Tips to relocate to Dubai

[MamzelleL]

Hello,
I’ve always found good advice here as there’s the Mumsnet community is so large I’m hoping to find people in this forum who have relocated to Dubai or used to live in Dubai until recently for some advice. I’m not interested in hearing from people who have never been or lived there or people who have only visited on holiday - I know there’s a lot of negative views and strong opinions on Dubai on this platform and Im not terribly interested in those since we’ve already made our decision.
I would be so grateful to get some guidance on:

• cost of shipping. We’re planning to bring as little as possible but we have some furniture that we love/that’s inherited that we can’t leave behind. If you shipped some furniture/big items what was the cost? This is just so that we can get an idea. I will of course set about getting quotes from shipping companies.
• where to live. Meadows and Springs look lovely but a little out of our price range. Arabian Ranches seems less practical as further away from the action. We don’t yet have school places and will need to take travel into consideration but I would like some advice on where is best to live with a monthly budget of 250-300k AED per year (regardless of where the schools may be) just so that we can start somewhere.
• schools. There seems to be several good options. I want to draw a shortlist of schools to go and see over the three days that we will be there at the end of the month. Which 3-4 primary and secondary schools that follow either the British curriculum or offer the IB would you recommend that we see? Brighton College caught our eye because we were aware of it and know the College in Brighton but it seems very small with no track record. GEMS seems to have a long waiting list. Dubai College looks very academic.
• car rental. Does everyone lease a vehicle in Dubai? It seems cheaper than buying.
• summer in Dubai. Do Europeans tend to leave Dubai in the summer months? Do UAE company have a similar approach to working remotely and allow Europeans to do this in the summer months?
• dogs in Dubai. There seems to be small park areas where dogs can be let off the lead but nothing too expansive. Is it really impractical to have a dog in Dubai? Can a dog be taken out to a restaurant? Does it need to be on the lead at all times outdoors?

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This thread is a few months old now. If you've found this page in search of information about moving to Dubai, you might find our guide on moving to Dubai with kids useful. Hope this helps! MNHQ

The good things are the winter and the ease of getting things (food, groceries, services) delivered. For example, I got my apartment cleaned and my ironing picked up this morning, both within an hour of ordering on an app. Everything is on tap. But the reason is that everyone spends so much time at work that these things are necessary. No one wants to do housework after 60 hours at work.

Its also very safe and clean.

I’m here because my job moved here. I didn’t choose to come. It’s just not my vibe. I’ve lived in Singapore and HK and preferred them both.

I’m paying 180k for a two-bed apartment.

Thank you for this. B helpful - especially the info concerning the dog.
Please can you confirm that ALL the prices you quote are in dirhams? Thank you

250k excluding rent but needing to pay school fees with secondary (and soon secondary) aged kids is not enough. Mine are at a school at a similar fee range to DESC (both early secondary) and school fees average out at about 11k month. That brings you to 10k a month. Your food will be about 5k. 5k is simply not enough for everything else. Utilities will be 3 for the type of villa you're talking about in the summer.

If you want to come, you need to reduce your rent - look at apartments or the outlying areas (although even Townsquare will cost you close to 200k for a three bed I think). You are simply not being paid enough to afford places like Meadows so stop looking at that life style!

Also look at cheaper schools. DESC is one of the premium schools. There are cheaper schools that are still good. Forget about Nord Anglia. I know people on 80k a month who complain about how expensive that is!

Don’t get me wrong - we love it here - if we didn’t, we wouldn’t stay. The healthcare is excellent, the support we’ve had access to for my SEN son has been excellent (albeit expensive, but luckily covered by insurance), we have made wonderful friends and my kids have opportunities and experiences that we could only dream of in the UK. They have classmates from all around the world and they go places and see things that amaze me.

I think my point was more that life is so expensive here, that a ‘good’ salary doesn’t go that far. I would also really stress again the point about probation periods - I’ve seen people move over with their families, sign year long leases for a villa, take out a 3 year car loan, put their kids into expensive schools with long notice periods for the wage earner to not pass their probation and be dismissed instantly. If you break your tenancy contract, there are often significant penalties.

To give you an idea of our outgoings:

• 20k a month on mortgage (to rent our property would be more like 25k a month and don’t forget this is usually paid over 2 cheques for the year, with a 5% deposit and 5% agency fee)
• 3k a month water and electricity bill
• 4k a month for our nanny (plus 10k a year for her visa, 3k a year for her annual flight allowance)
• 10k a month food shopping (I’m sure many spend less but for us, that’s reality of 3 kids + 2 adults)
• We don’t have car loans anymore but until recently, I was paying 2.5k a month for my car
• 500 a month for gardener and pool cleaning
• 2500 on kids activities - swimming, football, karate etc but nothing crazy
• 750 a month phone and internet
• 600 mobile phone package each both for two adults
• 2000 a month on petrol for 2 cars. We both cover a lot of miles just driving to work etc. We fill up once a week or so, and it costs nearly 200 to fill each car.

School fees for my eldest two (7 and 5) are 55k each per year. My work pay a contribution of 35k per child and we have to make up the difference. It’s becoming increasingly uncommon for employers to cover the full amount. We pay 7k a term for my youngest to go to nursery 3 mornings a week. It’s 2k a term for each kid to take the school bus home (the only option as we both work)

For the 5 of us, return flights to the UK can easily cost in excess of 20k. We came back last Christmas and by the time we had rented an air bnb for the week (not enough room to stay with family) and hired a car, the whole trip cost around 40k.

We have good health insurance through our employers but there is often a 20% co-pay to cover if you go out of network, which we often do. There’s lots of 100 here, 50 there.

Kids activities aren’t cheap - I can easily spend 200 just taking my 3 to soft play for a few hours. The same with eating out - a ‘nice’ dinner for two adults can easily be 500+ if you have a few glasses of wine.

I think you also asked about the summer - most Europeans leave for a big chunk of it, assuming they don’t work/can work remotely. For those who stay (like us!) there is plenty to keep the kids occupied indoors, but it’s tough and again, comes at a pride. My 4 year old will go to a sports holiday camp which will cost 600 a week and my 7 year old will go to a coding camp, which is 800 a week. When you think the school summer holidays are 7 weeks long, it soon adds up.

Just saw the reference to SEN support. I would also budget for the school to insist your child has a 1-1 (bar is far lower than the UK) that you'll have to pay for. Probably another 4k a month (not I'm not on top of current salaries). You'll also find schools will suddenly be full when you mention SEN (or have their inclusion lists full).

You can live in Dubai on the figures you are talking about but it will be tight - I'd say you need to get your accomodation budget down to 150k or less. I'd look at apartments in sports city/motor city and GEMS Metropole (which is lighter on fees and has a fantastic SEN department). Btw GEMS is a chain - there are lots of them. Not sure which one you have been told is full (maybe Wellington?).

Hello yes they were in dirhams, sorry I should've said. I think prices have shot up massively since we left too so I'd factor in an uplift.

Second the advice that you'll get on British mums Dubai, it's a good group and I'm still a member. Have a thorough search of the discussions there and you'll get tonnes of advice. It's very friendly in Dubai too so you'll make friends easily which always helps with a big move.

I love Dubai btw. We're likely here for a long time. I like the safety, the multi cultural melting pot, and the openness of both friends and colleagues. My kids are getting a great education and both DH and I have fulfilling jobs that we enjoy.

That says, we're bringing home around 80k a month and still are living in an area that is even further out than Arabian Ranches - we couldn't afford Springs now and I don't think we ever would have been comfortable paying out for Lakes, even before the rent rises.

When we moved to Dubai, we had a household income of about 50k and paid rent of 140k (that house would now rent for 240k) and we had to be very careful on spending. We could still have a great life but needed to be careful about choices.

You mention freelancing. What do you do? If you can bring in decent income that will make a big difference.

You need the Two Fat Expats Facebook group

The conclusion is that our monthly spend in Dubai isn’t going to be greater than in London. As my husband will earn on his own what the two of us are earning in London, we should be a little more comfortable once I’m up and running with a job - provided I can find one! Besides, the future is looking grim in the U.K.

You've said this more than once but you need to bear in mind that Dubai is not as forgiving a place as London if you do get into debt. The worst case outcome of financial difficulty there (criminal proceedings/not being allowed to leave) is much worse than in London. If you're going to barely scrape by, stay in the UK. Dubai is fantastic when you can comfortably afford it but I wouldn't take the risk, let alone uproot 2 kids and a dog, based on your numbers.

What of your DH takes the job and goes on ahead of you for a few months? Would let you stagger the set up costs a bit...

Thank you. This is helpful.

‘I’ve looked at others such as GEMS and Raffles but that they are by and large attended by Indian pupils may not help make this transition for our children as easy as it could be (the sad reality being that, whilst we live in London, our children’s schools aren’t very mixed, and to become part of the 10% when they have been in the 90% may be one too many adjustments).’

Can I ask why the attendance by a large number of Indian pupils may not help make the transition as easy as could be for your children?

This is so so helpful. My own calculations aren’t far off (I’ve allowed more for household bills, less for food), but I couldn’t estimate the kids’ activities.
We don’t have a contribution for school fees and I’ve wondered if that’s quite right?

Thank you. 60 hours a week sounds madness. Did you really mean that?

Ok, thank you.

This is only because this isn’t what they know because London is sadly very ghettoed. Uprooting them is already quite a change.

My husband is indeed going ahead of us so that he is well settled in his job before we turn up.

60 hour weeks are pretty normal here.

Some employers offer education, usually only a contribution, but many don't. No harm in asking.

In terms of kids activities, rugby and cricket are two of the cheaper options. Rugby will cost you around 3500-4000 a year (twice weekly training and October - April). I'm not sure on cricket but I suspect similar if not less as it's a popular sport with the South Asian community.

For anything else you're looking at between 100-150 a class normally. Tutoring 200-300 an hour (higher end for secondary specialist). I've managed to get football for 80 a lesson (have to go twice a week) which is very cheap for Dubai. Kids activities are one of the areas that I think are much more expensive than UK.

School uniform costs stupid money and everything branded. 150 for a shirt would be normal. My son's football/rugby boots were 500 this year, and those were me going to the discount store.

I don't know current London prices and I know that the UK is a mess right now. I wouldn't move back! Dubai can be a great place, but there is no safety net here if things start to go wrong. Adjust your lifestyle to meet the salary, don't top up your accomodation allowance (more than you absolutely have to) and you can enjoy it. But just be aware that the house in lakes with the big garden, the holidays in the Maldives and the brunches won't be your life. They aren't for plenty of people!

Not sure what you do, but if it's a profession in demand here then you might find you can bring in a decent amount once you get established and may be able to upgrade your lifestyle then.

It's a few years since we lived there but we lived in Arabian Ranches and loved it. I had previously lived near Safa Park and thought the Ranches was the back of beyond, but honestly it isn't. It also has a great community and if you can get the kids into JESS then great. My DS went to Wellington School near Media City for a couple of years until he got a place at JESS and stayed there into the senior school. I'm lout of touch with rents but I don't think the Ranches will be cheap. School waiting lists have always been horrendous.
We were very lucky in that DH moved with his existing UK employer who looked after us very well - good housing allowance, school paid for etc. Utilities in Dubai are very expensive and in the summer you have to have the aircon on. It's unliveable without.
Re dogs. Depends on the type of dog. We got our lovely boy from a rescue centre in Dubai, so he was already acclimatised. We brought him back to the UK and he died a year ago exactly, at the age of 16. 😢His travel costs were more than a first class seat, but again we were lucky, the company paid. Our maid would walk him at 6am and I would do the evening walk. she would also look after him in the summer when DS and I would come home for several weeks and DH was at work or travelling. We always had at least a small garden where he could do his business and used to find a patch of sand for walkies - easier at the Ranches than further in.
If you intend to work, you will need some kind of childcare. That will be another cost and should be considered. There are probably more options now than when I was there, but it may end up cheaper to have a live in maid who could also help with pet care etc. Ut's something we Brits can feel awkward with, I know I did, but we loved our maid and I think she was fond of us too. We treated her with respect and paid her a decent wage. It made life so much easier as DS was youngish and DH travelled almost every week, so without my maid I would have been really stuck.
you are doing the right thing working on the numbers. You do not want to run oout of money un Dubai, life can very quickly go downhill in ways you cannot imagine in the UK, but I loved our time there.

Thank you for all this information and the dog tips.
Having taken stock of all the below I have started to question the recommended minimum monthly salary for a family of four to live relatively comfortably. Some people above seem to suggest 80k AED per month. In other forums, this amount seems to be considered a ‘very comfortable’ salary.

No one here has said you need to be paid 80k a month to live comfortably in Dubai? in fact I've specifically said the opposite. I've said I wouldn't spend Springs prices (realistically 350k at least for a 4 bed) on housing out of 80k, but then I'm keen to make sure I'm saving for the future including university fees.

I'm bowing out as you're refusing to listen. I've seen it all before too many times. People come out, commit to way too much on accomodation, brunch every weekend and then find themselves in big credit card debt by the end of year 1.

This is bonkers. I am bowing out too. You are either misrepresenting your husband's salary or in serious denial. You will simply not get the lifestyle you think with AED300k p.a., plus housing..

For ref: I would not live here, with my kids, for anything under 500k p.a., plus housing.

I would only do 300k p.a., plus housing if I did not have kids.

Totally puzzled by all the backlash. I said to have budgeted 300k for accommodation in my very first post having drawn this information from extensive r search across Bayut and Propertyfinder. I understand the point that has since been made about the relative proportion of rent vs monthly salary. One of you has said 50k is nowhere near enough (though this wasn’t a figure I mentioned and it’s not what we’ll be earning, it’s still helpful), another has done a tally of their expenditure that comes close to 80k. Some people are quoting figures that exclude accommodation, others that include it. Hence my confusion. It could be so simple: you need to earn x to have a decent family life (we’re not talking a house with a pool) in Dubai.

‘I would not live here, with my kids, for anything under 500k p.a., plus housing.’

You now have answered the question. Housing being a minimum of 250k for something bigger than a shoebox and nearish a decent school, the recommendation is 60-70k a month.

I wouldn’t be asking these questions if I didn’t care about overspending. I hugely care about it. Our move to Dubai is not motivated by brunches, fast cars and selfies by the Marina, but by a very interesting job. I’m just trying to work out if it’s feasible, and take stock from people n the ground having done extensive research on cost of living websites as well as Bayut and Propertyfinder. There is no need to patronise me as ‘the idiot who’s going to max out her credit card’. This couldn’t be further from the truth.