Is a monthly salary of $4750USD (tax-free) in Dubai reasonable? Husband will be main income.?

Question

My husband and I have contract work for 3 years in Dubai. I only work 4 days a week. Our son is 10 yrs old. How much will a US/UK school set us back per month/year and how much can we expect to pay for a 2 bedroomed flat? Will my income at least be sufficient to send our son to school? Any help will be much appreciated! :-)

Answer 1

Per month school fees should  be minimum Dh3,000 /-.

2 bedroom flat - rent is at least 7000/- to 9000/- p.m in dubai but if you can compromise on traffic then u can stay bit far i.e in sharjah or ajman where 2 bedroom flat will be available on rent upto 4000/ - to 5000/- p.m

Food expenses should be around 2000/- dhs per month.

Still you can save good amount.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

I can't help you on the schooling, haven't reached that stage yet :-)

On the other expenses I can offer the following information: Depending on where you are from and the company policy, you may be able to get a housing allowance for accommodation and possibly schooling.

Having said that the majority of your income would go on housing, I will work in Dirhams, based on monthly outgoings. USD 1 = AED 3.67.

Location: Dubai Marina and the surrounding area are very popular place for expats living here. Dubai Marina rents are approx AED 160k per year, roughly 14k per month. Other good expat areas are around this price for 2 br's, I believe in Springs (villas) the prices are around AED 180k per year, 15k per month.

Other areas that are more reasonable would be International City, where you would be able find a 2 br below AED 120k per year, 10k per month.

You would also need to get a car, it is very easy to temporarily hire a car and later purchase one. Repayments can range from AED 2,500 - 5,000 per month, depending on the car you chose. The petrol is roughly half the price of the US so I don't think that is a major concern.

Going back to the rent, payments are made in either 1 or 2 cheques in advance. The monthly concept hasn't caught on here due to the high demand. This is where the employers can help.

If you have a good credit rating the option to buy instead of renting would be very advantageous, international finance is easy to get. Dubai is an amazing place and year by year as more people come her to live the house prices will continue to go up.

I hope this has answered some of your questions, please don't hesitate to email me with more questions. You can also take a look at www.redxb.com for real estate, it gets updated regularly.