Cost of living in Dubai

Cost of living in Dubai – Makebiz

When considering Dubai as a place to live with your family or for employment and training, it is important to look at the cost of living here and the main items of expenditure. One often hears the opinion that it is too expensive to live in Dubai, but according to research, it is not even in the ranking of the most expensive cities to live in, ranking below the 20th position. 

Of course, costs can vary depending on the usual level of comfort, location preferences, lifestyle and number of family members. 

First of all, it is worth paying attention to the cost of renting real estate. Active construction allows you to choose the most suitable option for you: apartment complexes, duplexes, townhouses or villas. Young couples without children more often consider studios closer to business centers. In this case, the cost of rent will be about 75 thousand dirhams per year. For families with children or elderly parents more often consider apartments with two bedrooms, at a cost of about 150 thousand dirhams per year. 

Buying real estate is a profitable investment. Prices also differ from the location. For example, 1 m2 outside the central areas of Dubai costs from 4 400 dirhams, in the central areas the cost per 1 m2 — from 9 400 dirhams. Prices for studios can start from AED 550,000 and two-bedroom apartments from AED 1.2 million. In addition, you will need to pay various fees, including for the purchase of real estate, plus in some cases VAT. 

It is worth paying attention to the system of rent with the right to buy, on which some developers work. Let regular payments will be more expensive, but at the end of the lease, you will have your own place. 

Along with the cost of housing, it is worth considering the cost of utilities: electricity, water, cooling system in the summer. The average bill for an apartment up to 90 square meters comes out to about 1,000 dirhams. For mobile communication and Internet will have to give about 200 dirhams.

Food prices in Dubai are quite high due to the need to import from abroad. Buying food in local budget supermarkets, you can save money. Thus, a grocery basket for one person can be 2,500 dirhams per month, when lunch in a cafe will cost up to 100 dirhams. 

The system of public transportation in Dubai also allows you to choose both budget options — subway, streetcars or buses (the average cost per month for travel for one person — 300 dirhams), and more expensive — cabs or rent a car. It is worth considering buying or renting a car: prices for used cars can vary greatly, and the rent for an inexpensive sedan starts from 1,700 dirhams per month, but it is important to remember the additional costs for insurance, registration, maintenance, gasoline, parking fees. 

The health care system is represented by a wide network of private clinics with specialists of all possible directions. The cost of medical insurance in Dubai is from 1000 dirhams per year. 

Education for children is also an important item of expenditure. The average price of education in kindergarten from 10 000 dirhams per year, in public school — from 8 000 dirhams (depends on the class, prestige of the school and educational program). Studying in a higher education institution under the bachelor’s degree system starts from AED 30,000 per year.

If desired, you can also use cleaning services (from 50 dirhams/hour), nanny (from 30 dirhams/hour). It is also worth considering the prices of cosmetic services, gyms and leisure activities. For example, prices for passes to the gym start from 300 dirhams, and tickets to the movies and various attractions can cost 50-300 dirhams per person. 

Thus, you can calculate in advance the approximate costs of living in Dubai, both for a young family and for a family with children.

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