# Cheaper in Dubai or USA?



## Coldubs

Hey all,

Our move to Dubai is getting closer and we were wondering about pricing for some things to see if we should purchase them here in the USA and bring them or if we should wait to buy them there. Any insight would be helpful on the following:

- LED TV around 46"
- Nice queen bed
- Leather couch
- Modern living room furniture (better than IKEA quality)
- Modern rug
- iPhone 4 (purchase in the US without plan is about $600 USD)
- New iMac Computer

(Company is paying for a container so shipping is not an issue)


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## Richdufai

Coldubs said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Our move to Dubai is getting closer and we were wondering about pricing for some things to see if we should purchase them here in the USA and bring them or if we should wait to buy them there. Any insight would be helpful on the following:
> 
> - LED TV around 46"
> - Nice queen bed
> - Leather couch
> - Modern living room furniture (better than IKEA quality)
> - Modern rug
> - iPhone 4 (purchase in the US without plan is about $600 USD)
> - New iMac Computer
> 
> (Company is paying for a container so shipping is not an issue)


I am in the same boat as you are. Having traveled to many places in the world, I can say one thing. As a rule electronics (nice brands) and clothing (branded) are cheapest in the US. The Iphone and Imac, no question, buy it from here . TV I am not sure myself because of the PAL/NTSC thing, but if you are buying brand new, from a price perspective, US will be cheaper. But I guess with HDMI cables it really does not matter.


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## saima1215

iPhone and iMac is cheaper to buy from US. You can get decent furniture here for a reasonable price. I'm not sure about the TV (PAL/NTSC) but I know they're cheaper in the US. Hope that helps


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## Canuck_Sens

Almost everything in US is cheaper than Dubai. I second Rich's post. Buy Iphone (unlocked) and TV here in Dubai. For any other TOP gadget buy in US. Do not worry with the plug adapters, you can find tons here for a very good price like a buck or two. For common gadgets like you know the FM transmitter that kind of stuff buy here in Dubai. 

Same for furniture buy in US, but if you are planning to buy a washing machine and a dryer buý them here in Dubai dont bring yours here. For Rugs, buy in Dubai they have pretty good stuff.

Clothing too pack it up in the US


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## LSU_Tiger

What about things like ceramic hair straighteners and blow dryers? I'm assuming because of the voltage change maybe best to buy them there to avoid frying hair? Chi straighteners are around $100 here...


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## Richdufai

Things like straighteners and dryers have to be dual voltage (110V/220V). They usually are if the brands are high end. Please check the spec. My wife's uses the same ones she has in the US when she travels to India which has the same voltage system as in UAE. No frying experienced yet  like Canuck mentioned, the plug compatability is not an issue.


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## saima1215

LSU_Tiger said:


> What about things like ceramic hair straighteners and blow dryers? I'm assuming because of the voltage change maybe best to buy them there to avoid frying hair? Chi straighteners are around $100 here...


You can buy a GHD since it's dual voltage and it's pretty much the best straightener. I got my blow dryer from here (Babyliss) and it's great and fairly priced.


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## LSU_Tiger

Richdufai said:


> Things like straighteners and dryers have to be dual voltage (110V/220V). They usually are if the brands are high end. Please check the spec. My wife's uses the same ones she has in the US when she travels to India which has the same voltage system as in UAE. No frying experienced yet  like Canuck mentioned, the plug compatability is not an issue.


Thanks guys! I'll check on the dual voltage thing...I think my hairdresser was just misinformed when she sold me on hair-frying horror stories before I went to Sydney last fall. Thanks also for the brand recommendations!


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## Sunset

For leather furniture I would buy in the US. Real leather here at a high end store can be very expensive. Most of the "leather" furniture here is made from a very thin piece of leather adhered to fabric. 

Queen size and king size mattresses are not the same size as the US. If you buy your mattress in the US, make sure you buy your bed linen there. If you buy your mattress here, good linen is very, very expensive.


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## Jynxgirl

If the company is paying for the container, then suggest bringing most of your items over. Except agree that shouldnt bring the washer dryer, unless your washer and dryer are220v. Check. My front loader whirpools were. Furniture here is expensive, once you get past the cheap stuff. If you have an led, bring it but wouldnt suggest buying a new one and then coming to have to get the pal converter. The tvs here though are cheap for what the techy of the two of you might consider older technology (year or two). Agree, get anything apple stuff in the usa. And dont forget to buy all accessories that you think you will need, there. Rugs are cheap here as well as those are one of the items that really should invest in here and take back quality rugs to the usa. They have really nice quality rugs but you will pay for quality ones. Just everyday living/trampling ones can be found pretty cheap. I had all my appliances sent over as couldnt find some things (crock pot) and then once I did find some, they prices were 4 or 5x's the similar priced item in the usa. I have a transformer sitting on the counter that I just change out all my kitchen appliances for and have had no issues. And check all the cords to see what is dual 110-240v. Quite a few are. 

Good luck.


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## ccr

Apple products are ~20% more expensive in UAE. Apple starts selling *unlocked* iPhone in the US so no need to buy in UAE.

I saw that LSUtiger is in Houston... There is a store on Kirby (near West University area) that specializes in International products (dual voltage/system: TV, washer/dryer, etc) if you have problem finding them.

Unless you can buy multi-system and voltage in US, buy them overseas to save hassle of shipping sensitive electronic (warranty issue, make sure to get global coverage).


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## snickerdoodle

We brought EVERYTHING with us from USA, here is what we REGRET bringing.......
1. Washer and Dryer (they are he and it is difficult to find laundry soap here)
2. Refrigerator
3. Kitchen appliances like blenders and such (it is a pain to always plug them into a converter, then they still dont work as well)
4. TV's (we had to buy PAL/NTSC coverter boxes and now the image is not as clear)

You can get good deals on all of these things here if you shop around! And it will be less hassle IMO!


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## ash_ak

snickerdoodle said:


> 4. TV's (we had to buy PAL/NTSC coverter boxes and now the image is not as clear)


What type of tv do you have, does it have a hdmi input?
Have you tried the Altona ntsc/pal converter. It connects via hdmi and is very clear, its available on amazon


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## Iron Horse

Be smart, travel light. Don't ship those appliances to Dubai, because you'll have to ship them back. Buy those items in Dubai. You can find decent things, bed, fridges, tv's, etc there. You'll have to unload them at a later date when you leave.

Get the phone and small items at home. Those things that can go with you in an emergency and you won't have to worry about the sentimental furniture you take with you.


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## CVDS

Does anyone know how much additional baggage is on Emirates? I tried to search the site and couldn't find it- I have not received my travel arrangements yet from my employer but they are not paying for me to ship items- So I am planning as iron horse says above "To Travel Light" but I am a little nervous about about just 2 suitcases and a carry on- I'm pretty sure I'm going to need at least 3 suitcases- I'm just wondering how much it will cost me in the long run for extra baggage


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## Richdufai

Call emirates at your local airport. Think it is like $100 usd per extra suitcase if my memory serves right. This is from the US of course


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## CVDS

Richdufai said:


> Call emirates at your local airport. Think it is like $100 usd per extra suitcase if my memory serves right. This is from the US of course


Awesome Rich! I appreciate it !!! Thank You! $100 isn't that bad!


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## Jynxgirl

Going overweight from 50 to 70lbs, is only a 25$ penalty fee for the first two bags  so stuff as much stuff in those things as possible, up to the 70lbs


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## Tropicana

Get Levis, Tommy Hilfiger etc if you wear them. The markup on Tommy Hilfiger is .....400%, not kidding, while on Levis it is ~300%


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## neilrock

From the UK, Emirates baggage allowance is 30kg for Economy, 40 for Business and 50 for First Class....

It is then £100 per 5 kg excess paid online or £25 per kg at the airport.

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


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## mitchell0417

most airlines offer unaccompanied excess baggage at a lower rate VIA their cargo arms. this means that your extra bag gets like a standby and comes over not on your flight but the next with a bit of capacity. airlines have to manage loads very carefully as the weight all translates to fuel and tend to come down hard on people going over to deter surprises. always best to speak to them before check in and work something out.


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## valentinetti0

Almost everything in US is cheaper than Dubai. I second Rich's post. Buy Iphone (unlocked) and TV here in Dubai. For any other TOP gadget buy in US. Do not worry with the plug adapters, you can find tons here for a very good price like a buck or two. For common gadgets like you know the FM transmitter that kind of stuff buy here in Dubai. 

Thanks!


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## readmetwice

Coldubs said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Our move to Dubai is getting closer and we were wondering about pricing for some things to see if we should purchase them here in the USA and bring them or if we should wait to buy them there. Any insight would be helpful on the following:
> 
> - LED TV around 46"
> - Nice queen bed
> - Leather couch
> - Modern living room furniture (better than IKEA quality)
> - Modern rug
> - iPhone 4 (purchase in the US without plan is about $600 USD)
> - New iMac Computer
> 
> (Company is paying for a container so shipping is not an issue)


-No- about same price and since they don't have integrated variable voltage unlike macs/iphone adapters it will fry overtime (I fried my panasonic)
-If you love it-depends if you mean bed& mattresses or just bed: 1. mattress & boxspring is not popular here, use a mattress over a wood frame with no box springs. 2. bed sizes differ, tend to be larger, queen is like a king , and the most popular size is a king that is like a super king in USA, mattress replacement/sheets will be a bit harder to find. 3. wont have a resale value given these variations (I threw away my boxspring when I purchased a new bed because it did not fit, queen mattress was a bit small)
-no
-no
-no
-Yes, unlocked or for a locked phone purchase a Gevey card here to unlock
-Yes, I had mine purchased there given its 20-30% more expensive here and most stock is standard, thus any special changes (higher Ram etc) available at Apple Stores is not available here (look at "jadoprado" or "souq" dot com for local electronics pricing)
-Hair straighteners/curlers will also fry overtime so purchase here; Funny straighteners are abundantly available because much more women in the region have curly/frizzy type hair. It was very hard for me to find a curler under US$100, found on sale one day

Checkout "dubizzle" dot com to get an idea of second hand prices for furniture and other items. Better than Ikea furniture will come from "The One" and "Marina" or higher end from Natuzzi.


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## Enzoo

i think its much cheaper here in Dubai because here its tax free .


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## readmetwice

Enzoo said:


> i think its much cheaper here in Dubai because here its tax free .


Watch out for the "tax free" false sense of saving. 

While "sales tax" is not applied to the in-store price, the price you see in the store has already been inflated by import, duty and "its my country tax" that can be equivalent or higher than sales or VAT tax.


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## XDoodlebugger

Enzoo said:


> i think its much cheaper here in Dubai because here its tax free .


The US us either cheaper or about the same on everything I have priced. Specifically I'm looking at a new Canon camera right now, the 7D is several hundred dollars more expensive here in Dubai. AED 8000+ here, AED 6800 in the US.

I bought a Sony S tablet here and it was only about $40 more, iPads are priced about the same.

Flat screen TV's are becoming cheap in the US.


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## Canuck_Sens

Why did you copy and paste my comment ? plagiarism ?



valentinetti0 said:


> Almost everything in US is cheaper than Dubai. I second Rich's post. Buy Iphone (unlocked) and TV here in Dubai. For any other TOP gadget buy in US. Do not worry with the plug adapters, you can find tons here for a very good price like a buck or two. For common gadgets like you know the FM transmitter that kind of stuff buy here in Dubai.
> 
> Thanks!


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## cami

readmetwice said:


> Watch out for the "tax free" false sense of saving.
> 
> While "sales tax" is not applied to the in-store price, the price you see in the store has already been inflated by import, duty and "its my country tax" that can be equivalent or higher than sales or VAT tax.


imagine the govt. takes up to 40% of your income on top of all that, and you'll figure out why some stick to using the "tax free" phrase.


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## readmetwice

Texans, and one more tidbit on what NOT to bring: Bullets! or anything banned in the UAE. 

Recently there was a debacle when a newly arrived employee of a multinational was jailed for having bullets hidden in his shipment. Apparently he forgot to remove them prior to packing and shipping his home belonging, no firearm only bullets. He spent a few days in jail until they released him. Embarrassing episode to say the least. 




cami said:


> imagine the govt. takes up to 40% of your income on top of all that, and you'll figure out why some stick to using the "tax free" phrase.


Cami I was referring to sales tax, as opposed to income tax, which I believe is what you are referring to as gov's 40%. Quite a diff point.


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## cami

readmetwice said:


> Cami I was referring to sales tax, as opposed to income tax, which I believe is what you are referring to as gov's 40%. Quite a diff point.


my bad. i'm obsessed with the latter...


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## MElady

Cami lol you and me both on the latter, what a horrific joke!! Great venting thread to be had though


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## cami

MElady said:


> Cami lol you and me both on the latter, what a horrific joke!! Great venting thread to be had though




what can i do... when i see "tax," i see red and nothing else.

but the poster who nudged me on my mistake was right. income tax is different. 

ok. i see red now


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## valentinetti0

I think its much cheaper here in Dubai because here its tax free . 

Thanks!


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## rsinner

valentinetti0 said:


> I think its much cheaper here in Dubai because here its tax free .
> 
> Thanks!


No its not cheaper in Dubai. People have already posted that most things are more expensive, so please don't be misled


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## Elphaba

valentinetti0 said:


> I think its much cheaper here in Dubai because here its tax free .
> 
> Thanks!



Apart from taxes on alcohol and pork, Salik, Housing fee, sales and tourist taxes and the rest!

Income is not taxed at source but that doesn't mean that everyone is exempt from taxes or other taxes (or a tax by any other name) are not levied.


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## woohoo

Check the Carrefour website for an idea on prices. There is an online shop which has groceries and electrical and lots more. It's something like ic4uae dot com or sorry not 100% sure. Do a google search on Carrefour UAE online and it will come up. It gave me a good indication of what prices were like over there.


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