How much will I spend in Dubai? | ExpatWoman.com
 

How much will I spend in Dubai?

9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 February 2016 - 18:07

Hi ladies! I am a 25 years old Portuguese woman and I have recently got an offer from an Hotel to do a 6 months internship in Dubai. They will provide food (during my working hours), lodging and a 500AED monthly compensation. How much should I expect to spend monthly for someone who's not thinking about living in large but having a medium quality lifestyle ? Thank you for your time

Hi again ladies! Sorry but I believe I didn't explain myself correctly. I am not planning to live with 500AED per month, I am bringing extra money with me and this is an Internship in Sales&Marketing department for 6 months, not a job and yes if I'll be a good worker, I'll have the opportunity to stick with them. This is supposed to be an investment in my career and most of all I have to do it so I can finish my graduation. I contacted many other hotels around the world and Dubai is by far the city that offers best conditions in the hotel business.
Forgot to mention that they will also provide transportation from the apartment to the hotel and an insurance that only covers accidents (even outside the hotel). The accommodation is an apartment for 2 girls in Discovery Gardens (which I haven't understood yet if it's far or not from the center of Dubai).
So the thing is, despite these expenses how much do you think I'll have to spend monthly? (Like having dinner in a nice restaurant around 1 or 2 times a week, Metro/Taxi to go to the city center, Food for when I'm not working, Mobile plans)

9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 February 2016 - 16:44
'Average' lifestyle costs, to me, would be around 4000AED per month, but I think you could still be fine on 3000AED per month as food is covered. Thanks a lot!!
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 February 2016 - 16:43
I'd say do it, you'll be fine. I did crazier things for my career when I was younger - you will probably not have a great time partying and hanging out in bars but Dubai is a great place to learn about the hotel industry. Thanks a lot!!
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 21 February 2016 - 10:49
Most locally hired interns may not receive a monthly salary or allowance however they live with their parents and probably get pocket money/allowance from their parents It would be very difficult for an ex pat to may AED500 last a month, that is unless they have another income coming in. Could anyone live on AED16 per day? You couldn't even get a short metro journey for that price. A short metro journey is 3 AED. I do agree with you though that 500 AED is almost impossible to live on here. What is the accommodation like? 12 in a room on bunk beds? I believe you got me wrong. This is not a job, its an internship for 6 months. I am not planning to live with 500AED, I am bringing extra money. In fact I was just telling the conditions the hotel offered me (forgot to mention transportation as well). Just wanted to have an idea of how much I'll have to spend monthly despite those expenses. It will be 2 girls per apartment Apologies :-)
409
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 21 February 2016 - 07:27
I'd say do it, you'll be fine. I did crazier things for my career when I was younger - you will probably not have a great time partying and hanging out in bars but Dubai is a great place to learn about the hotel industry.
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 14:22
I had a friend who worked in sales in a major hotel here. She ate three meals a day at the hotel ( during work hours ) breakfast when she arrived, lunch and then dinner before she left work. She actually kept little food in her apartment and made full use of the service provided at work. Discovery Gardens is near Ibn Battuta Mall and Metro Station and DG does have a bus service to there. A short metro ride to the Marina and JBR area. Eating out costs can vary widely from 20 AED to 600+ AED for high end including alcohol. There are plenty offers and discounts and ladies nights which can reduce your costs. Thank you, it really helped me!
379
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 19 February 2016 - 10:16
I had a friend who worked in sales in a major hotel here. She ate three meals a day at the hotel ( during work hours ) breakfast when she arrived, lunch and then dinner before she left work. She actually kept little food in her apartment and made full use of the service provided at work. Discovery Gardens is near Ibn Battuta Mall and Metro Station and DG does have a bus service to there. A short metro ride to the Marina and JBR area. Eating out costs can vary widely from 20 AED to 600+ AED for high end including alcohol. There are plenty offers and discounts and ladies nights which can reduce your costs.
767
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 23:33
Hi again ladies! Sorry but I believe I didn't explain myself correctly. I am not planning to live with 500AED per month, I am bringing extra money with me and this is an Internship in Sales&Marketing department for 6 months, not a job and yes if I'll be a good worker, I'll have the opportunity to stick with them. This is supposed to be an investment in my career and most of all I have to do it so I can finish my graduation. I contacted many other hotels around the world and Dubai is by far the city that offers best conditions in the hotel business. Forgot to mention that they will also provide transportation from the apartment to the hotel and an insurance that only covers accidents (even outside the hotel). The accommodation is an apartment for 2 girls in Discovery Gardens (which I haven't understood yet if it's far or not from the center of Dubai). So the thing is, despite these expenses how much do you think I'll have to spend monthly? (Like having dinner in a nice restaurant around 1 or 2 times a week, Metro/Taxi to go to the city center, Food for when I'm not working, Mobile Plans) Dubai is like any international city. The sky is the limit, but you could still do what you are aiming for at the same level as what you would do for in Liaboa for example, just transfer it to dirhams....
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 22:35
Hi again ladies! Sorry but I believe I didn't explain myself correctly. I am not planning to live with 500AED per month, I am bringing extra money with me and this is an Internship in Sales&Marketing department for 6 months, not a job and yes if I'll be a good worker, I'll have the opportunity to stick with them. This is supposed to be an investment in my career and most of all I have to do it so I can finish my graduation. I contacted many other hotels around the world and Dubai is by far the city that offers best conditions in the hotel business. Forgot to mention that they will also provide transportation from the apartment to the hotel and an insurance that only covers accidents (even outside the hotel). The accommodation is an apartment for 2 girls in Discovery Gardens (which I haven't understood yet if it's far or not from the center of Dubai). So the thing is, despite these expenses how much do you think I'll have to spend monthly? (Like having dinner in a nice restaurant around 1 or 2 times a week, Metro/Taxi to go to the city center, Food for when I'm not working, Mobile Plans)
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 22:20
Most locally hired interns may not receive a monthly salary or allowance however they live with their parents and probably get pocket money/allowance from their parents It would be very difficult for an ex pat to may AED500 last a month, that is unless they have another income coming in. Could anyone live on AED16 per day? You couldn't even get a short metro journey for that price. A short metro journey is 3 AED. I do agree with you though that 500 AED is almost impossible to live on here. What is the accommodation like? 12 in a room on bunk beds? I believe you got me wrong. This is not a job, its an internship for 6 months. I am not planning to live with 500AED, I am bringing extra money. In fact I was just telling the conditions the hotel offered me (forgot to mention transportation as well). Just wanted to have an idea of how much I'll have to spend monthly despite those expenses. It will be 2 girls per apartment
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 22:14
I think people are confusing an internship and a job - two totally different things and it's only for 6 months. You're here to learn, that's the whole point of it. What happens after that though? Would the company offer a permanent position? Would you go back home? You need to 'outsmart' the system to use whatsapp? er no you don't it's freely available to use. Exactly, thats the point! I am looking at this as an investment in my career. Obviously I am bringing extra money and I'm not planning to live in Dubai with 500AED per month, just wanted to have an idea of what will my monthly expenses be. Thanks a lot for your help!
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 22:10
Hi there. Your question is quite hard to answer, as even the definition of "medium quality lifestyle" differs greatly among people. What one considers medium, the other one might see as luxury and vice versa. Looking at your package, I hope that you are aware that you need to bring some (lots) of money in order to afford your internship here, right? What you definitely need is - transportation (Dubai is not a "walkable" city - you need Taxis or Metro to go to places) - communication (Mobile phone plans are not cheap here, and Whatsapp, Viber calls etc. only work if you know how to outsmart the system here technically) - Food when you are not working - Entertainment - unless you plan on sitting in your apartment only on your days off. 500AED is 121EUR. Considering that Dubai is at least 20-40% more expensive than Portugal, how far would 90 EUR get you in your home country? As I said - hard to compare. But if I where you, I would bring 1.500-2.000EUR per month to afford living here. Good Luck! Thank you for your answer! Well this is an internship I have to do to finish my graduation, it could be anywhere but I wanted to try living abroad and the thing is Dubai offers the best conditions in the hotel business so I am looking at this as an investment in my career. Forgot to mention that they will also provide transportation from my apartment (which they told me that will be in Discovery Gardens) to the hotel every working day. Actuality I was thinking that I could live with less than 1500€, not 500AED of course but less than what you've said. Once again thank you for your help!
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 22:00
I almost forgot how it felt to live with AED500 after taking out accommodation, food and transportation. It's possible, and will teach you a lot of lesson about money. If you get by that, along with perseverance, hard work, kindness, team spirit and a lot of professionalism, you'll go a very, very long way. You'll learn a lot of skills and will probably understand how the other 50% of the UAE population lives. When you finally made it to the top, you would understand how majority of your staff lives because you've been there. You will potentially become a great leader because your life learning will help you with your understanding so long as you don't forget the lessons.
9
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 21:58
A lot of my friends little siblings graduated last year from very good UAE schools and are being offered similar internships. Most of them are offered 1500 dhs a month without any accommodation, food, or transport.. So for an internship being offered housing food and 500 is a pretty good offer if you just graduated. I would say you need 5000-8000 dhs a month to live comfortably (assuming that your work will drive you to and from your housing and that your housing is not in the desert). Thank you so much, my apartment will be in Discovery Gardens and yes, they do provide transportation everyday to the hotel.
767
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 12:34
If its an internship at a hotel, transportation is most likely included. The compensation sounded low, but I don't have experience from internship, so didn't know that's common practice. Dubai prices are not so different from Portugal, metro and taxis are cheaper, if you shop at Carrefour or other hypermarkets the grocery cost is also similar. Pork and alcohol is very expensive. There are ladies night where you can party for free, beach is free and most parks are as well. You can eat out cheaply in food courts. Restaurants serving alcohol are generally expensive for a student. Clothes are more expensive.
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 12:28
Most locally hired interns may not receive a monthly salary or allowance however they live with their parents and probably get pocket money/allowance from their parents It would be very difficult for an ex pat to may AED500 last a month, that is unless they have another income coming in. Could anyone live on AED16 per day? You couldn't even get a short metro journey for that price. A short metro journey is 3 AED. I do agree with you though that 500 AED is almost impossible to live on here. What is the accommodation like? 12 in a room on bunk beds? I thought it was more expensive :biggrin:
391
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 12:26
Most locally hired interns may not receive a monthly salary or allowance however they live with their parents and probably get pocket money/allowance from their parents It would be very difficult for an ex pat to may AED500 last a month, that is unless they have another income coming in. Could anyone live on AED16 per day? You couldn't even get a short metro journey for that price. A short metro journey is 3 AED. I do agree with you though that 500 AED is almost impossible to live on here. What is the accommodation like? 12 in a room on bunk beds?
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 February 2016 - 10:39
Most locally hired interns may not receive a monthly salary or allowance however they live with their parents and probably get pocket money/allowance from their parents It would be very difficult for an ex pat to may AED500 last a month, that is unless they have another income coming in. Could anyone live on AED16 per day? You couldn't even get a short metro journey for that price.
29
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 21:22
Definitely agree that there is a large difference between jobs and internships but many companies use internships as a way to access cheap labor. I definitely feel that AED 500 is fairly exploitative given that the lodging and food are probably fixed costs for the hotel. A good hotel or any organization would offer a training program where there is an understanding that this would lead to a future job. Without that being offered, I do feel that is somewhat exploitative. ValGal. p.s. most internships I know have a fairly decent allowance.
2264
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 16:24
I think people are confusing an internship and a job - two totally different things and it's only for 6 months. You're here to learn, that's the whole point of it. What happens after that though? Would the company offer a permanent position? Would you go back home? You need to 'outsmart' the system to use whatsapp? er no you don't it's freely available to use.
62
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 11:07
I almost forgot how it felt to live with AED500 after taking out accommodation, food and transportation. It's possible, and will teach you a lot of lesson about money. If you get by that, along with perseverance, hard work, kindness, team spirit and a lot of professionalism, you'll go a very, very long way. You'll learn a lot of skills and will probably understand how the other 50% of the UAE population lives. When you finally made it to the top, you would understand how majority of your staff lives because you've been there. You will potentially become a great leader because your life learning will help you with your understanding so long as you don't forget the lessons.
125
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 10:43
A lot of my friends little siblings graduated last year from very good UAE schools and are being offered similar internships. Most of them are offered 1500 dhs a month without any accommodation, food, or transport.. So for an internship being offered housing food and 500 is a pretty good offer if you just graduated. I would say you need 5000-8000 dhs a month to live comfortably (assuming that your work will drive you to and from your housing and that your housing is not in the desert).
767
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 09:23
Hi ladies! I am a 25 years old Portuguese woman and I have recently got an offer from an Hotel to do a 6 months internship in Dubai. They will provide food (during my working hours), lodging and a 500AED monthly compensation. How much should I expect to spend monthly for someone who's not thinking about living in large but having a medium quality lifestyle ? Thank you for your time That's ridiculously low, I assume no one would work for that in Portugal either.
8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 17 February 2016 - 08:30
Hi ladies! I am a 25 years old Portuguese woman and I have recently got an offer from an Hotel to do a 6 months internship in Dubai. They will provide food (during my working hours), lodging and a 500AED monthly compensation. How much should I expect to spend monthly for someone who's not thinking about living in large but having a medium quality lifestyle ? Thank you for your time They expect you to live on AED16 per day??? This is a very very low amount and that would buy you a meal in McDonalds or a can of coke in a bar. You would struggle in a big way and if they aren't prepared to increase it significantly I would refuse the offer
10
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 February 2016 - 18:28
Hi there. Your question is quite hard to answer, as even the definition of "medium quality lifestyle" differs greatly among people. What one considers medium, the other one might see as luxury and vice versa. Looking at your package, I hope that you are aware that you need to bring some (lots) of money in order to afford your internship here, right? What you definitely need is - transportation (Dubai is not a "walkable" city - you need Taxis or Metro to go to places) - communication (Mobile phone plans are not cheap here, and Whatsapp, Viber calls etc. only work if you know how to outsmart the system here technically) - Food when you are not working - Entertainment - unless you plan on sitting in your apartment only on your days off. 500AED is 121EUR. Considering that Dubai is at least 20-40% more expensive than Portugal, how far would 90 EUR get you in your home country? As I said - hard to compare. But if I where you, I would bring 1.500-2.000EUR per month to afford living here. Good Luck!
 
 

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