Cost of living in dubai

[Cinnamon]

Can anyone please tell me how much money you need to live comfortably in dubai, while still saving money? My husband and i would be moving there, and will probably need a villa as we have a dog? I am not sure on the housing in dubai. Cheaper to buy or rent? TRying to compare to the situation we are in at the moment!

[dizzyizzy]

is hard to answer without knowing what do you mean by living comfortably? perhaps if you talk more about your expectations people here can help you a little more with some numbers so you can work on a budget and see if the move would be worth it for you.

it all depends if you live on a flat or villa, what area do you want to live (residential, apartment complex, old Dubai, etc.), if you want to have a car or two, compact car or a bigger one, how many times a week are you planning to eat out or go out, etc.

please elaborate so we can help you out.

[Cinnamon]

Hi Dizzyizzy,

I guess i should have elaborated! Everyones idea of living comfortable is different.
Living comfortable for us would be perhaps eating out once week and other small social activities. We both like a social drink every now and then , but not really into partying every week. Just a dinner out with a glass of wine or 2. We would need a villa , or something with a courtyard as we have a small dog. Probably only one car. Medium size. The main thing i guess is that we can pay our bills and enjoy some sight seeing , socialising as well as save a significant amount of money. Just not sure on what groceries cost , if there is a big difference ? and also things like insurance for contents of house/ health insurance? We would probably be looking to live as close to water as possible in a safe area, preferably near some expats? but it doesnt have to be the fanciest area out! We dont need a large place, probably 2- 3 bedrooms.

Hope that kind of helps! My husband is talking with manager of a company in Dubai tonight, than we may have some idea of what they will offer, which will make it much easier to do the sums!

[bonk]

Information deleted

[dizzyizzy]

ps as you probably read by now the cost of rent has usually to be paid upfront for the whole year!!!! if your employer will pay rent for you then it's alright, as not everybody has this kind of money in the bank.

if you don't have kids then rent will be your higher expense.

finally, petrol is really really cheap here so don't even worry about that one!