# Things to bring to the UAE from the USA



## Amirtx

Hey everyone. My family (6 month old & spouse) and I will be moving to the UAE in November. My company is giving us a pretty good moving allowance, so we can pretty much ship anything. What all would it make sense to bring? Should we buy clothes, food, furniture,... and ship it there? Or is it cheaper to buy the stuff there?


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## TallyHo

You can find everything you need in the UAE.

But it will almost always be cheaper to buy it in the US.

Furniture and household goods at American brand stores in Dubai are between 15-40% more expensive than at the same store in the US. Ikea is also about 15% more expensive. On the other hand you can get cheap (and crappy furniture) for not much money. 

Don't bring food. Pointless. 

The one thing I would not bring would be electronics, including TVs. The voltage system is different over here. 



Amirtx said:


> Hey everyone. My family (6 month old & spouse) and I will be moving to the UAE in November. My company is giving us a pretty good moving allowance, so we can pretty much ship anything. What all would it make sense to bring? Should we buy clothes, food, furniture,... and ship it there? Or is it cheaper to buy the stuff there?


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## Mr Rossi

Clothes are far more expensive here than in the USA, most food types are available here but it's worth bringing the little treats that you just can't live without. Don't put any alcohol in your container or it will all get impounded. I'm not a parent but guessing that prams, buggies, sterlisers etc will be more expensive here too.

Furniture, I've no idea. Personally I find it functional and nothing else so was more than happy to sell up and stock up from Ikea and Dubizzle here to save hassle. Depends if you have emotional attachement or not but there are many stores here.

Some of the arabic furniture stores are properly kitsch though and would even have Elton John saying "that's a bit much".


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## Jumeirah Jim

Furniture is either cheap stuff (Ikea etc), mid priced Arabic bling/kitsch stuff usually in gold or v expensive decent western brands (way more than back home). If your company are paying I'd ship your own stuff.

Some electronics e.g. laptops will be fine despite the 240v here and will definitely be cheaper in the US.

Its also worth shipping any pictures etc you have to remind you of home.


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## Kawasutra

Jumeirah Jim said:


> Furniture is either cheap stuff (Ikea etc), mid priced Arabic bling/kitsch stuff usually in gold or v expensive decent western brands (way more than back home). If your company are paying I'd ship your own stuff.
> 
> Some electronics e.g. laptops will be fine despite the 240v here and will definitely be cheaper in the US.
> 
> Its also worth shipping any pictures etc you have to remind you of home.


Are you married to *Jumeira Jane*...


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## Guest

I think it's worth bringing your own furniture, especially if you will be living in a villa as it will be expensive to furnish the whole thing. It will also make it feel more like home having familiar stuff around, not to mention it'll be a hassle having to go buy new stuff.

Unless you have a multi region TV and DVD player, don't bring them as the system in Dubai works on PAL rather than NTSC. Region 1 DVD's will not work either

Other electronic things, eg computers, etc., are almost always 120/240 so will work, but you will need adapters. For some things you may need a converter to convert from 120 to 240. You can get those either in the US or in Dubai.

Definitely bring your gas grill, if you have one. You may need to change the fittings but you can get that done in Dubai

As has been said, most things are more expensive, so bring everything else (clothes, etc.) 

If there is some food that your baby loves, stock up on that & bring it as they may not necessarily have it here


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## Canuck_Sens

Hi,

Is your company offering furniture allowance as well ? If so then I think it is better to buy all the furniture here and leave yours back in US. You can rent your place furnished in US an idea....

You need to buy appliances here in the UAE. TV, dryer, washing machine...

The rest you can bring with you. Even the car if you want like I did. Everything else is cheaper in the US.


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## Lita_Rulez

Amirtx said:


> Hey everyone. My family (6 month old & spouse) and I will be moving to the UAE in November. My company is giving us a pretty good moving allowance, so we can pretty much ship anything. What all would it make sense to bring? Should we buy clothes, food, furniture,... and ship it there? Or is it cheaper to buy the stuff there?


Before you decide what to bring, just bear in mind that your might want to negotiate that your "pretty good" moving allowance will be at least as generous when it's time to go back.

Quite a few people I know got bitten in the *** by this one...


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## Amirtx

Thanks everyone. So eventhough there is HD programming, our TV won't work? As for our return back to the states, the allowance is the same as what they will give us to go there, but thanks for the heads up.


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## Guest

Amirtx said:


> Thanks everyone. So eventhough there is HD programming, our TV won't work? As for our return back to the states, the allowance is the same as what they will give us to go there, but thanks for the heads up.


Not unless it's a multi region TV (not very common in North America), so unless you bought it within the last few years it probably isn't, but you could check with the manufacturer.

It's not only the voltage that's different, it's also the broadcast format. The UAE uses the European PAL format whereas the US uses NTSC. DVD's from the US, which are NTSC won't work on PAL DVD players

If you buy a TV in Dubai, get a multi region one so you can use it when you return to the US


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## Coldubs

I just moved to Dubai a month ago and had the same issue as you (company shipping my things from USA and wondering what to buy). I ended up buying new clothes for work since clothes are a lot cheaper in the USA and it was a good decision. We did a lot of furniture shopping in USA specifically for a nice couch but we could not find anything that we liked. I find that there is more variety here in Dubai and contrary to what people have been saying in their replies, I have found furniture prices to be very similar. If you are a fan of any apple product, get it in the USA before coming, they are more expensive here. The one thing I regret not buying in the US was an iPhone, it ended up costing me more here and I could have bought in the US and unlocked it once I arrived. Definitely get the TVs here as the ones you have probably won't work and their is a very good variety at very good prices here. For the wife, any resistance based appliances (hair drier, straightners things like that) will not work and will probably get burnt out with a converter so expect to have to buy those here. Other than that, Dubai has absolutely everything you need. I come from Houston which is also a big city and I fnd that you can find more/better things here in Dubai. Hope this helps.


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## ccr

Coldubs said:


> ...The one thing I regret not buying in the US was an iPhone, it ended up costing me more here and I could have bought in the US and unlocked it once I arrived...


Might want to factor in the monthly US subscription costs (i.e. with AT&T or Sprint) since the lower cost of the phone is subsidized by the phone company.

Unless, of course, you meant buying an used iPhone to avoid subscription.


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## Coldubs

ccr said:


> Might want to factor in the monthly US subscription costs (i.e. with AT&T or Sprint) since the lower cost of the phone is subsidized by the phone company.
> 
> Unless, of course, you meant buying an used iPhone to avoid subscription.


You can get the iPhone from an Apple store without a plan for $499 or you can also look it up in amazon or ebay and get them for about $350. The one I bought here was almost $700. I looked it up in the states before I came but I never went buy it. Now I bought one for me and one for my wife and we could have saved around $400 if we would have bought it in the US.


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## CDN2012

Bring your things!


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## TheStegg

I would consider a private network router called a Cloakbox Pro from a company called Witopia. This will allow you to watch things like Netflix and Hulu and rent movies from iTunes and Amazon, which aren't accessible outside of the US. It makes it appear as though your computer is located within the US. Cable TV is pretty terrible over here, and my wife and I constantly watch shows via Netflix and Hulu.

If you go that route, I'd also buy a  Roku box, which can be bought from Amazon.com among other places. It connects to your HDTV and, using the Cloakbox, streams the video services I mentioned above. It's very easy and much more convenient that a laptop, etc.


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## TheStegg

Also, most relatively modern digital HDTV's automatically adjust to the different formats, NTSC and PAL. We brought over a couple of US region-specific NTSC devices (Roku, Nintendo Wii, etc) and were able to easily connect them to the Samsung TV we have over here.

No signal converter needed.


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## flyingcardgal

TheStegg said:


> Also, most relatively modern digital HDTV's automatically adjust to the different formats, NTSC and PAL. We brought over a couple of US region-specific NTSC devices (Roku, Nintendo Wii, etc) and were able to easily connect them to the Samsung TV we have over here.
> 
> No signal converter needed.


Great information Stegg - we are anticipating a move to Dubai in the New Year and have been wondering what to do with our one year old Sony, with all the bells and whistles. Will check to see if it is multi national and will pick up the Roku etc so we can continue with Netflix but have a question. With all our dvd's purchased in the USA, wouldn't we need to bring an American TV/DVD player in order to play those movies we already own or will purchase from the US? Just trying to get our heads wrapped around what to get rid of and what to bring!
Thanks for your input!


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## Guest

flyingcardgal said:


> Great information Stegg - we are anticipating a move to Dubai in the New Year and have been wondering what to do with our one year old Sony, with all the bells and whistles. Will check to see if it is multi national and will pick up the Roku etc so we can continue with Netflix but have a question. With all our dvd's purchased in the USA, wouldn't we need to bring an American TV/DVD player in order to play those movies we already own or will purchase from the US? Just trying to get our heads wrapped around what to get rid of and what to bring!
> Thanks for your input!


Your TV is only 1 year old, so chances are it will be multi region, or at least can be converted to the PAL broadcast. If your DVD player is NTSC only, i.e., not multi region, then you are right - you will need it to play DVD's bought in the US. DVD's from the US are NTSC and will not work on a PAL DVD player or TV


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## flyingcardgal

nola said:


> Your TV is only 1 year old, so chances are it will be multi region, or at least can be converted to the PAL broadcast. If your DVD player is NTSC only, i.e., not multi region, then you are right - you will need it to play DVD's bought in the US. DVD's from the US are NTSC and will not work on a PAL DVD player or TV


Thanks Nola, you rock. Guess we will pack it all up and bring it with us. Now to find a good moving company!


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## Tammie

nola said:


> Not unless it's a multi region TV (not very common in North America), so unless you bought it within the last few years it probably isn't, but you could check with the manufacturer.
> 
> It's not only the voltage that's different, it's also the broadcast format. The UAE uses the European PAL format whereas the US uses NTSC. DVD's from the US, which are NTSC won't work on PAL DVD players
> 
> If you buy a TV in Dubai, get a multi region one so you can use it when you return to the US


How can you find out what format your electronic machiens are in?


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## suzieq123

But you can always find the code online to hack into your DVD player to make it multi-region. It's just a series of buttons on your remote.


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## fcjb1970

Tammie said:


> How can you find out what format your electronic machiens are in?


If something has a detachable power cord that connects to the device, then next to (above, below, ..) where the male connector is on the device there will be a label of some sort. On that it will have something like

Power: 100V - 240V or Power: ~120V

Only things with the former (i.e., they show a range up to 240V) will work here.

Some devices may even have a switch (a PC computer might have this) which will show as 120 or 240.

For power cords that have a transformer for an AC in and DC out. On the transformer it will show the power range. Most of these do tend to work with 240, but need to check.


Anything that does not have a detachable cord is almost certainly be 120V only, but again if it is it will show on a label where the power cord connects to the device, if it does not say than it is 120V

Hope that helps


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## TheStegg

DVD players are readily available and very cheap over here. I wouldn't worry about picking one up once you get here if your current one is NTSC only.

Carrefour in the Mall of the Emirates, and Lulu's Hypermarket next door are both places with decent selections and reasonable prices.


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