# Is this reasonable...?



## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

Hi Guys,

I have been trying to do the cost breakdown of my salary and living costs and how much i would be able to save and here is what i have reached as an outcome, please let me know your feedback and comments and if you think i have missed something out...My housing budget is between 100-110K/year for a 2 bd aprt in Marina.

AED per month
*Rent  *8400
*5% tax* 450
*Car lease	* 2000
*Petrol	* 400
*Car insurance* 400
*TV (cable)	* 500
*DEWA* 400
*Mobile phone* 500
*Food* 3000

Total 16000 AED approx or 7500AED without the rent which is paid in advance..

This will be for myself, my wife and our new born baby.

Look forward to your feedback and comments please


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Looks about right, but if you're hiring a car, you shouldn't need to pay for car insurance.

Also, you'll need to budget a large initial lump sum to cover things like deposits, ID's, licences, passes, certificates, attestations, etc. AED 5k should cover you for your first month I reckon.


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

For the costs that you have included the numbers are reasonable, but if you are honestly looking at spending there are a some things your seem to be missing. Clothes would be the first to jump to mind, but I am also assuming that you plan on doing things besides watching TV for entertainment


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## lxinuk (Mar 18, 2012)

Make sure the company covers visa for you and your family, as well as medical (dental if you can get it!). Make sure you figure In flights home and any education, childcare you will need to cover. Oh and if you plan on going native a helper!


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

lxinuk said:


> Make sure the company covers visa for you and your family, as well as medical (dental if you can get it!). Make sure you figure In flights home and any education, childcare you will need to cover. Oh and if you plan on going native a helper!


Yes this is included in the package


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## robdw1987 (May 29, 2013)

telecompro said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I have been trying to do the cost breakdown of my salary and living costs and how much i would be able to save and here is what i have reached as an outcome, please let me know your feedback and comments and if you think i have missed something out...My housing budget is between 100-110K/year for a 2 bd aprt in Marina.
> 
> ...


Hi, just wondering what the 5% tax is on?


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## Jumeirah Jim (Jan 24, 2011)

5% is housing "fee" ie tax (5% of rent collected via DEWA)

The Dewa bill sounds high for an apartment but probably about right if that includes AC/chiller which you haven't mentioned elsewhere. 

Rest sounds reasonable


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## Byja (Mar 3, 2013)

telecompro said:


> My housing budget is between 100-110K/year for a 2 bd aprt in Marina.


Again, you should reconsider this. Wait till you get here so you can have a look and decide for yourself.

*Rent *8400
8400 a month is 100k a year. Don't think you'll get a decent 2BR for 100k in Marina. 
Thing is, there are also some one-time expenses, and not a small ones. First of all, it's the agent's fee (5% of the apartment value). Second, some deposits for DEWA and cable. Most importantly, it's the money you'll spend on furniture and other household thingies.

*5% tax* 450
If the apartment is 100k.

*Car lease	* 2000
Depends on what you want to drive. This is good enough for a small car, but you might want something bigger.

*Petrol	* 400
*Car insurance* 400

*TV (cable)	* 500
You can get with 300.

*DEWA* 400
And what about chiller fees? More like 700 with those included.

*Mobile phone* 500
More like 250 for you and your wife together.

*Food* 3000
No effin way. 3k for food would be ok if it was you and your wife only, and you decided to go for 2nd class things, which are good enough for a grown-up man. But with a baby around, you'll also have to get some better things for your wife, decent vegetables, beef, proper milk (not that recombined stuff), fruits, fish which hasn't seen the inside of a can, etc... 

Other things which you forgot are baby things, which tend to get expensive if you want to go for the best. Can easily be up to 2k a month or even more, particularly if you end up with formula (heaven forbid) instead of breastfeeding.
Then, you probably won't let your wife do all the cleaning around the house, not after she just gave birth, so count at least 500 AED per month for a maid.
Depending on your health insurance package, you might still end up with additional fees to your regular check-ups, vaccines and other things for the baby, so let's say 300 AED per month.
And there will also be a lot of one-time expenses for the baby (clothing, toys, cot/playmat/stroller, etc...) which you can't put as a monthly expense. Same goes for the two of you.
Furthermore, it will also take some time to actually get into your monthly expenses routine, and by time I mean money.
Once again, no matter how hard this might sound to you, consider the option of leaving your wife in NZ to deliver the baby, and stay there till the baby's maybe 3 months old. You'll have better medical there, won't have to put your wife through a stress of relocating to an oven, you can count on yours and her family for support, etc.


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

Byja said:


> Again, you should reconsider this. Wait till you get here so you can have a look and decide for yourself.
> 
> *Rent *8400
> 8400 a month is 100k a year. Don't think you'll get a decent 2BR for 100k in Marina.
> ...


I really hope i can score something good with this money for accommodation in Marina!!

Thanks for your comments..


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## lxinuk (Mar 18, 2012)

I have a family of 5 with 3 teenagers - we don't spend 3000 a month! More like 500 a week but we don't buy all western food - local foods are way cheaper - example white cabbage from holland is 15Aed but a local one is 2Aed - food is as expensive as you want it - but then I don't live in the built up area so have good access to supermarkets which target locals, who won't pay it!


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

lxinuk said:


> I have a family of 5 with 3 teenagers - we don't spend 3000 a month! More like 500 a week but we don't buy all western food - local foods are way cheaper - example white cabbage from holland is 15Aed but a local one is 2Aed - food is as expensive as you want it - but then I don't live in the built up area so have good access to supermarkets which target locals, who won't pay it!


That's good to hear but its this available in shops like Carrefour?


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## Bigo (May 22, 2013)

Dubai is very tricky city. I saw people who live with 10k and people with 50k salary a month and they are in debt. It all depends what do you want to do in town and how you want to live, I will be very honest with you if you want to follow what half of expats do from weekly brunches , partying day and night to buying latest cars and heavy using of credit cards then my advice to you stay where you are it's cheaper to raise a family there. 100k for a 2 br in marina little hard specially now as rent is increasing in the city on weekly basis. Rest sounds ok as long as you remain focused. And a personal advice stay away from credit cards as much as possible this is from experience got hooked into it and took 6 years to get out of it.

Good luck buddy


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

Bigo said:


> Dubai is very tricky city. I saw people who live with 10k and people with 50k salary a month and they are in debt. It all depends what do you want to do in town and how you want to live, I will be very honest with you if you want to follow what half of expats do from weekly brunches , partying day and night to buying latest cars and heavy using of credit cards then my advice to you stay where you are it's cheaper to raise a family there. 100k for a 2 br in marina little hard specially now as rent is increasing in the city on weekly basis. Rest sounds ok as long as you remain focused. And a personal advice stay away from credit cards as much as possible this is from experience got hooked into it and took 6 years to get out of it.
> 
> Good luck buddy


Great advice thanks 

But actually through dubizzle I see alot of apartments between the 90 to 100k range but again you can never trust those adds I guess ...hope it doesn't go higher before I come arrive next month hehe


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

Bigo said:


> And a personal advice stay away from credit cards as much as possible this is from experience got hooked into it and took 6 years to get out of it.


Actually it is not the credit card, it is the user. Very easy to only spend what you have and pay everything off at the end of the month. I actually prefer using a card because I can track every expense with my card (I use quicken), plus I get miles.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Different people will have different expenses based on personal needs so what works for one person doesn't work for another.

As with the food bills: they vary enormously based on what you want to eat or where you shop. I know families that eat well and spend 2,000/month on their groceries. I know other families that spend far, far more, and even others that spend far less. If you do all your shopping at Spinneys/Waitrose or the little markets like Al Mayas in the Marina, you will spend substantially more than at Carrefour or Union Coop, even for the exact same food item. I know my food and I've never felt that the quality of the produce at Spinneys is better than Carrefour. 

I do, however, buy meat from Prime Gourmet, for personal reasons. But Carrefour has imported NZ and Australian beef which is probably just fine, and given the high turnover, is probably fresher than at most markets. 

AC charges - entirely depends on where you live. People who live in district cooling schemes seem to think everyone in Dubai pays AC charges, whereas most don't as most apartments aren't in district cooling schemes. I live in the Greens and have no district cooling charges. The differential between the month's DEWA bill in the summer and the winter with no a/c on is about 100 AED and this is for a 1450 sqft flat. 

2,000 AED will get him a basic car rental. I pay 1600 a month for a perfectly fine Yaris. Most people in New Zealand drive comparably sized cars and this whole mentality that a family must upgrade to a big 4x4 is a Dubai mentality. Having said that, he can cut back on car expenses by buying a second hand Pajero for 50-60,000 and his monthly payments will be 1,000 if he puts down a good deposit. 

500 AED is a good value for the tv package because it'll include the internet and phone all bundled into one. That's probably the most cost effective media package available. 

However, I fully agree with that there's a lot of one-time start up costs that add up. It gets very expensive, very quickly, and I also do think it would be better to have the wife deliver her baby in NZ then bring her to Dubai. 

There are a lot of ways one can be frugal without much sacrifice in Dubai and save quite a bit of money. It does take a little effort to figure out where the bargains are and not to fall into the trap of convenience - spending without thinking about it because you can't be bothered to make the five minute drive to Carrefour or deciding to do the weekly shop at Milk and Honey because it's downstairs. 



Byja said:


> Again, you should reconsider this. Wait till you get here so you can have a look and decide for yourself.
> 
> *Rent *8400
> 8400 a month is 100k a year. Don't think you'll get a decent 2BR for 100k in Marina.
> ...


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> Different people will have different expenses based on personal needs so what works for one person doesn't work for another.
> 
> As with the food bills: they vary enormously based on what you want to eat or where you shop. I know families that eat well and spend 2,000/month on their groceries. I know other families that spend far, far more, and even others that spend far less. If you do all your shopping at Spinneys/Waitrose or the little markets like Al Mayas in the Marina, you will spend substantially more than at Carrefour or Union Coop, even for the exact same food item. I know my food and I've never felt that the quality of the produce at Spinneys is better than Carrefour.
> 
> ...




Thanks TallyHo, as usual great advice..

What would you put for the start up costs that i would need to account for? Rough costs..i know you can never be exact ...this would include the furniture, electronics etc etc...as i understand lots of apartments have already fridge, oven etc..please correct me if im wrong!

When do you think is a good time for bargains to buy all these things needed at the start? Considering i shall be arriving in Dubai end of month ..


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

telecompro said:


> Thanks TallyHo, as usual great advice..
> 
> What would you put for the start up costs that i would need to account for? Rough costs..i know you can never be exact ...this would include the furniture, electronics etc etc...as i understand lots of apartments have already fridge, oven etc..please correct me if im wrong!
> 
> When do you think is a good time for bargains to buy all these things needed at the start? Considering i shall be arriving in Dubai end of month ..


You are coming at a bad time weather wise - hotter part of the year soon - but with Ramadan also approaching, you may be able to grab some bargains in the Ramadan sales.

We spent quite a bit on startup costs - 9000 on car hire in the 3 months before we bought our car, 250 a month on pay as you go phone topups.
100 in one week on Salik charges - before we bought a Garmin satnav that you can program to avoid toll roads!! Garmin was 500 AED.

We bought our furniture from a place called Pan emirates - furniture is very reasonably priced , looks modern but will only last a few years (which suits us fine, as we have no intention of taking it with us when we move on from Dubai!)
Total furniture bill was around 15000 AED to furnish 4 bedroom villa ( set as 3 bedroom and one as office).
We treated ourselves to a 3D 55" Smart TV - but that was not an essential item!!

Hope the above helps!
Cheers
Steve


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

Byja said:


> Again, you should reconsider this. Wait till you get here so you can have a look and decide for yourself.
> 
> *Rent *8400
> 8400 a month is 100k a year. Don't think you'll get a decent 2BR for 100k in Marina.
> ...


people in the 1st world have got by without a maid / cleaner to look after them when a child arrives.
Look at the guy's salary! Are you really suggesting they should consider maid services?

and yes, 3,000 is more than adequate for food for 3. Once again, look at the guy's salary. You do not need to go to Waitrose & Spinneys. Shop round, and 2 & 1/2 people can get good veg, meat etc for 2,000.

no doubt it is tough, but the advice here is a bit weird, i think.

come on! Dubai seems to melt some peoples brains!


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I will say this:

With a newborn baby it's well worth it getting a maid service. Once weekly for four hours to do the heavy cleaning, mopping, ironing will probably cost him between 5-600 AED/month. A newborn baby is exhausting and time consuming and knowing someone else is doing some of the cleaning and laundry is a huge peace of mind in these scenarios, and 500 AED is, what, one meal out at a nice restaurant? Worth the sacrifice and on a package of 30K a month he can swing it. 

Having watched lots of families with no help back home and families here with help, whether a weekly cleaner or a full time maid, the verdict is: get help if you can. 





vantage said:


> people in the 1st world have got by without a maid / cleaner to look after them when a child arrives.
> Look at the guy's salary! Are you really suggesting they should consider maid services?
> 
> and yes, 3,000 is more than adequate for food for 3. Once again, look at the guy's salary. You do not need to go to Waitrose & Spinneys. Shop round, and 2 & 1/2 people can get good veg, meat etc for 2,000.
> ...


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

vantage said:


> people in the 1st world have got by without a maid / cleaner to look after them when a child arrives.
> Look at the guy's salary! Are you really suggesting they should consider maid services?
> 
> and yes, 3,000 is more than adequate for food for 3. Once again, look at the guy's salary. You do not need to go to Waitrose & Spinneys. Shop round, and 2 & 1/2 people can get good veg, meat etc for 2,000.
> ...


Im starting to get worried with these comments ...i dont mind doing the maid's work and save the 500 a month btw


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

I will also try to get an apartment where there are no chiller fees..this way i will save those 700AED as well..anywhere i can save, i will do my best to avoid...it seems that i will get all my furniture from IKEA..range of 10-15K is fine by me...just need to sort out the cars money as i dont prefer renting which is a waste of money..


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## Byja (Mar 3, 2013)

vantage said:


> people in the 1st world have got by without a maid / cleaner to look after them when a child arrives.


Most of the 1st world don't have +40C, duststorms and sand all over the place. And rain tends to clear the air often enough.
Here, by the time I finish cleaning second room, first one's back to way it looked before I started.
Oh yeah, and back home, wherever that might be, there's usually some family members you can count on for extra support when a baby arrives.



> Are you really suggesting they should consider maid services?


If I make in one day more than double what a maid costs me, I'd take the maid. Yeah, it will cost, but money can be earned back, time can't.



> ...it seems that i will get all my furniture from IKEA...


A better suggestion: go to Home | Home Centre and select UAE as your country, then click on offers. There are two major Home Centre stores, one in Oasis Centre, another in Mall of Emirates, and for the past 2-3 months they had sales in one or the other. With 20 - 35 % sales their prices were better than IKEAs. And furniture looks far better than IKEAs.
And there are other furniture stores as well worth checking.


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

Everything mentioned in this post has its validity from what I can see and from personal experience, but don't let it scare you...

Your first year here you will naturally spend more money, travel, trying new things, deposits, getting settled etc. 2nd year, you'll be more in a routine and know where you stand etc. So be prepared to spend 20% more your first year IMO.

Here are the GAPS I have seen in your plan:

1. Have you budgeted for any travel? Maybe other than your yearly flight you'd like to go somewhere else?

2. Must you live in the Marina? There are many other places where you could get much more for your money. Not only are the rents more there, but all the markets and stores around it! Unless you work in the Marina, I would avoid living there IMO.

3. I saw lots of posts re: furniture etc. Have you asked for a "Furnishing Allowance" judging by your package of housing allowance you are probably on a pretty good salary. My company gave me 1 months salary for FURNISHING up front (on-top of relocation expenses which was also 1 month salary)... Worst case, if you're willing to do the leg work, you can find some pretty amazing deals on Dubizzle. Dragon Mart you can find things much cheaper than Dubai as well. 

Other than that, learn how to take Advantage of Dubai! So much opportunity here yet so many let the city take advantage of them. "the more you make, the more you spend"

Best of Luck.


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

INFAMOUS said:


> Everything mentioned in this post has its validity from what I can see and from personal experience, but don't let it scare you...
> 
> Your first year here you will naturally spend more money, travel, trying new things, deposits, getting settled etc. 2nd year, you'll be more in a routine and know where you stand etc. So be prepared to spend 20% more your first year IMO.
> 
> ...



Thanks Infamous for your comments.

I agree with your feedback but some points i have not really account for and its actually worrying me that i may end up paying alot at the start and there is no return of costs. Especially that i hear in Dubai the job security is quite high and i may end up loosing my job any day within the first year. There is no way to secure this statement.

When it comes to furniture, the company is giving me a 20ft container if i wish to claim back but unfortunately i do not have much now since i sold most of the stuff i have. Not really sure if you they give cash instead of this container but i guess this will be asking for too much hehe...


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

If the company is offering you a 20ft container take it. Buy your basics in New Zealand - including bed linens, towels, cookware and cooking tools, dishes, get a sofa, a few chairs, a bed for you and the wife and a crib for the baby, plus books or anything else you may want.

It will be cheaper to get everything in New Zealand and have it shipped to Dubai. Plus it'll all arrive at once and save you the hassles of chasing all over the city for the elusive item your wife asbsolutely must have. 



telecompro said:


> Thanks Infamous for your comments.
> 
> I agree with your feedback but some points i have not really account for and its actually worrying me that i may end up paying alot at the start and there is no return of costs. Especially that i hear in Dubai the job security is quite high and i may end up loosing my job any day within the first year. There is no way to secure this statement.
> 
> When it comes to furniture, the company is giving me a 20ft container if i wish to claim back but unfortunately i do not have much now since i sold most of the stuff i have. Not really sure if you they give cash instead of this container but i guess this will be asking for too much hehe...


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> If the company is offering you a 20ft container take it. Buy your basics in New Zealand - including bed linens, towels, cookware and cooking tools, dishes, get a sofa, a few chairs, a bed for you and the wife and a crib for the baby, plus books or anything else you may want.
> 
> It will be cheaper to get everything in New Zealand and have it shipped to Dubai. Plus it'll all arrive at once and save you the hassles of chasing all over the city for the elusive item your wife asbsolutely must have.


Thanks TallyHo, but i hear things are much much cheaper in UAE if i buy them there than taking them over to avoid the hassle to ships little things over like this. I looked over at ikea and geant online website and it seems they are all reasonably priced.

I hear i should account for 10-15K for setting up a 2 bd room apartment so i hope this is the case.

Btw, i have doing so much research in the past few days on apartments and it seems with the 100K budget, i will settle for the JLT but i had few questions which you can help me with please:

- How is the commuting from DIFC to JLT daily? Is it busy at rush hour times?
- Do all apartments in the JLT offer garage services?
- I understand JLT include chiller charges so i wont have to pay anything there, correct?
- Which towers you recommend to look for in the JLT which have spacious, good views and facilities?


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

- How is the commuting from DIFC to JLT daily? Is it busy at rush hour times?

Once you're on Sheikh Zayed, it's an easy commute. 20 minutes. 

BUT - getting out of JLT is a different story. It varies from cluster to cluster and what time you leave, but it can take 20 minutes just to get onto Sheikh Zayed . Then there's the whole parking once at DIFC. Do you have a designated spot? 


- Do all apartments in the JLT offer garage services?

All the towers will offer garages. You will get 1 assigned spot for a 2-bedroom. Perhaps you'll get a second spot too but that's not so common.

- I understand JLT include chiller charges so i wont have to pay anything there, correct?

Incorrect. All of JLT is district cooling so you need to pay chiller charges. During the bust some people were able to negotiate their landlord into paying the chiller charges but that's not happening anymore.

- Which towers you recommend to look for in the JLT which have spacious, good views and facilities?[/QUOTE]

I'll let others help you here. I think the Seefs are well regarded, as is Green Lake.


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> - How is the commuting from DIFC to JLT daily? Is it busy at rush hour times?
> 
> Once you're on Sheikh Zayed, it's an easy commute. 20 minutes.
> 
> ...


I'll let others help you here. I think the Seefs are well regarded, as is Green Lake.[/QUOTE]


If this is the case with chiller charges, then i will re-consider the JLT..

I will try to check the Greens as well since no charges there...its a never ending loop..


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

Buy furniture here before NZ.... I have been to NZ and things are not cheaper there lol.

May I ask why you are insisting on living in Marina/JLT area? There are some closer places on the other side of the city closer to DIFC in my opinion that may suit better.

Unfortunately prices have increased a lot in the past year but Business Bay has opened all of its roads recently and there are a lot of buildings to choose from that are fairly priced! Much more central of a location and a 5 minute commute!


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## telecompro (Apr 4, 2013)

INFAMOUS said:


> Buy furniture here before NZ.... I have been to NZ and things are not cheaper there lol.
> 
> May I ask why you are insisting on living in Marina/JLT area? There are some closer places on the other side of the city closer to DIFC in my opinion that may suit better.
> 
> Unfortunately prices have increased a lot in the past year but Business Bay has opened all of its roads recently and there are a lot of buildings to choose from that are fairly priced! Much more central of a location and a 5 minute commute!


Would love to hear from you where else can i stay other than JLT/Marina..Im also considering the greens..i really want a place which will be family friendly and close to the metro and has facilities around the place as my wife and baby will be alone at home most of the time during mornings while im at work...


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## AlexDhabi (Aug 23, 2012)

LOL - I'm enjoying the debate about food costs as on the AD forum I have been accused of being extravagant with my supermarket bills estimate for newbies.
I must point out chiller/central cooling charges are not always a lot and depends entirely on the exact building/development. Where I live in AD may not be typical but I keep my AC on 24 hours a day and only paid 200 average for cooling/electric/water combined in a 2 bedroom flat. Cooling costs for year have varied from 30 AED in January to 310 AED in August. Do your research before you commit.
Good luck! UAE lifestyle is addictive


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

AD utilities have always been much cheaper than in Dubai, courtesy of the massive subsidies you receive from the AD Municipality.



AlexDhabi said:


> LOL - I'm enjoying the debate about food costs as on the AD forum I have been accused of being extravagant with my supermarket bills estimate for newbies.
> I must point out chiller/central cooling charges are not always a lot and depends entirely on the exact building/development. Where I live in AD may not be typical but I keep my AC on 24 hours a day and only paid 200 average for cooling/electric/water combined in a 2 bedroom flat. Cooling costs for year have varied from 30 AED in January to 310 AED in August. Do your research before you commit.
> Good luck! UAE lifestyle is addictive


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