Cost of living comparison by household budget Dubai

Average prices in Dubai

Cost Of Living In Dubai

The United Arab Emirates is one of the most expensive countries in the world, where 10% of the indigenous population pays for a luxurious comfortable life for 90% of expats. This is the name for cheap labor in the face of emigrants and refugees from less prosperous countries in the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia and highly paid specialists from developed employees of large companies, medical institutions, and the service sector.

Dubai, as one of the seven emirates of the UAE, is open to tourists, but you need to understand that the standard of living here is much higher than in Egypt and that this Muslim country is not intended for cheap tourism.

Features of the financial system

The UAE's currency is the dichram, which equates to 20 rubles or 70 US cents in 2021. Cash is used as a tip and to pay for a taxi - in all other cases, a bank card is used. An employer helps a foreign resident open it by opening an account for an employee in a bank that serves his company. Together with a regular card, you can also get a credit card, especially since the interest for using credit funds is only 6%. But they should be repaid in strict accordance with the payment schedule, since the penalties of banks are very high.

Revenue part of the budget

It is impossible to talk about the cost of living in Dubai without knowing what salaries are paid here. Therefore, first we will consider the revenue side of the budget of a native resident and a foreigner, and then we will talk about expenses.

Salaries in Dubai

Local residents do not work in low-paid jobs and in the service sector - they study and take vacancies in large companies, become members of family businesses, open their own businesses, support nepotism in medicine, law and other high-paid areas:

the salary of a local young specialist from the start is at least $ 4000;
a qualified specialist receives from $ 10,000;
for a pension, a native of the UAE can receive up to $ 100,000, since his salary is constantly growing.

Women receive as much as men, despite the fact that the country is Muslim, but they prefer to spend their husbands' money.

The salary of foreigners depends on:

chosen profession;
the country from which the person came;
qualifications;
the level of his education.

For example, Indians are hired only to perform construction work, Filipinos are hired to serve guests in hotels, where they receive no more than $ 350, and their employer provides them with a salary, one place in the hostel, a transfer to the place of work and cheap food.

In the service sector, where residents from the former CIS countries are often hired, salaries are higher and amount to about $ 1,700. By the way, these are the prices of 2021, because prices were lowered not by a pandemic, but by a huge number of Filipinos who are ready to work for a mine and caused dumping in the labor market.

The average salary in offices for "plankton" and middle managers does not exceed $ 2900-3900. Pilots are very well provided for, earning an average of $ 6600-9400. in addition, the company pays for them and their families for a villa or a private house, develops a profitable social package with a number of additional benefits.

The economy is developing very quickly and in a year in the UAE up to 1.0 million jobs are opened, but at the same time, only indigenous people can work in government structures and in key positions in the economic sphere in private companies.

There are no taxes on earnings!

Retirement conditions

After 20 years of honest work, you can retire, but men get access to money after 55, and women after 50. Accruals are approximately 80% of the income received at the last job, the minimum pension is $ 3000 per month, but you cannot receive a pension and a salary at the same time.

Foreigners also have the right to a pension - if the employee agrees, their employers deduct a certain amount of his monthly salary into a special fund.

Expenditure part of the budget

When you roughly understand how much money you can count on if you come to Dubai to work, it's time to talk about the cost of living in it.

Housing costs

Until 2008, there was a very simple rental system in the country, but the financial crisis forced the Arabs to revise their legislative norms. Now the minimum rental period is 1 year, moreover, it is paid exclusively through bank checks, in which the rental amount for a certain period of time is written.

! -room small apartment without furniture costs about $ 10200-10500 per year, about $ 1000 you need to pay to the agent and make a deposit for:

furniture - $ 1000 per year
communal apartment and Internet - $ 800;

and also pay for the furniture again, giving the owner about $ 1400-2000 immediately upon check-in. You can get a loan or share an apartment with neighbors.

An option for the budget conscious is to rent not an apartment, but a room in a villa. It costs about $ 1000 per month, but the amount includes utility bills, internet, cleaning work. There may be many neighbors and you will have to share a kitchen with them, in very rare cases, a bathroom with a toilet.

If desired and the availability of funds, you can buy your own apartment, the cost of 1m2 of housing for the middle class varies between 2500-3000 $.

Car maintenance or transportation costs

Almost everyone travels by car, but Dubai has two metro lines (the trip costs about $ 2), which is suitable for people who live and work near stations. There are buses that run through the center and cost $ 2, as well as taxis, which cost $ 7.5 a 10-kilometer ride.

But all expats living in Dubai recommend starting a car, which can be issued on credit at 2-6% per annum or rented. Approximately, renting a middle class car will cost $ 250-350 per month. You can fill a full tank for $ 10.

The only condition is that you need to drive carefully, since the fines are very strict. So for:

exceeding the speed limit up to 20 km / h will have to pay $ 140;
An accident with a drunk driver is in prison;
rough driving is awarded "black points". If the driver accumulates 24 points, he will be deprived of his license for 1 year;
serious and often repeated violations, the driver is threatened with the confiscation of the car.

Parking costs about $ 0.5-1 per hour.

Remaining expenses

The cost of the food is high as 90% of it is imported into the country. The most expensive supermarkets are the Spinnez line, the cheaper stores are Choitrams or Carrefour, in which the most expensive are not food, but alcohol. On average, $ 75-130 per person per week is spent, moreover, if he does not deny himself anything. Work lunches in the nearest cafe or restaurant will cost the same amount.

There are a lot of entertainment in Dubai and it is extremely difficult to determine how much money they cost. There are inexpensive entertainment "for everyone", and there are exclusive events, the entrance to which costs from $ 1000. But on average:

a ticket to a concert of a popular singer will cost $ 75-100;
a visit to a classical music concert, a ticket to a theater or ballet costs about $ 140;
the opportunity to visit the pool and spa - $ 50-100 per month.

Medical services are of high quality and the same high cost, so the indigenous people are treated abroad, while all their costs are paid by the state. True, it is not clear why they do this, because for them medicine, like education, is free, although everyone has their own medical insurance policy.

Foreigners must open insurance, because without it, the cost of treatment increases several times. By the way, they are served in private clinics, state medical institutions are open to them only in case of emergency.

As you can see, life in Dubai has its pros and cons. So, when planning a permanent residence in this country, do not think that everyone here lives "in chocolate". The carefree life of one category of the population is achieved through the hard work of other people, and this must be taken into account. Remember that the saying "It's good where we are not" is relevant even for the UAE.

Average prices in Dubai (USD)
Public transport ticket : Dubai 1.09
Taxi (5km) : Dubai 6.26
Train (200km) : Dubai n.a.
Restaurant (2 persons) : Dubai 90
5* hotel : Dubai 430
3* hotel : Dubai 130
Appartment rent : Dubai 1380
Women haircut : Dubai 43.11
Men haircut : Dubai 16.79
Weekend city break (2 persons, 1 hotel night, without flights) : Dubai 790
Food budget : Dubai 461
Clothing budget : Dubai 890
Appliances budget : Dubai 550
Electronics budget : Dubai 2900
Housing budget : Dubai 1380
Services budget : Dubai 538