# You Can't Live In Dubai On A Wage Under 250,000 AED per year.



## alli

So many threads with job offers, I thought I would just put it out there.

Doesn't matter what you do, or where you are from.

If your package isn't *at least 250,000 AED per year *(20833 per month) then you are wasting your time and you'll lose money.

Points to note

- RENT IS SUPER EXPENSIVE. a 1BR Apartment costs 100,000 AED and you have to pay that *as soon as you sign the lease, all at once*.

- Places that are cheap are cheap for a reason!!!! noisy, dusty, next to the sewerage plant... etc

- Make sure your offer includes comprehensive medical insurance

- Most of the time, the "relocation allowance" will only cover shipping items from your home to Dubai - not for purchasing furniture or anything like that! Make sure you read the fine print!
Of course everyone's situation is different, but everyone seems to be asking the same thing. If the company is offering you less than 250k per year then they are taking complete advantage of you.


<3 alli


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## wattsy

thanks Alli.
Moving away from salary questions...
Are there many things for mums and kids to do while I'm at work? or do you recommend school/childcare for kids aged 4+ and my wife to get a job?

interested in your thoughts..


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## Geordie Armani

school for sure, mine went at three, basically all the kids do here otherwise you can't get a place for when they are 4. Work if she wants but she would be lucky to find a job that fits round school hours.


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## BLM

Alli can I just clarify, do you mean Dhs 250,000 per year for a couple? And if so, does this include school fees etc? 

Just playing devils advocate here and because I'm going to be earning just over Dhs 260,000 and I think I'm going to be saving quite a bit of money for my nest egg! But my partner will be earning about the same...


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## Elphaba

BLM said:


> Alli can I just clarify, do you mean Dhs 250,000 per year for a couple? And if so, does this include school fees etc?
> 
> Just playing devils advocate here and because I'm going to be earning just over Dhs 260,000 and I think I'm going to be saving quite a bit of money for my nest egg! But my partner will be earning about the same...



If will both be earning that kind of amount you'll be fine. In many cases however, there is a trailing spouse and one income has to support a spouse and children.


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## alli

Elphaba said:


> If will both be earning that kind of amount you'll be fine. In many cases however, there is a trailing spouse and one income has to support a spouse and children.



exactly.
If both of you are earning the same money, you will be laughing!


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## alli

wattsy said:


> thanks Alli.
> Moving away from salary questions...
> Are there many things for mums and kids to do while I'm at work? or do you recommend school/childcare for kids aged 4+ and my wife to get a job?
> 
> interested in your thoughts..



There's a whole seperate process if your wife wants to work.
I'll be one of these wives, and will be actively looking for a job once I get to Dubai, but firstly you have to sponsor your wife to get residency - and only once she has residency can she apply for jobs.

Just so you know, what we have to do before we go over (we're aussie)
- get our marriage certificate certified by the dept of foreign affairs
- get the certified marriage certificate endorsed by the UAE consulate


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## Guest

Wife or Husband automatically qualifies for residency visa on the respective partners' visa, and so do any dependents, eg: kids, but not the Mother In-Law haha!!


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## Elphaba

Jonathan2008 said:


> Wife or Husband automatically qualifies for residency visa on the respective partners' visa, and so do any dependents, eg: kids, but not the Mother In-Law haha!!



WRONG again!! Please stop commenting when you don't know the facts. 

Woman cannot automatically sponsor their husbands. Only those in certain professions and/or earning a high income can do this.


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## Guest

Crikey, thats a high horse you're on!


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## Elphaba

Either stop telling people seriously incorrect information or stop posting.

You are doing way more harm than good and my role here is to ensure that people are helped. I will remove future incorrect posts.


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## Equus08

alli said:


> - RENT IS SUPER EXPENSIVE. a 1BR Apartment costs 100,000 AED and you have to pay that *as soon as you sign the lease, all at once*.
> 
> <3 alli


In some cases, you dont have to pay the whole amount. I got my flat via a 3-cheque method. First payment in cash, 2nd to 4th via post-dated cheques spaced quarterly.

FYI I have a 2BR flat in Bur Dubai area in a brand-new building with nice amenities (pool, gym, sauna and parking) for 120K.

Cheers!


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## Elphaba

Nice to hear that there are still some decent landlords out there. 

Much easier to pay quarterly - the annual system is just plain daft & greedy IMO.





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## FragilePsycho

I suppose 250,000 includes accomodation/car/insurance,etc right? How much basic salary will be comfortable for 2 people if accomodation etc are being coverd by the company?




alli said:


> So many threads with job offers, I thought I would just put it out there.
> 
> Doesn't matter what you do, or where you are from.
> 
> If your package isn't *at least 250,000 AED per year *(20833 per month) then you are wasting your time and you'll lose money.
> 
> Points to note
> 
> - RENT IS SUPER EXPENSIVE. a 1BR Apartment costs 100,000 AED and you have to pay that *as soon as you sign the lease, all at once*.
> 
> - Places that are cheap are cheap for a reason!!!! noisy, dusty, next to the sewerage plant... etc
> 
> - Make sure your offer includes comprehensive medical insurance
> 
> - Most of the time, the "relocation allowance" will only cover shipping items from your home to Dubai - not for purchasing furniture or anything like that! Make sure you read the fine print!
> Of course everyone's situation is different, but everyone seems to be asking the same thing. If the company is offering you less than 250k per year then they are taking complete advantage of you.
> 
> 
> <3 alli


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## alli

Equus - Where are you living? Does your landlord have any other places they wish to rent??? It would be awesome if we didnt have to pay upfront!! 

fragile, if work was paying for your accommodation, then I would say they are giving you an allowance - not just paying any old amount, or else you'd get a villa on the beach which costs 50000 a week!

What's the particulars of your contract? Of course don't tell us the company, but if you give us the details we can assist you further.

but yes, my initial post implied that your total package including accommodation, transport and whatever else, should be no less than 250,000 per year. Any less than that and you will suffer.


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## FragilePsycho

my boss is paying for it....not giving me a fix amount of money for rent. I actually prefer that anyway, reading all the threads here seem like rent goes up by a crazy amount every year.

I don't know the particulars of the terms yet...the firm I work for doesn't have a company in Dubai...He wants to ship me over to start one up...now I need to figure out the cost of a car and to hire a maid. Is Dubizzle a good source?


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## Elphaba

For car hire costs have a look at the Hertz site to start with.

You need a full-time live-in maid?? Initial sponsorship is around Dhs 5-8000 I think and average wage is Dhs 1,400 plus food etc.


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## FragilePsycho

Great thanks! I will check it out.

No, I don't need a full-time maid....just someone come over and clean up the place 4-6hrs a week I think.


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## Elphaba

FragilePsycho said:


> Great thanks! I will check it out.
> 
> No, I don't need a full-time maid....just someone come over and clean up the place 4-6hrs a week I think.


In that case you need an agency maid.

Let me know when you get here & I'll give you some names & tel nos. Cost is between Dhs 25-30 per hour with a minimum of 4 hours a time.

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## FragilePsycho

Will do. Thank you for all the advice, Elphaba.


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## McBook

Equus08 said:


> In some cases, you dont have to pay the whole amount. I got my flat via a 3-cheque method. First payment in cash, 2nd to 4th via post-dated cheques spaced quarterly.
> 
> FYI I have a 2BR flat in Bur Dubai area in a brand-new building with nice amenities (pool, gym, sauna and parking) for 120K.
> 
> Cheers!


Where are you in Bur Dubai, Equus? I quite like the area and am thinking about getting a flat there when i come over next month. Did you go through an agency to find your place? If so, which one?

Cheers


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## yamahar6

*Help*



FragilePsycho said:


> my boss is paying for it....not giving me a fix amount of money for rent. I actually prefer that anyway, reading all the threads here seem like rent goes up by a crazy amount every year.
> 
> I don't know the particulars of the terms yet...the firm I work for doesn't have a company in Dubai...He wants to ship me over to start one up...now I need to figure out the cost of a car and to hire a maid. Is Dubizzle a good source?


I am looking to work over in Dubia when you are talking about money (50000 or 250000) do you mean pound sterling?


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## Osh

The heading of the thread reads 250,000 AED per year


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## Elphaba

yamahar6 said:


> I am looking to work over in Dubia when you are talking about money (50000 or 250000) do you mean pound sterling?



We always talk about the local currency, UAE Dirhams, often referred to as AED or Dhs. That way there is no confusion.


And as Osh has pointed out there is a clue in the thread title. 


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