# Young man potentially moving to Dubai



## shane17 (Jul 11, 2014)

Hi everyone

I'm a 27 year web designer who is two years out of university. I'm close to being offered a position in Dubai. I currently earn £22k in a lower junior position but I will be promoted and given a rise to mid to late £20's in the next 6 months.

A Dubai company have offered me a starting salary of £30k (tax free) but I'm confident/hoping I can get them up to nearer £35k. The job role appeals to me and I'm excited about the prospect of moving to a foreign country. The money is not massively important to me as I'm thinking the life experience will compensate for that, but obviously I want more disposable income than before.

I have no girlfriend, wife or children and only need to support myself.

It seems the accommodation will take a large chunk out of my salary. I currently pay a massive 38% of my salary on my rent in the UK which includes all bills etc. My current house is lovely, nicely furnished and I certainly wouldn't want to move into a horrible flat/studio over there.

30 % of £30k is 57k AED. 
40% of £30k is 75k AED
Would this be a realistic rent budget? I'm taking in mind I won't be having to pay for my car so I would go as high as 40%.
What would the house quality be like? Nicely furnished? I don't need something massive. A studio flat would do me fine as long as the area is relatively nice and respectable. I'm not bothered about being around bars, noise etc, that would probably be my preference! Dubai Marina is where I would be working so don't want to be too far from there.

What are the rules on shared accommodation with the laws over there? In the UK I house share but not sure if that's acceptable over there?

I have a million questions but that's the most important! Need to ensure I would be financially secure!


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## dleemartin (Apr 29, 2014)

Similar situation to me, been here 4 weeks. JLT sounds good for you around aed70k will get a nice size studio in a decent building and it's just across (10mins) from marina. With that salary I think you could save a nice amount of your not boozing all the time and manage your money.


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## shane17 (Jul 11, 2014)

dleemartin said:


> Similar situation to me, been here 4 weeks. JLT sounds good for you around aed70k will get a nice size studio in a decent building and it's just across (10mins) from marina. With that salary I think you could save a nice amount of your not boozing all the time and manage your money.


Thanks very much for your reply.

AED70k is roughly £11500 so I'm going to be left with £350 or so a week which is far more than I have here!

How much would bills be on top of the AED70k. What's the total amount I would need to basically ensure I've a place to stay and bills paid?

Won't be drinking too much! How much is a pint/bottle of beer/larger by the way?


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## dleemartin (Apr 29, 2014)

Bills are done on a simple system which is paid monthly at 5% of your annual rent pretty simple and maybe aircon at £30-50 approx so you can gage monthly outgoings pretty easy. 

Beer wise can range from 30aed to 45 depends if you get happy hours or not, few all you can drink locations too for 200-300aed


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## shane17 (Jul 11, 2014)

dleemartin said:


> Bills are done on a simple system which is paid monthly at 5% of your annual rent pretty simple and maybe aircon at £30-50 approx so you can gage monthly outgoings pretty easy.
> 
> Beer wise can range from 30aed to 45 depends if you get happy hours or not, few all you can drink locations too for 200-300aed



Hmm ok so that's another £7200 per year. 

That's almost £19k a year just for the house? Seems an awful lot? Is my maths right here?

AED70k rent - £11200
AED3500 monthly - x 12 - AED42k - £6680
Air con per year - £600

TOTAL £18.5k??

So down to £200 disposable income per week which isn't too much more than I have now tbh.


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## Zeeshan08 (Sep 15, 2013)

shane17 said:


> Hmm ok so that's another £7200 per year.
> 
> That's almost £19k a year just for the house? Seems an awful lot? Is my maths right here?
> 
> ...


I think when he said 5% its not 5% every month...its 5% total. So it's not 3500 AED monthly, its 3500 AED annually, or around 290-300 AED monthly for bills. 

Now according to my calculation, anyway, that's not quite accurate. There is the nonsense "housing fee" which will be 5%, so 3500 AED but your electricity and water can vary. If you are just paying electricity and water (free chiller in the building), your bill will be in the 200-300 AED range. If you are paying electricity water plus chiller, it can go up to 1000 AED for the summer months. But let's say for example you get a building where chiller (AC) is free....

AED 70K rent
AED 3500 housing fee
AED 3600 DEWA (electric and water)

so 77,100 per year for your accommodation cost.


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## shane17 (Jul 11, 2014)

Zeeshan08 said:


> I think when he said 5% its not 5% every month...its 5% total. So it's not 3500 AED monthly, its 3500 AED annually, or around 290-300 AED monthly for bills.
> .



Thank you very much for that breakdown.

That sounds much MUCH better! I thought I was missing a trick!

Leaves £17.5k from my £30k / 52 == £336 per week || £1.35k month disposable 
Which is more than my current salary before I pay my rent etc!

I'm going to really push for more money but even with those figures I will be significantly better off not to mention it's a good opportunity for me to see the world!

Thanks very much for your feedback. Spent hours looking through all the forum tonight and learnt loads!


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Just be aware that rents are normally paid anywhere between 1-4 cheques for the year, not on a monthly basis. Can you come up with six months' rent upfront? On top of the rent there's the 5% agent's fee for renting the apartment (yes, you pay the agent the fee, not the landlord). Then there's the deposit to dewa for the utilities, which is 1,000 AED, and another deposit if you have chiller charges. It all adds up in the beginning.

It may not sound ideal to you but have you considered flat sharing for at least half a year before renting a place? 5,000/month should get you a room in a decent flatshare somewhere in the Marina/JLT end of town and that will cover all your expenses. 

Dubai is very expensive. Dubai is always more expensive than most people realise before moving here, no matter how careful their research may be. The advantage of flat sharing is that it gives you time to know the city, to settle into your job (and to make sure it's going to work out!), to see what's affordable and what's not, to have an idea of what your outgoings are going to be and what you can genuinely afford to spend on rent, to save up the money required for the initial rent payment, and, of course, to meet other people.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

One more point - you mention 'house' in this thread and the figures you're being quoted related to a studio. That's a one-room apartment.


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## BringBackBuck8 (Sep 20, 2013)

Was just going to say that; studio apartments are small; basically a hotel room with a small kitchen.


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## shane17 (Jul 11, 2014)

BringBackBuck8 said:


> Was just going to say that; studio apartments are small; basically a hotel room with a small kitchen.


Hi all

Again thanks for your comments. Yes I'm aware of the fact that it will be a small studio as opposed to a 'house'!. I'm mostly comparing it to London(price wise) and to be honest it seems very similar as far as housing, food, beer etc goes.

I'm not bothered about it being expensive. I'm not aiming to go there and save a fortune. My aim is to go there and live as comfortable if not more than I do now. As I said previously it's the life experience that I'm after.

Yes I did ask about the flat sharing initially. What are the rules on this with the laws? I can't live with anyone of the opposite sex? I am very much open to that as it's what I do now. How would I go about finding these flat shares?

Coming up with £5-6k rent up front would be challenging but I could sort something. My potential workplace sound eager to help me settle too. They put me up for x amount of time before I find my own place.

I'm getting a bit confused with all theses fees. So I pay 5% to the agent on top of the 5% bills charge?

Is the £77,100 budget mentioned by Zeeshan08 for EVERYTHING looking doable if I were on my own?


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Technically it's illegal to share with the opposite sex, but many do it. Especially westerners. It's quite common. Flat share among same sex is not illegal.

Let me give you a breakdown of the expenses of renting a studio. I checked Dubizzle and found a studio advertised in a decent building the Marina for 65K. Let's assume you can get it in two cheques for the year. 

1st six month's rent = 32,500 AED
5% agent's fee (one time expense) = 3,250 AED
5% deposit to the landlord (refundable at end of lease): 3,250 AED
DEWA hook up/deposit = 1,000 AED
Note: No chiller/air conditioning/district cooling charges in Marina apartments, except for JBR. 

So, just to move into the place you'll need to have 40,000 AED. Six months later you'll need to have another 32,500 AED in your bank to pay the second rent installment. 

Then you need to furnish the studio. You'll need a bed. A table with a chair. A tv? Cooking supplies. At the minimum you'll probably spend close to 5,000 equipping the studio with your bare necessities, remember this includes linens, towels, pots and pans, plates, knives and forks. It all adds up even if you only have a bed and a table and a chair! Where will you buy all these things? Great deals on barely used furnishings can be had on Dubizzle from departing expats, but you need to figure out how to transport the bed or sofa to your new flat. Once again, more hidden expenses. 

Now, monthly expenses. There are two: dewa and internet.

Dewa for the studio will include the 5% housing tax, broken down by 12 months. That's 270 a month. Plus another 100 AEd for a typical month's usage. 370 AED (or 4,440 AED annually).

Oh, then of course there's the internet/tv package. You probably still want the internet even if you forgo the tv part of it. 200/month is probably the going rate for the cheapest internet package (with no extras and no tv programming). That adds up to 2,400 AED annually.

Total cost of the studio in your first year:

Rent: 65,000 AED
Agent's fee: 3,250
Deposit: 3,250
Annual dewa (including deposit): 5,440 AED
Annual internet: 2,400 AED
Furniture and household goods: 5,000 AED
Total = 84,340 AED

The good news is that in your second year it's only the rent + annual dewa + internet.

In all honesty, you're better off finding a good flatshare that's all inclusive and comes with the basic supplies. You'll have a lot more money to play around with, travel, socialise and experience Dubai.


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## shane17 (Jul 11, 2014)

AED sounds good to me but you're probably right. A flatshare is a good option. However I'm a little concerned about breaking the law. It's nice of you to assure me but that wouldn't be much help if I were arrested and fined/jailed?

Do these rental properties not come furnished?

I appreciate all your comments. Thank you very much.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

You can find furnished flats but you always pay a premium and it's quite stiff. Much more than kitting out the place yourself.

It's not illegal to share with the same sex. Many people, actually, most singles your age will be flatsharing and I wouldn't be surprised if half the apartments in the Marina are flatshares. The authorities don't arrest people for flatsharing. If you're worried then find an all-men's flat. 



shane17 said:


> AED sounds good to me but you're probably right. A flatshare is a good option. However I'm a little concerned about breaking the law. It's nice of you to assure me but that wouldn't be much help if I were arrested and fined/jailed?
> 
> Do these rental properties not come furnished?
> 
> I appreciate all your comments. Thank you very much.


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## Zeeshan08 (Sep 15, 2013)

shane17 said:


> Hi all
> 
> Again thanks for your comments. Yes I'm aware of the fact that it will be a small studio as opposed to a 'house'!. I'm mostly comparing it to London(price wise) and to be honest it seems very similar as far as housing, food, beer etc goes.
> 
> ...


My 77,100 AED was just the rent + housing fee, its not really "all inclusive". The above reply with the breakdown of deposits etc is much more accurate. I will say however, its possible you'll find a place that does 3 checks or 4 checks so you wouldnt have to pay half the rent up front. 

As far as flat sharing as mentioned above, if you're not opposed to that option, it's a great way for you to save money, live in a good area, and really get to know dubai and save for the up front costs before you decide to get your own place so def look into that. Wouldn't hurt to flat share for 6 months then get your own place. You should have a nice tidy savings by then to furnish etc by then.


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## Windsweptdragon (Aug 12, 2012)

TallyHo said:


> *It's not illegal to share with the same sex*. Many people, actually, most singles your age will be flatsharing and I wouldn't be surprised if half the apartments in the Marina are flatshares. The authorities don't arrest people for flatsharing. If you're worried then find an all-men's flat.


It is, one of the more famous flat share buildings in Business Bay had to reorganise their tenants so there were no more mixed apartments. I believe this was after a compliant was made and consequently followed through from police. 

To the original poster... With your salary flat sharing is the way to go for sure. Loads of apartments in Marina or on Sheikh Zayed Road which will be around 4000aed a month. Excellent way for you to meet people too.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

So....in other words, it's not illegal to share with people of the same sex, correct? Which is what I said 

Mixed is illegal, same gender is not illegal. After all, Emirates would be in deep **** given all their crew live in shared accommodation. 

What happened to the people in the Business Bay apartments? Were they arrested and deported or just required to move around into single gender flats?



Windsweptdragon said:


> It is, one of the more famous flat share buildings in Business Bay had to reorganize their tenants so there were no more mixed apartments. I believe this was after a compliant was made and consequently followed through from police.
> 
> To the original poster... With your salary flat sharing is the way to go for sure. Loads of apartments in Marina or on Sheikh Zayed Road which will be around 4000aed a month. Excellent way for you to meet people too.


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## Windsweptdragon (Aug 12, 2012)

TallyHo said:


> So....in other words, it's not illegal to share with people of the same sex, correct? Which is what I said
> 
> Mixed is illegal, same gender is not illegal. After all, Emirates would be in deep **** given all their crew live in shared accommodation.
> 
> What happened to the people in the Business Bay apartments? Were they arrested and deported or just required to move around into single gender flats?


My apologies TallyHo, obviously totally misread what you said. 

Quite a few of my friends lived in the building at the time, from my understanding there were no threats to the residents from law enforcement, all trouble would be to the landlords of the building as they were the ones who assigned the people the rooms. Took quite a bit of sorting out as you can imagine.


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## shane17 (Jul 11, 2014)

Ok great. Flat sharing sounds like the way forward for me! At least initially anyway.

Where would I go about finding these? Are they openly advertised on dubizzle given the laws? (I haven't looked yet) If anyone has any other links or methods of finding these that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


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