Dan1411

Hi,

I've been lucky enough to get myself a job in Dubai and i will be moving over in the first week or so of January. I will be put up in a hotel for the first four weeks while i find my feet and look for my own place. Where would be the best place to rent a 2 bed apartment for between £1000-1600AED (preferably the lower end of that scale).

There will be 2 single 23/24 year old lads living in the accomadation, were not after something to over the top, but do like the idea of a gym etc within the grounds.

Thanks in advance for help!

Dan

auzdafluff

Can you give us an idea about what end of town you will be working in? It will affect the prices.

Also, do you mean £1000 to £1600 a month or AED1000 to AED1600 a month? Because if it's the latter, then you're going to have to drastically revise that, especially if that was the budget for the two of you.

To give you an idea, I live in JLT which is cheaper than the Marina. It is across the main highway at the new end of Dubai. I rent a two-bed here (with gym and pool) and it costs me AED76000 a year (about £1,110p/m / AED6334). And that's fairly cheap for a two bed in this part of the city. Then you've got bills, deposit and agency fee on top, which takes it closer to AED95,000 a year (£1,390p/m / AED7915) to be on the safe side.

However, if you meant £1000 to £1600 a month, you'll be fine. But, if you did mean in AED, you'd be lucky to get a box room that's big enough to get a single bed and suitcase in while sharing with six other people.

In the meantime, check out www.dubizzle.com for an idea of prices.

Dan1411

Oh dear, woops! Yes i meant 1000-1600 english pounds!

JLT and the Marina are two that keep cropping up.

I will be in Jebel Ali only once or twice a week, which is where the office is, so basing my housing around that would be pointless as i spend more time at home than at work. And when i am at work chances are i will be in Abu Dhabi or Qatar.

So ideally i am looking to base myself in a part of town that has a good amount of expats, is friendly, and has plenty to do.

Patsy Stoned

Young and single..I would suggest the Marina or JBR......... lots of lovely restaurants/bars/beach..just make sure that you are not too close to the road because the noise can be awful.
Welcome to the Bored

auzdafluff

Also, best piece of advice I can give is when viewing flats, try to do it around the time of call to pray. A loud mosque next door broadcasting the Azan at 5:30 in the morning is not a pleasant thing.

Oh, and don't be fooled by huge windows, especially if they are south facing and don't have a balcony above to shade the rooms. The temperature difference can be astonishing, and it will just push up your bills.