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

I suspect so for maths, although I don't know how the ADEK (education authority) approval would work. I'm not a teacher, just know a fair few but I moved from AD to Dubai two years ago so my contacts aren't a lot of use. It's something he could potentially contact schools on and just ask.

I lived very comfortably on AED 60k a month in Dubai (full medical insurance paid for as well). It was only myself and DH (who didn’t work). If we had had school aged kids then work would also have paid the fees though.

If your husband is going to be working as well then I’d say go for it (particularly if his job will cover school fees!).

My DH was on 65K (no housing or schooling). We thought we’d be fine but found it tough. Housing is still expensive if you want a decent villa and school fees are a lot. Add grocery shopping, cars, upfront expenses, flights, after school activities… these mount up fast. I got a job and now we are fine and we can save, but 50K doesn’t go as far as it sounds like it should.

LOL at a teacher earning 20k/month if no additional allowances, even top tier schools will probably cap at 17-18k. There are some jobs still available - check tes.com - as some roles are hard to recruit for.

My rent is 200k/year paid in two instalments and my utility bills top 2k in the warmer months. When we moved to Dubai in 2018 (now AD), we had to borrow money to get us through the first 6 months. If your DH has a teaching job, they will generally offer two school places, especially as you don't get an education allowance. However, he is competing for jobs against teachers with no need for free school places and they are much more appealing from a HR/budget perspective.

I'm not entirely why she should only listen to people who have lived in Dubai in the last 3 years. People who live in Abu Dhabi (where the OP is actually looking at moving) would surely be able to give more relevant advice?

thanks all for the advice, I have managed to negotiate upwards and then hopefully husband will secure a teaching job!

Once your husband has a job it will be a lot easier but you may find it tough until then. Upfront costs are very high, 1 year in we are finding it more comfortable (husband started on 60k inc housing and school fees allowance) but his bonus and pay rise made things a lot easier. Re bills, depends very much on your villa and how modern it is etc, we pay over 4k in summer months. Petrol super cheap, mobile lines can be cheap, eating out can be cheap or expensive depending on your taste. Groceries I spend a little less than I did in the UK.

The things that wobble the budget are holidays and trips back to the UK. The little things do add up so the sooner your husband gets a job the better.

Thanks much, yes we have funds to get us through the initial period, so fingers crossed now! Appreciate the insight into the expenses.