Is 50k AED enough to live in Abu Dhabi , family of 4

[Mumsyuk]

Hi mums,
I have been offered a job in Abu Dhabi for 50k AED/monthly. There is no housing or education allowance offered. Is this enough to live on? We will probably need 2 cars, a 3bed villa/apartment and both kids school fees in a British School. My husband would also work and would look for a head of department kind of role but may have to potentially start as a teacher. Any help is appreciated not sure if it’s worth it to uproot from London for this

No. Definitely not. Sorry to say. You would spend probably AED 15k per month on rent alone . School fees could be the same again in school fees for 2 kids , maybe more depending on school. Then you still have cars, bills, groceries. If your husband secured a job at same level or just a bit below you would be fine but you would not live comfortably on a single salary. Do you also get sponsorship and medical insurance for the whole family as this is an important consideration?

Thanks for coming back on this, yes medical is paid for the whole family and so is visa/sponsorship plus annual flights home. What would be a good salary to live comfortably. We aren’t huge spenders but I do like to take a holiday atleast once a year. Any idea what kind of salaries are paid to teachers in international schools?

I reckon 50k would be ok, so long as you have a bit of cash to start you off (we hemorrhaged cash the first few months).

Rent:15000
School: 2x5000
Cars: 5000 total (not evenly split)

That still leaves 20000 for food, utilities and general spending. Wouldn't be a blindly lifestyle, bit would be ok.
Once your husband starts teaching (tho that might not happen til September 2026) you would have a surplus.

Ok that sounds abit more promising, we will have funds to start us off and also get some relocation help from the company. There is also a bonus as well which for now I am assuming it is 0 but I’m sure it will be something.

Yes having start up cash would help a lot. But definitely having 2 salaries would help a lot. Groceries are not particularly cheap. You will spend a lot of time in malls etc in the hot months so will spend money on coffees, lunches kids play areas etc. Normally monthly expenditure may include things like swimming or sports classes for kids, you may want to get some help at home in the future. You will need cash for trips home, entertaining relatives when they are over etc. It’s a lovely lifestyle but much more enjoyable when you have a bit of breathing space in budget and ideally you would want to save while there as no pension etc

Teaching - primary or secondary? Probably around 20k for recently qualified more for more experienced teachers

He is secondary and is Maths, he has over 14years experience. He currently is an assistant headteacher in the U.K., so I’m hoping he’s able to secure a leadership role but also understand he may have to start as just a teacher.
does anyone know how much a nanny or a maid costs? Also does household look after children as well or do you need a maid and then a nanny? Sorry for extra questions.

To help with your budget, and to give you a better idea of school fees in Abu Dhabi, I’d suggest checking out https://whichschooladvisor.com/uae/. The site has up to date information on school fees in Abu Dhabi and the cost of an education there... https://whichschooladvisor.com/uae/guides/moving-to-the-uae-your-guide-to-getting-a-school-place-in-abu-dhabi

Husband should try to get recruited from UK. If he is a local hire he might miss out on lots of perks like school fees, flights home, housing allowance etc. Don’t forget that any housing will be unfurnished so you need money for that or a lot of time to trawl Facebook selling groups and drive around for second hand furniture. Also cars can be expensive as the climate is awful for them so older second hand cars aren’t really much of a thing. Nanny/maid can do both jobs. They won’t be a qualified nanny, more a housekeeper who can also do childcare. You need to pay more if you don’t have space for them to live in.

what's the point in going to AD unless you'll be able to save though?

Re the bonus, unless it is contractual then please don't be sure you will get something. I see so many employers trying to wriggle out of paying bonuses.

Yes that’s the idea, if he tries to get hired from here so he can get housing and schooling etc. Is there any public transport? Maybe it’s a silly question.

Yes this is contractual although of course discretionary, but that is the same as in the U.K.

Discretionary in what way? How do you qualify for the bonus. As I said above, I see employers using their 'discretion' in not paying bonuses all the time. You can raretly count on a bonus 100% so I just wanted to ensure you weren't depending on it.

Yes I understand that which is why I assume 0 bonus. Anything I get is therefore a surplus. In the industry I’m in a discretionary bonus is always paid and the same discretion applies in the U.K. for my current bonus. It’s dependent on how well the business does.

It could be tight depending on your spending habits but it’s the most beautiful place and the lifestyle is fantastic. I miss Abu Dhabi

Well if dh can secure a teaching post in a gems type international school, then that's school fees sorted.

In the nicest possible way OP, you really need to do some research on this (ie housing costs / school costs / weekly food budgeting etc etc etc). You don’t sound particularly clued up and I’m surprised you haven’t looked into it before you got to the offer stage. You need to start working out and writing down costs for everything and do some calculations. You’re going to get different answers on MN but ultimately the answer depends on a lot of different factors. Look at prices for homes near where you want to live, for example.

Have a look at www.expatwoman.com for some useful advice.

Good luck making your decision x

I sent this to my sister who lives there, this is what she said

AED 50k per month is good for a family of 4 whilst hubby is looking for a position. They will have a wonderful life, especially one away from the shambles of the UK. Me and my husband earn a combined total of 65k per month and we have a 3 bed villa. 3 children in British schools, a live in house keeper, a Gardner and manage to go on holidays and out once a month. We are not bigger spenders on designer items. We have 1 car between us and I uber around Dubai most days. Obviously this is all out of the combined salary. My children are 11, and twins aged 6.

The expat community is amazing plenty of British and other nationalities living in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We’ve been here almost 14 years and moved from London. Please only concentrate on the comments where people have first hand experience of living in Dubai in the last 3 years.

How very useful! Ofc I have done the basic calculations otherwise I wouldn’t be here. The question is mainly around other expenses and not around housing and schooling which is readily available on the internet.

Oh thank you for getting an insight on this, very much appreciated. We are also not big spenders and living in Greater London I think even here we only really go out for fancy dining maybe once a month or quarter if I’m honest (just isn’t that fun with 2 kids in tow). I am trying to negotiate upwards on a base salary…so 🤞

Why would OP only concentrate on having first hand experience of Dubai in the last three years? She's moving to Abu Dhabi. First hand experience of Dubai isn't really relevant. (And check with your sister whether she'd be as easily able to afford her current lifestyle if she was paying the latest rental prices for her villa - it doesn't sound like she's living on the outskirts)

OP the good news is that at the moment AD rents are actually cheaper than Dubai rents (Dubai rents have gone crazy). 50k is fine for the life style you're describing and if your DH is an experienced secondary maths teacher he's very likely to find a position (although the top schools will have already recruited for September - it might be seriously worth him thinking of waiting until September 2026 and tutoring / doing supply in the meantime rather than taking just any job he finds), even if leadership is trickier (simply because there are fewer jobs going). But be warned that if you get housing allowance he may well not get housing allowance meaning he will be unlikely to make 20k salary unless he's in a leadership position and it's not the case that all jobs come with fully paid school places for all kids anymore, although many will.

The point I should have mentioned is school places. Don't assume that you'll be able to get your children places in any schools you've been looking at online - it's late in the year assuming you'd be looking to start after the summer. I'm not on how much of a squeeze there is on school places in AD at the moment but make sure you call schools and determine what your options are before you commit to the role.

Yes, I have called a couple today . One has waiting lists and the other says they don’t have a wait list yet so I have applied. Will look at more schools! Thanks for the tip on maybe doing supply, is that something that’s easy to find?