# Move to dubai ?



## ashcoombe (Jan 12, 2009)

HI
Thinking about moving from UK to Dubai, Been there a few times with wife and kids but are now ready to take the plunge. What is the cost living like?, we have done our research but wanted to check if were on the right track,we already have a villa there big enough for us (2 adults 2 kids aged 7 and 4) so there are no major housing costs. Wants to move for a better quality of life and a safer place for the kids to grow up. Any advice would be very helpfull.


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## Nickel (Dec 7, 2008)

Do you already have a job here? (sorry for being nosey)

In answer to your questions - cost of living here, IMHO, is very high: housing, schooling, food, clothes, etc. Ok, gasoline isn't but that seems to be the only thing that isn't. And if you are coming here to look for a job - your succes may be tied into what your profession is.


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## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the forum.

1st off, have a read through the stickies at top of Dubai's main page.
Lots of info in there for you.

Yes, cost of living is high here.

You will need an employer to sponsor you for residency here.
Are you coming here with work, or will you be arriving then searching for employment?

Housing tends to be the biggest expense for most people, but having a home here obviously makes that easier ( assuming you know the cost municipality fees, upkeep etc)

Schooling is the next biggest expense, and (sadly) even the cost of groceries has risen quite sharply in the past few months.

Have a read through some of the older posts, and yell out when you have more questions- we are all happy to help .


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## dallan (Oct 24, 2008)

ashcoombe said:


> HI
> Thinking about moving from UK to Dubai, Been there a few times with wife and kids but are now ready to take the plunge. What is the cost living like?, we have done our research but wanted to check if were on the right track,we already have a villa there big enough for us (2 adults 2 kids aged 7 and 4) so there are no major housing costs. Wants to move for a better quality of life and a safer place for the kids to grow up. Any advice would be very helpfull.


Hi there

My hubbys is already out in Dubai and we are following in April. Our main outgoings are housing and schooling. If you dont have housing to pay for thats a good start. Schooling can range depending on schools but our 6 yr old is costing us about 30,000aed so you will be around that for each of your children.This and rent is our biggest cost and this is what worries me!!! With regard to food he is finding a bit more expensive than the uk depending on what your likes are but not as much as what he had thought. He went out shopping at the weekend and bought furniture etc for the villa and some of it was cheeper than the uk and other bits were about the same (however again if you already a villa you may not have these costs). I would say as long as you get the usual allowances that employers give ie housing, car, medical insurance etc that would obviously help.

We decided for me and the children to wait a few months before coming out incase things didn't go according to plan and he didn't like things, although this doesn't seem to be the case as he has taken to it like a duck to water!!!

Hope this helps a bit

Debbie


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## ashcoombe (Jan 12, 2009)

Nickel said:


> Do you already have a job here? (sorry for being nosey)
> 
> In answer to your questions - cost of living here, IMHO, is very high: housing, schooling, food, clothes, etc. Ok, gasoline isn't but that seems to be the only thing that isn't. And if you are coming here to look for a job - your succes may be tied into what your profession is.



Thank you for the reply.
I dont have a job there but I am not coming over for work reasons, we want to move for a better life for the kids.
May open a business in the future but not for at least 6 months to a year.


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## ashcoombe (Jan 12, 2009)

sgilli3 said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum.
> 
> 1st off, have a read through the stickies at top of Dubai's main page.
> Lots of info in there for you.
> ...


Thankyou for replying 
From thee research we did cost of groceries etc are about the same as in uk. Could you explain a bit more about the municpality fees.


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## ashcoombe (Jan 12, 2009)

dallan said:


> Hi there
> 
> My hubbys is already out in Dubai and we are following in April. Our main outgoings are housing and schooling. If you dont have housing to pay for thats a good start. Schooling can range depending on schools but our 6 yr old is costing us about 30,000aed so you will be around that for each of your children.This and rent is our biggest cost and this is what worries me!!! With regard to food he is finding a bit more expensive than the uk depending on what your likes are but not as much as what he had thought. He went out shopping at the weekend and bought furniture etc for the villa and some of it was cheeper than the uk and other bits were about the same (however again if you already a villa you may not have these costs). I would say as long as you get the usual allowances that employers give ie housing, car, medical insurance etc that would obviously help.
> 
> ...



What does your husband say about the quality of life there. We have seen it from a holiday point of view, would be good to get the opinion of some parents.
good luck with your move I hope it all works out.


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## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

ashcoombe said:


> Thankyou for replying
> From thee research we did cost of groceries etc are about the same as in uk. Could you explain a bit more about the municpality fees.


There is a fee charged yearly.

I believe for property owners it is 5 % of the 10% of the property market value.

Who will sponsor your residency if you have no employment here?
Having a property doesnt mean there is automatic residency tied to it now.

To open a business here, you need either a local sponsor ( who owns 51% of business), open in a free zone ( which you can own- but there are regulations) or get a sponsor who accepts a yearly fee ( which is what we did with our business)


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## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Sorry- just wanted to add, that I am making the presumption that you own the property here.

If that is not the case and you are renting it from a friend ( for example), then the municipality fee is 5 % of your rent, which is divided into 12 monthly installments, and added to your DEWA bill each month.

DEWA is the Dubai Electricity + Water Authority.

Hope this helps a little.


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## ashcoombe (Jan 12, 2009)

sgilli3 said:


> There is a fee charged yearly.
> 
> I believe for property owners it is 5 % of the 10% of the property market value.
> 
> ...


The Visa has been arranged and the business idea just a thought but if was to happen I will be going down the yearly fee route. We want to see how the kids will settle in first. Can you tell some of the negatives about living in dubai as I am sure we haven't thought of everything, like I say we want a safer place for the kids with a good mix of east and western cultures .


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## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

ashcoombe said:


> The Visa has been arranged and the business idea just a thought but if was to happen I will be going down the yearly fee route. We want to see how the kids will settle in first. Can you tell some of the negatives about living in dubai as I am sure we haven't thought of everything, like I say we want a safer place for the kids with a good mix of east and western cultures .


Just a little unsure what you mean by visa has been arranged.
To complete your residency- you need to be here to have a medical ( all organized by your sponsor)

If you are coming from the UK- you will just get a visit visa from the airport upon arrival.

Im not in Dubai (but the next emirate, Sharjah)
I did spend many years in Dubai, but as our village was being demolished, we had to move.

Every place has its good and bad points, and people will all have different opinions.

For me, I find the standard of driving here abysmal.

But- I love the mix of cultures, and it has been a great experience for both us and the children.


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