ximmyx

hi all,
This is my first time here. I'm 23 yrs old. I am looking to apply for a quantity surveyor job in dubai and i was trying to get an idea of the average monthly outgoings including rent bills food etc. I am looking to earn around £30,000 british pounds per annum. maybe more if i impress them! please could anyone give me a rough idea of the total monthly outgoings for a single guy looking to live in dubai?

Thanks

CeeBee

Hi, what experience do you have? Do you have a degree and professional accreditation (MCIOB / MRICS)?

Your £30k won't be anywhere near enough if thats the full package. If thats your basic plus package that you're expecting then it'll be fine. Your employer will pay for your rent / provide you a flat (unlikely) but...I'm a bit older and told that based on age and experience that £30k basic would be very very top end of what i'd be expecting (plus package).

So, although there's big money out there you might well find its more for the seniors. I've been looking for a month or so now and not had any joy at all....thats probably down to the agencies being utter crap though.

ximmyx

cheers m8. ive gt a degree (BSc /quantity surveying) which i studied part time and got three years experience in pre and post contract. My hope would be to earn 35k basic package but im gna wait and see what kind of offers they bring. i no rent is at about 1000/month but what bout bills and food?

cheers mate

CeeBee

I couldn't honestly say but I gather food is about the same as over here (maybe local stuff is cheaper) and utilities are cheaper than over here.

Just as a tip, you might want to start thinking / dealing in UAE currency when thinking about the package. Don't work in pounds when talking salary or rent. You'll get a better understanding of how much things cost too that way.

If you look on dubizzle.com you'll get some ideas of rental costs.

Oh, and if you get offered 35 basic let me know who you've gone through to get it if you wouldn't mind.

ximmyx

will do m8. cheers!

Bob

Welcome to BE....though have a search through previous threads as there's been a lot on packages and cost of living, also check the wiki, it's a good place for agencies too....

mrtonytony

i always found dubai to be more expensive than london

Ed Pies

I am hopefully moving to Dubai this year, and if it is genuinely more expensive than living in London that is very scary, as London is one of the most expensive places to live on earth.

If you like to go out for drinks a few nights a week then it is going to cost more in Dubai than popping to your local in London. However if you were to try and get a 2500ft2 3 bed house, a live in maid, drive a large car (or 2), pay tax, council tax, and send your children to private school in London then it would cost considerably more to live in London than in Dubai.

Or am I wrong?

Blue Cat

I would say that would be down to what package you got over here. If you get your rent and school fees paid then technically your laughing. I friend of mine said it cost her 96 quid to fill her car up the other day in the UK (Range Rover). I have a 4x4 here and have never put more than 15 quid in it!!!! Fags are a quid a packet if that

CeeBee

I've never lived in london but been on nights out. Its no more expensive than manchester city centre.

fsazhar

I have just moved to Abu Dhabi from London 4 weeks ago. Here is a break down of cost of living:

Rent: Average rent of 10000 AED for 2 bed flat per month ( will be cheaper if you share). try to get accomodation as part of package rather than allowance. As rents go up 7% per year on average.

Utilities, often included in rent

Landline phone: 15 AED per month plus calls. 35p / min to UK peak 25p off peak. No Calling cards. Get Skype installed from UK for free calls, as skype cant be downloaded here (its blocked)

Settalite TV: 175 AED / month without sports, 299 AED installation

Broadband: 2MB - 350 AED/ month ( yes 5 times more expensive than UK), installation and wifi router on top (550 AED approx)

Food: I eat from pakistani resturant down the road from my place and its on average 10 AED per meal. Works canteen is about 17 AED per meal. If you out to eat, average will 70AED per meal.

Alcohol is same price as UK

Cigrates are very very cheap

Petrol: 20p per litre

Cars: 30% cheaper than UK on average

Dentists: bit cheaper than uk, i would say 10%

Doctors: Most companies provide medical insurance

Taxis: Bloody cheap

Supermarket: Local produce is cheap, Western Imported food is expensive or almost the same price as UK. e.g. Muller Yougerts are almost 1GBP per pot, 55p back home. Local juices are well cheap so is bread and milk, vegies, fruits. Cearals are bit cheaper than UK. Non Halal meat (ham, pork etc) is hard to find.

typical

In Dubai that'd get you a nice 1 bed, unless you went to International City where it'd get you a lot more.

Not in Dubai IME - they are very cheap though, except for the 5% of rental you pay in your utility bill, and any air conditioning bills (which can be hefty).

sg800

what do you do?

CeeBee

QS

sg800

Are you looking for a job in Dubai? Are you RICS qualified etc?