# Considering Moving



## ChrisRev (Jun 12, 2014)

Hi everyone, I'm sure you see these sorts of messages a lot, so please go easy on me!

I'm contemplating relocating to Dubai for work and I'm just interested in knowing a bit more about what I should expect, both the pros and the cons. I have spoken to the person I would be replacing and she's told that

There is no tax on income or any form of council tax (aside from a housing fee of 5%)
Flat sharing is the best option for accommodation 
Meeting people is easy
So to expand on that, what other regular bills etc should I expect? I'm trying to balance out whether I will be better off in Dubai than I am currently in the UK at the end of each month based on a 25k salary and £700 per month rent, bills etc.

My role could involve travelling for weeks at a time around other countries in the region, so while a flatshare would be preferable, how easy would it be for 28 year old guy to find a flatshare?

Is it easy to find things to do in Dubai, I'm less concerned with bars and clubs and thinking more about sport. Are there football/rugby pitches and people who will knock a ball about etc.

How easy is it to get about, and are you better off relying on public transport and taxis to move around in both Dubai and the UAE, or is it a better bet hiring/buying a cheap (if such a things exists.) car?

Any help you can provide would be great, I'm still not 100% if I want to make the move, but I need to know all I can before making an informed decision.

Thanks in advance,

Chris.


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## rareware (Aug 19, 2013)

there is a lot of gym in dubai and anything you want to buy check dubizille.For Rent ,yes check for sharing unless you have a wife(same websie).Public transport is exellent.
Do not and don't even think about a car in dubai.They are a lot of fine here for even a smalllllll mistake.Just take money and go back to your home


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

The majority of your questions can be easily answered by pouring yourself a glass of wine / beer, and spending an hour or two reading the relevant threads.

Start with the 'sticky' threads at the top of the page, which cover housing, cars, jobs, salaries, meeting people etc.

Use the search function for more detailed queries.

Come back tomorrow with more focused questions.

good luck!

yes - you can live a full and active live, involvin galmost any sport of your choice here, from darts to football to sailing to rugby to under-water basketweaving. it does not all revolve around gold leaf, nightclubs and bling.


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

rareware said:


> there is a lot of gym in dubai and anything you want to buy check dubizille.For Rent ,yes check for sharing unless you have a wife(same websie).Public transport is exellent.
> Do not and don't even think about a car in dubai.They are a lot of fine here for even a smalllllll mistake.Just take money and go back to your home


i am not sure your post offers much advice at all!

a car is a necessity for some. It is not necessary for others.
yes, the fines are big, but only if you drive like an idiot.


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## Berry899 (Feb 23, 2014)

vantage said:


> i am not sure your post offers much advice at all!
> 
> a car is a necessity for some. It is not necessary for others.
> yes, *the fines are big*, but only if you drive like an idiot.


Yup, my wife picked up a nice little 1550 AED bill ON TOP of our monthly car rental bill! 

250AED parking fine, 650AED speeding fine (we only have a Yaris, how she got up to the speed required to warrant that big a fine I'll never know) and 650AED on a new tyre AND wheel after she hit a monstrous pothole while in Al Furjan after I initially warned her by screaming "MIND THAT POTHOLE", she didn't mind it :frusty:


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## brinks (Jun 12, 2014)

Dubai maybe a tax free city, but the fees and penalties sometimes could ridiculously get high very quickly. Cost of living is extremely high.


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## AJ-Brightonbythesea (Nov 4, 2013)

Berry899 said:


> Yup, my wife picked up a nice little 1550 AED bill ON TOP of our monthly car rental bill!
> 
> 250AED parking fine, 650AED speeding fine (we only have a Yaris, how she got up to the speed required to warrant that big a fine I'll never know) and 650AED on a new tyre AND wheel after she hit a monstrous pothole while in Al Furjan after I initially warned her by screaming "MIND THAT POTHOLE", she didn't mind it :frusty:


Hi

Seems reasonable

Minimum UK parking fine 350AED 
Minimum UK speeding fine (fixed) 350 AED +3 / 6 points. New maximum is 50000AED!!! 
I was charged a premium of 1000AED for a scratched wing on hire car... New wheel and tyre? Who knows 2500 excess minimum....

Just my thoughts


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

If your office is near a metro stop and you find a flat share near a metro stop, it's perfectly doable to live without a car, especially if you travel frequently for work. Taxis are cheap and can be used to get to the sporting or social events. 

If your office is not near a metro stop, you will want a car. 

You mentioned you currently make 25K in the UK, which is the equivalent to 13,000 AED/month in AED (salaries are quoted monthly here). 13K is a piss poor salary for a western expat. It's livable but you will have to be very tight as your housing expenses in a flatshare will run between 4,000 to 6,000, with the higher figure probably more realistic these days. I would not make the move for any less than 18K as a bare minimum for a single western expat, and above 20K is better.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

the OP hasn't said what their qualifications are as that has a huge bearing on salaries here.


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

Berry899 said:


> Yup, my wife picked up a nice little 1550 AED bill ON TOP of our monthly car rental bill!
> 
> 250AED parking fine, 650AED speeding fine (we only have a Yaris, how she got up to the speed required to warrant that big a fine I'll never know) and 650AED on a new tyre AND wheel after she hit a monstrous pothole while in Al Furjan after I initially warned her by screaming "MIND THAT POTHOLE", she didn't mind it :frusty:


It doesn't matter if you are 1 km/hour over or 20, it will be 650. I never get hit out on the freeways, it's the 60 and 80 km zones like on Hessa that get me. Nice roads and I just space sometimes.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Eight years in Dubai.

Two parking tickets and one 'light lane infringement' whatever that may be.

No speeding tickets 

So far so good. 

I did, however, once have a ticket appear on my RTA account. It was in Sharjah and I had no idea why/how as I hadn't been in Sharjah in ages. Then a month later it mysteriously disappeared. Glitch in the system?

Yeah, one needs to be extra careful whilst driving on Hessa or Al Wasl or the Beach Road. Get careless, go above the limit by a few kms and it's the flashing lights. 



XDoodle****** said:


> It doesn't matter if you are 1 km/hour over or 20, it will be 650. I never get hit out on the freeways, it's the 60 and 80 km zones like on Hessa that get me. Nice roads and I just space sometimes.


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## ChrisRev (Jun 12, 2014)

twowheelsgood said:


> the OP hasn't said what their qualifications are as that has a huge bearing on salaries here.


I would still be working for the same company as I do now, it's just a relocation to take over a role that our Dubai-based member of staff currently does, so I'd be salaried as I am now, just working in Dubai. This apparently means that I still pay tax in the UK though.

It looks like I wouldn't be moving permanently in any case, instead I'd be in Dubai Feb-May and Sept-Nov and required to travel around the region on business as required, returning to the UK during the gaps. 

Would that complicate matters in finding accommodation? I don't know how available a 3 month lease somewhere would be, and I doubt that most people would want to share a place with someone who is in and out of the country all the time. I would also imagine that this would probably be more expensive than simply renting a place long term.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

If the company wants you in the UAE on two separate short term basis, then the company needs to put you up in a hotel apartment and pay for the accommodation expenses. 

It's possible to find flat shares for only a few months. Quite a few landlords rent out rooms in their apartments to anyone who comes along, which isn't the same as a friendly flatshare but could work for your situation. But can you pay Dubai rent + your existing accommodation expenses in the UK, and on the same salary?

You need to talk to the company about what they will provide for you. The company really should be paying for your Dubai expenses as you'd be here on a temporary basis. 



ChrisRev said:


> I would still be working for the same company as I do now, it's just a relocation to take over a role that our Dubai-based member of staff currently does, so I'd be salaried as I am now, just working in Dubai. This apparently means that I still pay tax in the UK though.
> 
> It looks like I wouldn't be moving permanently in any case, instead I'd be in Dubai Feb-May and Sept-Nov and required to travel around the region on business as required, returning to the UK during the gaps.
> 
> Would that complicate matters in finding accommodation? I don't know how available a 3 month lease somewhere would be, and I doubt that most people would want to share a place with someone who is in and out of the country all the time. I would also imagine that this would probably be more expensive than simply renting a place long term.


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