# 4200$ ok for Husband and wife?



## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

Dear friends,

I guess this question has been repeated but i guess would needed a more newer situation in UAE. I am offered 4200$ per month which includes Basic + HRA + Medical insurance + annual vacation to / fro for family + medical for me and spouse. Is this salary ( approx 14000 AED ) enough to make a decent savings .The company is in Sharjah and i plan to live in sharjah. Only me and wife are presently there. How much AED can i save taking into account a single BHK accomodation , and approriate spending for both of us...

Thanks a ton in advance for replies


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## Rochelle (Sep 20, 2010)

Accomodation in Sharjah is cheaper so thats a help. You could do it and save a small amount and have a small amount of spending money/month each. 

Does your wife plan on getting work? 

Alot depends on what you are used to in regards to the luxuries/lifestyle etc. if you have a car or use buses, the types of food you eat etc.


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

Thanks Rochelle. I would be leading a very normal life,,,not the luxuries one....no partying / boozing etc...Was wondering if i would be able to save 50% of the package...is it possible..i had taken the following considerations
House rent 2500 AED
Food 1500 AED ( mostly self at home)
Internet / phone / misc exp: 1500
Other living expenses 1000

Thanks for reply once again...wife wouldnt be working initially,,maybe after some time...i would be consideing using bus for initial months


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## Rochelle (Sep 20, 2010)

I think (others may disagree) that its doable. You may not have a very enjoyable lifestyle but if its in order to save the maximum amount you will be able to sacrifice some pleasure for the long term gain. 

1bed places in Sharjah are about 25,000/yr (from a quick look on dubizzle), food etc is cheaper there also. 

If you want a better lifestyle at any point then your wife may need to look at getting work. 

bear in mnd that if you come here and set up your own flat you will need deposits for power, ph, net etc, you will need to pay at least some rent up front etc. 

The other option is to take a room (with all inclusive) instead of having your own flat. That may help you save a bit more and may be better for your wife re: having people she knows etc. 

Best of luck with the decision.


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

Yep, would prefer being in a separate flat,,,for the obivious reasons. My company will certainly assist for giving initial deposit for rent ( deducted later from salary)...but i am wondering if consideing all that a 50% saving would be achievable


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## Rochelle (Sep 20, 2010)

I have just started a new thread called Dubai budgets which gives a breakdown of my living costs (if thats of any help). 

I, personally, could probably save 50% however... I am pretty good with my pennies.. I am sure there are plenty of people who couldn't or wouldn't want to. 

Just bear in mind that you will have a restriction on your lifestyle and come over with your eyes open . There are people who earn 10x that who can't save and people on less than that (labourers etc) who can save and send money home. Its all about priorities, lifestyle and expectations


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## Lenochka (Apr 19, 2008)

does "annual holiday to/from" mean the home leave flight once a year ?
with kind of salary and all included, i.e. insurance, home leave etc, will need to be deducted from that 4200k you will survive......barely...
Dubai is expensive...yes, people can live cheaply but I doubt it is much of joy...

sorry for frank and honest...but rather this than a nasty suprise if you set foot in Dubai


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

Hi Lenocka,
Yes, the annual holiday means to/from flight tickets for family once a year, medical insurance is covered by the company, home leave ( 22 days per year) is paid, i would be in sharjah instead of dubai,,,and normally a 2 month bonus of basic is paid once a year,,considering all this is it ok to make the move ,,of 14000AED per month for a hus and wife? what do u think?


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## Lenochka (Apr 19, 2008)

sorry, now I am confused..the original post says 4.2k INCLUDING healt insurance, holidays etc ...this basically means YOU WILL NEED TO PAY THIS YOURSELF out of the 4.2k....

now you say 4.2k is the salary and the rest will be paid on top. Well...
if you have the salary as total disposable income and all other expenses are paid as you mentioend, than it's ok. You will not really be able to live the flashiest of lives but you will be "okish"


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

gulfprospect said:


> Dear friends,
> 
> I guess this question has been repeated but i guess would needed a more newer situation in UAE. *I am offered 4200$ per month which includes Basic + HRA + Medical insurance + annual vacation to / fro for family + medical for me and spouse. *Is this salary ( approx 14000 AED ) enough to make a decent savings .The company is in Sharjah and i plan to live in sharjah. Only me and wife are presently there. How much AED can i save taking into account a single BHK accomodation , and approriate spending for both of us...
> 
> Thanks a ton in advance for replies


If your total monthly salary is AED 15,000 inclusive of everything that you mentioned above, you will not be able to save much unless your wife is working too.
There are always hidden costs and you cannot realistically expect to save 50% of your salary if you are the only one making a living out here, irrespective of whether you are based in Dubai or Sharjah.


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

dear lenochka and pam, 

here u go, the salary would be 15000 AED ( Take home pay ). Medical insurance in taken care by company, annual paid leave ( including flight cost for hus and spouse) is taken care by company. two month basic bonus in addition to the take home salary of 15K. considering the place would be sharjah. Is this a OK deal. I am considering 
House rent 2500 AED
Food 1500 AED ( mostly self cook at home)
Internet / phone / misc exp: 1500
Other living expenses 1000
Hence i expect a monthly saving of 7K. let me know...thank u gals,,,u been really helpful


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

gulfprospect said:


> dear lenochka and pam,
> 
> here u go, the salary would be 15000 AED ( Take home pay ). Medical insurance in taken care by company, annual paid leave ( including flight cost for hus and spouse) is taken care by company. two month basic bonus in addition to the take home salary of 15K. considering the place would be sharjah. Is this a OK deal. I am considering
> House rent 2500 AED
> ...


Are you an expat in Spain? Do you think this salary is worth the move? If yes, then go for it. 
You need to add another 2K or so for general expenses such as transportation, eating out, perhaps shopping, etc. If you can manage to save 5K at the end of the month, good on you.
There will always be expenses that come up so if you feel that you can live comfortably with this salary, then that's great. However, if you plan on having children within the next couple of years, I would highly recommend that you think about bringing in an additional income. You will be spending an additional 1,000dhs a month on the baby, and then another 2-3K a month on school fees alone.


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

Opps its a mistake,,,,i am from India, planning for taking up the job in sharjah...I hope everything turns out well,,,,But i did my reasearch on the levels of salary around dubai for 7 year oil and gas professionals from asia...i guess this is the max they offering....


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

gulfprospect said:


> Opps its a mistake,,,,i am from India, planning for taking up the job in sharjah...I hope everything turns out well,,,,But i did my reasearch on the levels of salary around dubai for 7 year oil and gas professionals from asia...i guess this is the max they offering....


Yes, this is probably the max they would offer an Indian in this line of work.


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## Rochelle (Sep 20, 2010)

I read that as the basic being $4200US.?


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

Rochelle said:


> I read that as the basic being $4200US.?


Its $4200 ( Basic + HRA + Special Allowance). Other benefits like medical insurance + flight cost for family is born by company separatley,....hope i am clear now....as lenochka said,,,its the max someone can expect for an asian  with 7 year expereince as engineer...


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## Rochelle (Sep 20, 2010)

as we discussed yesterday then.. i think its all about expectations and lifestyle. If you are doing this in order to save as much as possible to get ahead. Then come over here and knuckle down. If you want the 'Dubai' lifestyle, then you will not neccesarily enjoy it so much on a single income


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## Lenochka (Apr 19, 2008)

gulfprospect......unfortunately it is the case...Dubai is one of the most racist places I've seen......Singapore leans towards that....i.e, Asian from certain countries get also paid a lot less than Singaporeans or Westeners....


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

cant agree with u more,,,,i wish companies respect the degree and knowledge more than anything else....wonder if it will ever....my friend is in singapore a bachelore earling 5000 monthly SGD,,,hows that package??


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## VADXB (Jun 4, 2009)

gulfprospect said:


> cant agree with u more,,,,i wish companies respect the degree and knowledge more than anything else....wonder if it will ever....my friend is in singapore a bachelore earling 5000 monthly SGD,,,hows that package??


Mate

As the other posters have mentioned, Dubai/Sharjah is indeed a very different place where salaries are based on your country of origin/previous residence as opposed to what you can bring to the table. The scenario is slightly different with international companies, however sadly this is the general market scenario.

Before accepting/declining this offer, ask yourself the following questions

* What is your current lifestyle? Any move should ideally not result in a downward lifestyle change. 

* Apply the conversion index on your current salary. See how this 14,000 AED compares to your Indian salary. I agree that there is no tax here but there are numerous hidden taxes, for example you pay 5% of your rent as housing fees. 

* Career enhancement - If your new role offers good career enhancement then perhaps its worth the chance. 

Realistically, dont come here hoping to save 50% of your salary. I'd say if you can manage to save 20%, i'll be happy. Anything more is definitely coming at a cost of quality of life. I have been to some apartments in Sharjah and it's not a pleasant sight.

Good luck with your decision


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## Anwaruddin (Oct 15, 2010)

USD4,200? Give it a try. Many expats here live with girlfriends (jobless or otherwise) with that salary rate and even lower. 

I say USD4,200 + wife = good life. You can have a great breakfast everyday, save on lunch and avoid eating dinner alone.  And the warmth of a loving wife in bed is better than anything. The chance that your wife might also contribute in your earnings either by finding a job or doing some home business should not be discounted too.

There's no harm in trying mate.

Peace


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## gulfprospect (Oct 13, 2010)

Cant agree more. Nothing like being with ones spouse. I guess many with lower salaries still find a way out to make savings with what they get. I guess i can take the plunge isnt it !


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Hi Gulf,

Why do not you come first alone? rent a room and see how things go and then bring your wife? I have an arrangement with my company where they are actually paying me a hotel up to my year limit for rent purposes...meaning they wont pay a daily rate that goes beyond my yearly rent package. This arrangement is good because it allows me to stay in a hotel like forever if I wish to. It also allows me to negotiate a better rate with the hotel because I am staying longer...

If you make a similar arrangement, you can come and see how things work/ will work out here. There are lots of indians here as you know. Listen, they know everything in terms of where to buy stuff, where to eat and so on. If you speak Hindi which I think you do then you are done. There is a huge indian community here.

I think you can save money easily if you get to know the people. I just had an experience. I had in my hotel that famous chicken byriani for 50 AED (I know it is a hotel) and next day talking to a cab driver (indian) I found a fantastic place (clean and nice) for 12 AED!!!!!! same dish (ohhh I thought I was ripped off but when I think about dollars it does not sound bad but it actually is). 

I personally don't like dining outside all the time and hope to find a place soon. The other day I met a guy from Ethiopia who introduced me two Ethopian restaurants (I like Ethopian dishes) and I had a huge language barrier because none of them could speak English, but they spoke hindi/ arabic.


But you my friend will not have this problem you can leverage and opportunities will come once you get to know people...

Take Care


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## MONAE (Jul 9, 2010)

gulfprospect said:


> Dear friends,
> 
> I guess this question has been repeated but i guess would needed a more newer situation in UAE. I am offered 4200$ per month which includes Basic + HRA + Medical insurance + annual vacation to / fro for family + medical for me and spouse. Is this salary ( approx 14000 AED ) enough to make a decent savings .The company is in Sharjah and i plan to live in sharjah. Only me and wife are presently there. How much AED can i save taking into account a single BHK accomodation , and approriate spending for both of us...
> 
> Thanks a ton in advance for replies


Give it a shot...could be Ok in Sharjah


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