Guide

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Dubai Expat Resident Receives Commemorate Passport Stamp After 60 Years

UAE Breaks Heat Record With 51.6°C - Here’s How to Stay Safe and Sane This Summer

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Classifieds

Jobs

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Events

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Education

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Money

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Home

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Car

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Wellness

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Discover "The New You" at Zieda's Aesthetic Clinic in Dubai

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Say Goodbye to Wrinkles With Mediclinic's Botox Mondays Offer

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Top 7 Scenic UAE Jogging and Running Routes

IVF in the UAE: Unmarried Non-Muslim Couples Are Allowed to Undergo IVF

Shop

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Every Day is a Discount Day on THIS Deals Site

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EWmums

EWfood

ewmoda

Is it possible

197

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 May 2016 - 12:55

Hi , my husband has taken a position in Dubai. However I'm concerned at cost of living there we are a family of 3 . My daughter will start yr 10 of secondary school.Is it possible to live reasonable quality of life on 40,000AED. This has to cover housing, schooling etc We have lived in the gulf presently in Bahrain and previously Doha so not comparing it to UK .
Thanks for any thoughts

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553

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 11 May 2016 - 19:57

Ps if your daughter plans to stay for A levels then these fees tend to be even more expensive. You also need to pay per GCSE or A level entered..this can all add up. I can't remember exact cost as all re different..think PE is most expensive but I seem to remember approx AED500 per GCSE.

553

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 11 May 2016 - 19:55

We were on less but with two kids both at secondary and really struggled. One kid would have been doable but not leaving a lot. Secondary school fees are pretty much from 70k upwards. Other issue is that they have a tendency to increase every year so you need leeway in tour budget. Ditto re housing..we were lucky and only paying 78k in 2012 but now paying over 100k. It depends how cheaply you are prepared to rent and which schools you are lookng at..make sure there is scope in your budget for rents and school fees to rise..

87

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 May 2016 - 14:12

We're in a very similar boat on 38K and we manage just fine. Not saving much, mind, and your set up costs will be high, but eminently doable. Good luck

8965

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 11 May 2016 - 14:11

Hi , my daughter is at St Christophers at the moment, so yes a British school and I am aware the costs of schooling. It's all the other costs I'm a bit confused at. Housing costs, Derwa, road tolls . Bahrain is I know much cheaper as a place to live for accommodation, school cost are similar. We live in an Appartment in Bahrain which includes wifi, water , ac etc. is there anything else cost wise I should be aware of. Thank you Horizon Mum2 Housing costs are 5% of your total annual rent paid monthly Salik ( Road tolls) are AED4 each time you pass under them however you can avoid them depending upon where you work and live. WIFI is slow and expensive I pay AED350 ( No TV as I use Netflix etc) for 16MB. DEWA I cannot advise on but expect to pay more than AED500 Where will your Husband job be located as if it is Jebel Ali side etc you wont want to live in Sharjah as he will be sitting in traffic for a long time Propertyfinder.ae Justrentals.com They can give you an estimate of costs. Deposit is 5% of rent and an agents fee of 5% if they help you find one. DEWA set up deposit is AED2000 for an apartment and AED4000 for a villa plus Ejari which everyone is supposed to have now AED195.

197

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 11 May 2016 - 14:05

Hi , my daughter is at St Christophers at the moment, so yes a British school and I am aware the costs of schooling. It's all the other costs I'm a bit confused at. Housing costs, Derwa, road tolls . Bahrain is I know much cheaper as a place to live for accommodation, school cost are similar. We live in an Appartment in Bahrain which includes wifi, water , ac etc. is there anything else cost wise I should be aware of. Thank you Horizon Mum2

1257

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 May 2016 - 13:52

hi alee... is ur child currently in a british curriculum school in bahrain? schools in dubai that offer the british curriculum differ in prices based on nationality of teaching staff, facilities at school, etc... so while a yr 10 in a school like St. Marys or Al Diyafah might only set u back 15K a year another school such as DESC or DC would set u back by almost 5 times that amount! similarly a 2 bedroom apartment in sharjah or along the border of dubai would cost you 60K a year but the minute u pick a villa or a similar sized apartment in a newer part of dubai it would be almost twice or thrice that amount!

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