Quote:
Originally Posted by hope
Hi everyone,
Have been looking at this super site for a while now trying to suss out costs etc. I have used the search facility but could not find any exact figures to answer the questions I have so if anyone could help it would be appreciated.
We are a family of 5 intending to move to Dubai from the UK in August. Accomodation will be paid for, as will schooling. We are hoping to rent a 4/5 bedroom villa in Arabian Ranches but have no idea of what our utilites and food costs are likely to be. It will be my husband and myself plus 3 kids aged 10, 11 and 12. I understand that DEWA is the electric and water costs, do you have gas there or is it just electricity? What are the DEWA costs likely to be?
We would also need to lease 2 cars, an SUV and a 4 door saloon. I have looked on the net but have come up with vastly differing figures for this. Would buying be cheaper than leasing? We would not mind cars that are 2 or 3 years old. How much would leasing cost?
I have looked at a couple of property rental sites. Are villas normally rented out at the asking price or is some bartering allowed? If so how much can you know them down by? We thought that we would be able to rent a 5 bedroom villa on A/Ranches for around AED350k but they seem to have gone up to around AED425. Could we knock them down?
If anyone can help with an indication of these costs it would be much appreciated. Many thanks.
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I will try and answer a few of your questions,
You can buy bottled gas here, but power to villa etc is via electricity (no natural gas here).DEWA is electricity + water
Dewa bill in a 4-5 bed may be from 1500 dhs (winter )- 5000 dhs + for summer (as the air con will be run all day + night, plus watering of garden is now user pays system)
Depending on how long you intend to reside here, i think purchasing the cars is more economical in the long run. (they are cheaper to buy here than in most countries) You can check classified sections of papers for better deals too)
Most rents are payable 1 year up front (paid with 1 cheque)...this sometimes gives you a little leeway with bargaining with LL etc. Cant believe anyone would drop 75,000 dhs though !! There is always someone out there willing to take the villa at a higher price.
Also the asking rent does not include agents fees (approx 5 %),(also payable upfront)
You need to check with contract that (ideally) the rent and schooling are not capped, as you will be out of pocket, as soon as rent/school fees are increased.
As for food it will depend on what you eat, and how often you eat out etc.
I would think that you would be looking at a MINIMUM 5,000 dhs per month.