Considering moving to Dubai from USA

@ Arch: yes, our rent for a townhome in downtown Dallas was about the same as we pay here in the Marina, really @ sheikh:you raise some good points. If the OP's handle gives anything away, she appears to be a stay at home Mom so I assumed there would be no childcare needed. If the school fees are included in the package, then all the better. (As I said I wouldn't move here without that included). Who is to say her child is not in private school now, anyway? I was private schooled and it cost nearly 35000 AED annually (years ago!) and was not an only child. We also don't know what the job situation is for her DH currently. The job situation in my sector is grim right now back in the States and over here it is not only okay, but in many cases, pays much higher than back home. Only she knows the answers to those questions. I think my bottom line is that Dubai is expensive as one makes it. And having certain things included in a package makes a world of difference.

I really don't think you should compare living in Dubai child-free to living in Dubai with children - certainly not where costs are concerned. For one thing there are school fees - and all the plus plus plus things on top of that like uniforms, school trips, etc. For another thing, clothes are much more expensive here than in the US so for a growing child, that can add up quite quickly. Plus, a one bedroom apartment is a lot cheaper than a two or three bedroom villa. Moreover, while you can live here for about four or five months of the year quite cheaply - visiting the free parks and the beaches, for at least 6 months of the year, my young children get hot and miserable quite quickly so we spend a lot of time indoors. So either you spend a fortune at play areas (which cost much more than you would think!) or you spend an awful lot of time at home ... not ideal in my view. Then there is childcare. There is no after school child care so if you work, you will need to hire full time help. Finally, you need to consider whether or not you will leave during the summer. For us, it works out fairly equally - eight weeks travelling around to various apartment rentals in Europe or the states is basically the same cost as staying here trying to keep the kids busy with various camps (each about $400 a week) and activities but we also find it extremely stressful travelling around for the summer. We don't have a house that we keep empty just for the summers but we've come to the point where we might have to do that. So I always laugh when childless people say how much they love Dubai, how they find the costs so reasonable and comparable to the US - for us, there is no comparison. We're here because my husband's job is here but it stopped being financially worth it for us a while ago.

DH and I do not have housing but we are dual income with good jobs--plus we've paid much higher rent in places we lived back home like L.A, NY and even Dallas. We live in the Marina and absolutely love it. 2. Salary/cost of living--again there is no income tax for you up to $96,000 per year and you are only taxed on the amount over this. Petrol is obviously much cheaper, groceries about the same, although you will find some produce to be ridiculously expensive. I have simply shifted my preferences and found things I like instead that I never tried before :) Energy bills about the same, comparing to Texas and constantly running A/C half the year. Dining out and entertainment also about the same--except a bar bill will run a LOT more here. I find it hard to believe I would pay rent in Dallas anything close to what you pay in Dubai for a comparable property. Plus gas isnt really cheaper in Dubai anymore, as prices in the US have dropped quite a bit, but that does not make that big a difference as something like school fees

You've caught me in time as we're flying out today for the rest of the summer. The American community in Dubai is growing. It's much bigger now than it was when we first came here eight years ago. As you can infer, we're still here after eight years and will likely be here for a few more years at the least. In terms of amenities, Dubai is very "western" friendly. In my time here I have seen scores of American brands open shops in Dubai. While McDonalds and Starbucks were here, we now have everything from Shake Shack, PF Changs, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and Banana Republic. The supermarkets, while very modern, are more European in their selections and will have far fewer American brand goods but a lot of it is still available (at a markup) and there's one American supermarket called Safestway that has imported American processed/junk food at a big markup. What you don't find are large discount wholesalers such as Target and most clothing and linens and household goods are more expensive than comparables in the US. As for schools, the top two American curriculum schools are the American School of Dubai and Dubai American Academy. We are at ASD and we are very happy with it. Note that admissions is difficult due to the volume of people applying for spaces, but there are also plenty of other Western international schools. If you're not used to paying private school fees you will find the schools in Dubai expensive so either you need a large enough package to cover the cost of fees or a school fee allowance. We are fully covered by our school allowance but many people aren't and need to top up from their base salary. Housing is very expensive, depending on where you come from. If you're from New York or California or Washington DC, you'll probably find it comparable. If you're from the rest of the US you will probably find it very expensive. Do you want a villa? An apartment? There are variations in rental costs depending on the area but on the whole you will pay more than a comparable property in the US. We have a villa near the beach in Umm Suqeim and pay 225,000 AED for the year (in one check!) but 150,000-175,000 will still get you a comfortable villa in a popular expat area like Arabian Ranches or the Springs. Apartments are better value. Popular areas for villas include Jumeira and Umm Suqeim (by the beaches), Arabian Ranches, Meadows, Springs, Lakes, Victory Heights (master planned suburban communities similar to an Arizona or Southern California subdivision). New areas with cheaper rents but still convenient include Jumeirah Village Triangle, The Villa, Falcon City. For apartments, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Motor City and the Greens/Views are all popular options. The Marina is the most popular due to its amenities and has the highest rents, but if we were to move to an apartment it would be the Greens/Views, hands down, because it is just a lovely community and very convenient to everywhere. Utilities costs vary. We have a villa and I don't think we've ever paid more than 2,000 a month in utilities and that was with the air conditioning running around the clock. We don't have the A/C running for at least 7 months of the year, so other months it's quite cheaper. Apartment utilities are much lower as many buildings include free air conditioning. On top of the utilities is a 5% housing tax which I haven't included in my figures above as it's 5% of the rent you pay. Internet is expensive. Day to day living expenses does depend on your lifestyle. It can be very expensive if you only shop at the fanciest supermarkets, eat out at fancy restaurants all the time and go to brunches every weekend and your recreational activity is shopping at the Dubai Mall. But if you buy food at Carrefour (big French hypermarket and quite decent quality), spend your recreational time at the beaches and camp on the weekends and don't drink too much alcohol, Dubai can be quite reasonable. I find Dubai a comfortable and easygoing place to live and enjoy living here. I love the sheer diversity of the place and that our friends are from all over the world. I love being able to travel frequently with my family and exposing my children to so many different countries. I am in no hurry to leave, but that's also partly because we are comfortably situated, thankfully. We're also more frugal than many people and haven't become swept up in the "Dubai lifestyle" that too many people are. I do strongly encourage you to keep coming back on here and asking more questions once you get the details of your husband's package offer so we can offer more detailed feedback on what's feasible and the kind of lifestyle you can have on that package. As Americans our salaries aren't tax free but there is a tax exemption of 96,000 (goes up every year by about 1,000-1,500, I think), but you can also deduct a portion of your housing allowance/expenses on top of it. Keep in mind that any income above the exemption is taxed at the full tax rate for your entire income. And also keep in mind that while you won't be contributing to social security, your employer won't either, nor will you receive any IRA Roth matching or pension schemes, unless it's negotiated as part of your offer and this is really only found in people doing a short term internal corporate transfer by the same company. So you really need to make sure you have sufficient income to be able to save an equivalent amount.

Hi :) It's a big decision for sure, I'll try to highlight things to consider. DH and I don't have children, so I can't really comment much on the schools, but most ladies on this forum say that it can be difficult to find places at the schools; you may not get your first or second choice, and this can be challenging when you are trying to plan where to live based on the location of the school and your DH's work place. I have to disagree with Appletiser, though, as the other Americans I know here are actually staying long term; nearly half have actually bought property. We have been here 5 years and planning to stay for at least another 3. We love the states but the tax break here is a huge benefit. So a good package here could actually leave more money in your pocket than if you were to stay in the US. It also depends what your family plan is, are you moving here in hopes to save a ton of money or for the experience? 1. Where to live: really too many areas to list! First see what the housing budget is from the company, and then check out a website like propertyfinder.ae and search nearby areas to your DH's work, and what the average rent is. To live somewhere you really like, you may be paying an extra $300-$1000 monthly out of pocket as some of my friends here are. Depending on the salary package, this may or may not be worth it to you. If there is no housing budget from the company, that would be a huge con, as you won't be working. DH and I do not have housing but we are dual income with good jobs--plus we've paid much higher rent in places we lived back home like L.A, NY and even Dallas. We live in the Marina and absolutely love it. 2. Salary/cost of living--again there is no income tax for you up to $96,000 per year and you are only taxed on the amount over this. Petrol is obviously much cheaper, groceries about the same, although you will find some produce to be ridiculously expensive. I have simply shifted my preferences and found things I like instead that I never tried before :) Energy bills about the same, comparing to Texas and constantly running A/C half the year. Dining out and entertainment also about the same--except a bar bill will run a LOT more here. 3. Getting around--If you are going to be a one car family, this could be a challenge if you prefer to do the school run rather than utilize the school transport. Hopefully other ladies on the forum can help more with this. If you live in an apartment rather than a villa, you may not have the choice of being a 2 car family as many apartments only come with one parking spot. Also to consider is whether or not your DH will have a car allowance budget on top of his package, that would be ideal. 4. School fees--these can be costly so make sure they are included in the package. If I were you I wouldn't accept a package without it but other ladies might disagree with me Just some food for thought. One last thing--you may never have experienced heat quite like a Dubai summer, but it is definitely manageable. Good luck in your research and your decision!

Unless the salary package being offered is ridiculously good and you will be saving a lot more then I would say stay where you are. Most americans I know are packing up and returning back to the US. Quality of life is not the same here anymore and its getting more and more expensive by the day.