# Moving to Dubai - Where to live



## marshallandyj (Mar 9, 2010)

Hi All

I am relocating to Dubai with wife and two children. I will be working in the airport. My wife won't work and our kids are both under 4. I am overwhelmed by the search for accommodation and possible locations.

Can anyone suggest a good location that won't be more than a 30 min journey to the airport and gives me wife easy access the beach, shops, cafe's, walks etc?

Thanks


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

marshallandyj said:


> Hi All
> 
> I am relocating to Dubai with wife and two children. I will be working in the airport. My wife won't work and our kids are both under 4. I am overwhelmed by the search for accommodation and possible locations.
> 
> ...


Just about all of Dubai? 

Har har har.

It comes down to budget more than anything else. How much will you spend on rent?


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## marshallandyj (Mar 9, 2010)

Max AED 200,000 per year


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

If my budget was 200k then I would go for a smaller and older villa in Jumeirah or Umm Suqeim. Best location, right by the beaches, scores of shops and restaurants and supermarkets within easy reach, equidistant from Dubai Mall and Mall of Emirates, Madinat Jumeirah, the Marina, Bur Dubai. Perfect location. Focus particularly on Jumierah 3 or Umm Suqeim 1. 

However, keep in mind that a 200k property has a 5% housing tax (10k a year, divided into 12 months and paid as part of the utilities bill), and the monthly operating expenses (electricity, water and air conditioning), which can range from 1,000-1,500 in the winter months to multiple thousands in the summer. 

If your overall housing budget including all expenditures is 200k maximum then you should be looking at properties around 150-160,000 a year. That will likely mean a 3-bedroom attached villa. There are many areas and places like the Ranches, Springs, even perhaps the Lakes, JVC/JVT, Victory Heights, which are all on the outskirts of Dubai, will have something. These are master planned housing estates. You're still not that far from the beaches on the weekends but there will be a lot of driving to shops for the basics. But if you look hard you might still be able to find a modest villa in Jumeirah / Umm Suqeim, especially as rents are falling.


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## marshallandyj (Mar 9, 2010)

Thanks so much for that info, Ireally appreciate it!


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## marshallandyj (Mar 9, 2010)

What is the Palm like?


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

marshallandyj said:


> What is the Palm like?


Huge amount of building work and traffic can be a nightmare at certain times of the day getting on and off ..... you budget wouldn’t get you a villa.


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## marshallandyj (Mar 9, 2010)

Apartment living (3 bed ) would be fine, doesn’t have to be villa


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## UKMS (Jan 9, 2017)

We looked at The Palm when we moved earlier in the year. Everyone has their own views but for me it was overpriced, traffic was a potential nightmare and I didn’t want the risk of renting an apartment next to a holiday let with associated problems that could bring. Giving you an example on traffic, we visited the Palm one evening last week we set off to drive home from close to the Atlantis around 6:45 and it took us almost an hour to get off the Palm competing with lorries and coaches of workers to/from the building sites. This has happened more than once to us and isn’t going to change anytime soon. 

We chose to live in Arabian Ranches 2 and we are very happy. There are many young families there. That said many people consider it too far out. But for us we can reach most places we want within a reasonable drive. 

If at all possible I would visit and have a look around at a few communities to get a feel.


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## DilysG (Dec 26, 2017)

I would have a look at some of the communities slightly further out, such as Arabian Ranches, Layan, Mira, Mudon and The Villa. You really don't want to spend half your life in the car travelling to work and back


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