the wiki stuff that people with experience of Dubai took the time to write to help newbies is wrong!!!
If you only have 35,000 a month and have to pay rent/housing tax/car/dewa/and future nursery fees I would say don't do it... Also you will have to pay 5% agents fee, 5% deposit cheq and either 1/2/3 cheques depending how lucky you are finding a house.
But hey..What do I know, I have only lived here for 6 years!!!

co durham boy

Covering your own cost of accommodation is the killer.Yes prices have dropped but if you want to live in them specific areas it is still going to swallow up a large chunk of that basic salary.
I wouldnt come any where near this place if my living costs were not fully expensed through my company.
To be honest Dubai is in very bad shape at the moment and it will not improve for a very long time.
You've probably picked the worst time to come and try and relocate.As the previous poster said a lot depends on the company and field of industry.
Basic contracts here are usually broken down into basic salary and allowances , flights, medical,bonus,schooling etc, i would have another look at that and then ask the question on accommodation allowance.
In my opinion your short of what it is needed to live a decent life in them areas and save money but obviously that's relative to what your husband does.
My advice is dont come here and struggle,theres enough people here on a champagne lifestyle with lemonade money in this town.

good luck

klaus3974

35K per month will be just enough. We spend more or less that amount and we are 4 (no one in School). We do some travel and we spend in accommodation more than we probably should. So I think it is doable, you will not save a lot and you can get into troubles if you follow the life style of a lot of people here (2 cars, 1 weekly brunch, eating out everyday, and expensive vacations every three months). It depends very much on your previous standard of living. For that salary the typical Indian family will give one arm and a leg, spend 10K and save 25K.

Do not take personally some of the answers in the forum... that is the way they have to say "welcomed! we love you!"

lionheart

If you look for less expensive housing, use only one car and don't eat out more than twice a week, you should be fine...but don't expect to save anything.

commander

dont come unless accom is fully provided..period

Blue Cat

agreed, was just going to raise this matter myself .

Aikman7981

Agreed. The salary and benefits sound ok aside from the elephant in the room, accomodation.

Try to renegotiate maybe for a bit less salary but with housing provided, NOT an allowance.

Hello.Kitty

well, sorry to spoil the "it's not enough" party, but that's what we're on (all allowances included in that) and we're doing just fine thanks. No mortgage to pay in the UK but we have paid off all our debts in the 1st year of being out here (as well as paying 50% of the salary on accomm, which is no longer the case due to rent drops) and are now preparing to make some savings. Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes savings, but being able to save more in a year than we could in 5 years back in the UK is "a good thing" by my books.

Our daughter will shortly be going to nursery, which we can foot easily. We eat out regularly, go see places and all without touching a credit card. We live in a nice place in the Marina. We can afford for me not to work.

The big killer is the set-up costs here in Dubai. Don't get yourself in debt or spend your savings on it. 35k AED set-up fees is fine for the basics - be canny about what you bring and what you buy... and save a bit to cover shipping it all back! Get the company to pay for the accommodation set-up costs, or at least forward the money to you, to be deducted from subsequent months' salary - that way, should the worst happen and your husband loses his job in the first few months, you are not out of pocket... and the company can whistle for what you may owe it.

soukie

As others have said, it really depends on the type of job on offer - maybe that amount is good for that area of work but without knowing the type of work it's difficult to comment. If you haven't been to UAE the 35000 AED may seem a lot to you sat in UK but UAE really is an expensive place to live. Personally I wouldn't commit to a move without accomodation provided by the employer but I know plenty of people here who have and regretted it as they usually end up in debt. Sorry!

Ethos83

Oh, sure, you can live decently on the money and sock away savings.

35K a month adds up to 420K a year, which is not a shabby income by Dubai standards.

A two-bed in the Springs can be had for 100K a year.

Buy second hand Pajero off an expat leaving - 40-60K depending on mileage and age.

Keep your dining habits under control. Check out the cheap and tasty curry houses in Karama or Satwa and don't go to Madinat every Friday night.

Treat brunch like a special occasion and not a regular occurrence.

My suggestion: forget about villas. There's some terrific deals on apartments right now, and posh 3-bed apartments in the Old Town (overlooking Burj Dubai) are going for less than 120K, and your DEWA (utilities) bill will be far, far lower than in a villa (lots of people in villas had unexpected surprises last year when their DEWA bills doubled or even tripled, adding thousands more every month to their regular bill). You'll save much more money that way. Old Town/Burj dubai has become very pleasant with the completion of the promenade around the lake and you could be watching the fountains every night from your flat.

But I agree with the others above: avoid debt at any cost. Have the employer rent the flat for you. Always be prepared to leave Dubai earlier than anticipated.

Aikman7981

I think you have more financial restraint than the average Joe which makes your situation just fine. We just moved from Al Ain and it takes a lot of care not to get caugh up in things here. I truely "get it" now. Everything here is flashy and waaaay expensive and everyone else seems to have it all.