Some of the costs currently published in this article are old. You should update following:
Rent: A villa annual rent is between 120,000 to 300,000 AED depending on the location and the number of the bedrooms. Appartments are between 50,000 - 200,000 AED, same criteria as above. Studios are between 50,000 to 70,000 AED.
Utilities: Water and electricity bill amount varies a lot between an appartment and a villa. It can be anything between 7,000 to 24,000 AED per annum. Full time maid between 12,000 to 18,000 AED + sponsorship + mobile + annual return flight ticket to home country + deposit to Goverment.
Insurance: Car insurance costs is according to your car purchase value. For exsample: car of 80,000 AED has insurance cost of 4,000 AED per annum. Household insurace is also according to the value of the insured items.
Schools: Costs has gone up this year and schools have got a permission to increase their fees by/up to 30%. American School of Dubai has published their tuition and school fees on their website; grades 1 - 12 is 54,800 AED.
Salik: A road toll. Every time you pass one Salik you are charged 4.00 AED. Eventually, there will be 15 Salik gates on Dubai roads.
Inflation: in 2006 and 2007 inflation rate was around 11%, forecast for 2008 is over 12%. Grocery items forecasted inflation rate is around 40%. Due to the oil price increase many imported items price is increased by 20% during the first half 2008.
Pension: There is no pension system in UAE (for expats) and you need to pay your own pension plan should you be thinking of retirement days, too.
When you rent your home you pay the agent 5% commission of the rent. Rent has to be paid in advance either by 1, 2 or 3 cheques. Tenancy contract is valid for 12 months. If you want to terminate it in the middle of the renting period you pay one to three months rent to Landlord as a compensation for doing it.
Believe me a one bedroom apartment in a normal neighborhood cost 100.000 AED per annum. I agree the cost that are in the webpage are nor the reality of the high cost of living in Dubai.
19 January 2009, 08:46:41 am
