Dear All My husband has been offered a job in Dubai in a very prestigious retail firm .. WE are a family of 3 (1 daughter of 4 years). He is being offered a Salary of 19K AED mthly + Fuel + Medical insurance + Annual return tickets for the entire family + Annual Incentives.. At present , we are living a nice and convenient life in bangalore india.... and would want to take a feedback from all you members about the level of life that we can live in dubai with that salary. How expensive is education / Accomodation /Grocery & Household purchases / etc etc... Where should we look for a house and a school? Can i pick up some work? Can we get a maid? How expensive it would be? I would really appreciate ur help , as it would help us make a faster decision.. Regards Pooja
Hi Pooja, The following are the indicative expenses: School - AED 1,500 per month per kid. This is inclusive of school transport. Grocery and incidentals - AED 2,000 - AED 2,500 per month for family of 3. Housing rent - Depends on which area you stay. Rents have come down. In an area like Bur Dubai; a 1BHK could cost you in the range of AED 60,000 - 70,000 per annum and 2 BHK could cost you in the range of AED 80,000 - AED 95,000 per annum. In a place like Ghusais the rents are more cheaper. You may go to www.gulfnews.com and click on the properties tab and do a search. Maid - AED 500 per month for a 2 hour visit per day. Hope the above helps you. Regards, Vidhya
Dear Vidhya Thanks a million... appreciate ur prompt revert... Actually he would be travelling in august and i would join him with my daughter sometime in April (School term Change). His office is in Jebel Ali and hence his organisation has recommended him to take up an apt in some place called Al barsha / Discovery gardens... Some more inputs please..(if not inconvenient ) How is the electricity Gas Water charged? How does one socialise .. i mean what are the avenues ? we love to meet people and make friends. I heard there is a DPS in dubai . ..if u can give me a feedback on the school.. and what are the other schools that one can look at? Is it convenient to live in sharjah and work in dubai? Can i work there? the company is offering a resident permit to all of us ... How are the general transport options? Buses / cabs/ metros? Am sorry for asking so many questions... just wanted to get as much inputs as possible.. my hubby is also collating data....:)
Dear Pooja, I can understand the excitement and the anxiety ..... If your husband is going to work in Jebel Ali -then as the company suggested Al Barsha / Discovery Garden is a much preferred stay option. Dubai is well connected that way with metered taxis, public transport and recently metro. So commuting not an issue at all. Electricity & Water per month should cost you AED 300 - 400 max. Socialising here is not a problem at all. Lots of desis and you have all the types from movies to shopping to clubbing to what ever u can think of. People are very sociable. As for schooling yes there is DPS and also other schools as well. If you plan to stay in Barsha then there is a DPS in a place called Greens which is nearby. However DPS in Sharjah is well known since that the old one. The one in Barsha is relatively new. As for staying in Sharjah; commuting from Sharjah to Jebel Ali would be a real time consuming affair. And during mornings its HELL !!! So i would strongly recommend Barsha / Discovery Garden. Regards, Vidhya
hi nice to know u r frm b,lore, i am also Kannadiga frm d same place and staying in Sharjah for pAST 8 YEARS. SO I think ur hubby haS arrived in dubai by now reading ur previous posts, SO when r u joining him? keep in touch and wishing happy new year
