# Abu Dhabi salary?



## Justastar

I've been offered a retail store manager job in Abu Dhabi

Salary 11900 AED
Housing 3400 AED
Transport 1700 AED

I'm a single guy with 10yrs + experience. Is this a good package? And would this be enough to live comfortably and save some money too? I would be needing a one bed flat to live.


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## Andy17

Justastar said:


> I've been offered a retail store manager job in Abu Dhabi
> 
> Salary 11900 AED
> Housing 3400 AED
> Transport 1700 AED
> 
> I'm a single guy with 10yrs + experience. Is this a good package? And would this be enough to live comfortably and save some money too? I would be needing a one bed flat to live.


If that is 3400 a month for housing its not enough. the cost of housing in Abu Dhabi has gone up recently. We just moved here and a 1 bed apartment is 85000 a year, and most places ask for a year up front. You can do it cheaper but it depends on what you are prepared to put up with.


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## Justastar

Thanks Andy.. Yea it is for a month. I should go back and ask for more


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## Andy17

Justastar said:


> Thanks Andy.. Yea it is for a month. I should go back and ask for more


Quote the change in Visa rules that require people working in Abu Dhabi to have a rent contract from Abu Dhabi. It is part of the reason for the rise of rents. You Can get places cheaper if you move further out of the city. Check out dubizzle and put in 40k as your maximum and see what if anything comes up. then keep going up until you find something you could live with and ask for that figure plus 10% because by the time you get here it will be about right. Also check out if they give you an interest free loan to pay the first years rent. rule of thumb divide aed figure by 5 to gat £ amount or use a currency converter programme if you have one to get an idea of the initial outlay. Also bear in mind the fees on finding a place 5k AED or 5% are usual. you will also have to furnish the place so check out the relocation help on offer.


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## Justastar

Andy17 said:


> If that is 3400 a month for housing its not enough. the cost of housing in Abu Dhabi has gone up recently. We just moved here and a 1 bed apartment is 85000 a year, and most places ask for a year up front. You can do it cheaper but it depends on what you are prepared to put up with.





Justastar said:


> Thanks Andy.. Yea it is for a month. I should go back and ask for more





Andy17 said:


> Quote the change in Visa rules that require people working in Abu Dhabi to have a rent contract from Abu Dhabi. It is part of the reason for the rise of rents. You Can get places cheaper if you move further out of the city. Check out dubizzle and put in 40k as your maximum and see what if anything comes up. then keep going up until you find something you could live with and ask for that figure plus 10% because by the time you get here it will be about right. Also check out if they give you an interest free loan to pay the first years rent. rule of thumb divide aed figure by 5 to gat £ amount or use a currency converter programme if you have one to get an idea of the initial outlay. Also bear in mind the fees on finding a place 5k AED or 5% are usual. you will also have to furnish the place so check out the relocation help on offer.



Thanks a lot Andy I'll look in to all that and will get back to them.


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## Andy17

Justastar said:


> Thanks a lot Andy I'll look in to all that and will get back to them.


good luck


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## Justastar

Thanks Andy


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## Rjayoub

Hey guys I need help in this too i have a job offer in Abu dhabi as well with a salary of 12000 AED (housing and transport included) should that be enaugh for me to live comfortably and save some money ?


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## imac

Rjayoub said:


> Hey guys I need help in this too i have a job offer in Abu dhabi as well with a salary of 12000 AED (housing and transport included) should that be enaugh for me to live comfortably and save some money ?


comfort is a matter of perspective... what constitutes comfort to you?

example... comfort for me is having someone else do *all* chores including cooking, cleaning and sending out the laundry... that means I have to pay someone else to do it for me... in addition to paying for the goods and services themselves...

comfort for others is buying a washing machine to do their own laundry... which means there is the initial cost of buying the machine, iron, and then on wards just the cost associated of operating the washing machine...

if its the first, then no, its not enough...


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## busybee2

Andy17 said:


> Quote the change in Visa rules that require people working in Abu Dhabi to have a rent contract from Abu Dhabi. It is part of the reason for the rise of rents. You Can get places cheaper if you move further out of the city. Check out dubizzle and put in 40k as your maximum and see what if anything comes up. then keep going up until you find something you could live with and ask for that figure plus 10% because by the time you get here it will be about right. Also check out if they give you an interest free loan to pay the first years rent. rule of thumb divide aed figure by 5 to gat £ amount or use a currency converter programme if you have one to get an idea of the initial outlay. Also bear in mind the fees on finding a place 5k AED or 5% are usual. you will also have to furnish the place so check out the relocation help on offer.


oooh i wish you could ask the company for more money just because of this new rule... you can ask but doubt it would get you anywhere. 5% is the fee, not 5k it depends on the value of the rent of course.


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## Andy17

busybee2 said:


> oooh i wish you could ask the company for more money just because of this new rule... you can ask but doubt it would get you anywhere. 5% is the fee, not 5k it depends on the value of the rent of course.


Indeed we only paid 5% however at the time of our search some agents were asking for 5K on property with a rent under 100000, maybe they should not have done so but it happened. This was the end of August so very recent. Also a perception on reading other threads is that employers tend to have more leeway on the housing costs and very little on the salary. The use of the recent law change argument is to demonstrate awareness of local conditions and a handle the employer could accept.


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## busybee2

yes and some agents will ask you for 100 aed for showing you around, this is illegal. the norm is 5% but its all open to negotiation a few years ago i negotiated it down as the guy only showed me 1 villa... on a property well over 200k so not much work for that money indeed. it also depends on the type of property they may well try to charge you more for the smaller units and the more popular ones etc.


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