This video is a continuation to my first video about the Cost of Living in Dubai. If you haven’t checked it out, go ahead and watch that.
Thanks to everyone who left me feedback, in this video I’ll try and answer the questions some of you posted.
In regards to cost of living here in Dubai, there are several calculators you can use to figure out what your cost of living is going to be in comparison to here you’re moving from. Keep in mind these calculators aren’t super accurate, in some instances they’re totally inaccurate.
According to the website Atlas and boots, Dubai is ranked the 23rd most expensive city in the world for Expats. If you’re coming from cities like London, Moscow, Tokyo, New York, Ashgabat, San Francisco, you’re going to get more for your money provided you maintain a comparable salary.
In regards to cost of living, ideally you want to save as much as possible. In my opinion its a horrible feeling to have nice stuff, but no money in investments or saved. You can look at your as extra money as the ability to buy more stuff, or options. I like options, and the ability to create experiences.
In Dubai there are more malls than anywhere else I’ve seen, with plenty of stuff to buy, and also there are a lot of experiences to be had in Duba. Ultimately it’s your choice.
If you’re interested in living below your means, saving and investing here are some tips:
- Don’t buy a car, use public transportation such as the Metro, the bus, and taxis(but taxis can add up)
- Cook your own food, in Downtown eating at restaurants can get expensive, but I have my favorites like Vietnamese foods….I love pho.
- If you can’t cook, then use discount codes on apps like Zomato, Deliver, or the Entertainer as much as possible(entertainer you can get 2 meals for the price of 1 deals)
- Dubai is the land of convenience, so avoid hiring cleaners to clean for you, do it yourself
Keep in mind you can only cut your expenses so much, Whats the purpose of living if you miserly to the point where you aren’t enjoying anything.
Ultimately you want to cut expenses on stuff that doesn’t matter so you can use your money on what’s important to you.
Additionally depending on who you work for, your employment package can include:
- Housing allowance(If you are able to keep the difference, you’d be insane to not live below your means and pocket the leftover)
- Flights home(Some companies will reimburse you for a flight back to your home country, but if you don’t want to go home, this can be used for an annual vacation).
- Company discounts(Some companies offer you cards, like the Fazaa card, Emirates employees get a discount card, or some companies offer discounts on whatever it is they sell).
The benefits that you are offered varied, so I can’t really put a number or average. Also it depends on what you are able to negotiate. In my video about working in Dubai, I told you guys not to sell your self short. Yes, its a great place to be, but not if you’re going to struggle, or hurt yourself to be here.