Working & Living in AD with a wife & 3 little kids
Earned points :6
Salam brothers & sisters,
First of all Ramadan Kareem to all of u. May this Ramadan brings the best taqwa to all of us, InshAllah.
I am considering a vacancy in one of AD's banks. Before accepting or even negotiate the package, I would like to know the recent economic update of AD. My kids are still small, being the eldest of only 3 years old and 7 months being the youngest. I have 2 girls and a hero. My wife InshAllah will also join me. My objective to work in AD is to save money and of course career opportunity.
I am seeking your assistance being the expert in AD market to advice me the cost and expenses living and working in AD. Among others:
1. 2 bedroom house furnished/ semi furnished with decent township. I prefer not to stay in a walk-up apartment because of the difficulties to carry goods/ stuffs alongside my 3 small kids. What would be your advice? Should I demand a minimum of AED100K accomodation allowance? I already owned a house in Malaysia, of which I'm paying about AED1300 per month for a 1000sq ft 3 bed room gated full facilities condominium.
2. I am also planning to get an SUV or MPV for my ease to drive around town. What would be my option? Is it better to buy or lease? How much should I allocate monthly for car lease e.g. for 2002/2003 X5, or Chevy Tahoe or even any car within the same range (new or old)? A car of this range can be between AED5000-AED6000 a month in Malaysia.
3. How much should I allocate for grocery i.e. staple food, households, Pediasure Milk Powder, Baby diapers, and other perishable household items every month? I spent about AED1500 every month in Malaysia.
4. If the house is not furnished, how much should I allocate for electronics items like TV, DVD Player, sofas, King size bed, Kids bed, cooking stove, fridge, etc? How much upfront money should I have to buy all these stuffs?
5. How much in average should I allocate my utilities every month by having 3 kids and a wife staying together? I spent around AED1000 a month which includes water, electricity, cable TV, Internet, & phone bills.
6. If i decided to send my eldest to a pre-school, how much would it cost me? In Malaysia, it would cost an average of AED400 a month for a good pre-school.
7. I have no worry about fuel in AD, as I know it's very cheap. How much is the current price for a litre of petrol in AD? I spent about AED 2.80 per litre in Malaysia.
8. Other expenses which u think I should consider?
That's all for now. Really hope I can get something positive from this? Thank u all in advance for your valuable insights.
Syed Fariz
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syedfariz
Good morning bro, Ramadan Kareem to you...
I will tell you in short, 100k is not enough for 2 bed room so try to make it 130k to 140k at least..
As you working in a Bank i think it is better to finance a car, max monthly installment will be 2000 to 3000, for 5 years.
Good luck
AD offer
Salam brother,ramadan mubarak, Thank you for joining us, and hope you can get the info you need here, Please take a look on these topics, it will help you:
http://abudhabiliving.net/node/210
http://abudhabiliving.net/node/236
http://abudhabiliving.net/node/274
http://abudhabiliving.net/node/11
Good Luck
syed
As xdoha said 100k is not enough for 2 bed room flat, about the grocery for the recent prices you will need nearly 3k monthly, Electronic items is not that expensive and there are vary of options, what i did is i took it from one store called Jumbo, Installment for two years like 250dr monthly, so no need for a big budget.
bills is not a big issue i think 1000 is more than enough, schools will depends on the many factors, but surely 400dh is not enough you may consider 700 and above, The fuel is not that big deal , There are three types of fuel:
E-Plus 5.75/Gallon ... special: 6.25/Gallon... Super: 6.75/Gallon
I think 1 gallon is 4 litters
anyway wanna wish you good luck
Life is too short, live it with fun
Firstly, xdoha, Dhabi & Cool,
Firstly, xdoha, Dhabi & Cool, thank you very much for some very interesting and useful insights. I came up with a summary of expected living expenses:
1. Accommodation AED 12,000 monthly
2. Car AED 3,000 monthly
3. Food/ Grocery AED 3,000 monthly
4. Utilities AED 1,000 monthly
5. Kids Milk/ diapers AED 1,000 monthly
6. Fuel AED 600 monthly
What do u guys think? Are these sufficient? This alone has total up close to AED 21k.
SIF
Syed
1-Accom -ok
2-Car -ok but still you can find cheaper
3-Food/Grocery -ok also can be less depends on your life style
4-Utilities -ok can be less also
5-Kids -1,000 at least
6-Fuel -depends on you as well
This is what I think, other members may have different thoughts.
Let us know what you will decide.
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Thanks Dhabi... This may give
Thanks Dhabi... This may give some insights of how much I want to quote.
I'm thinking of locking 25K monthly for all-in living expenses. Yes, this means every expenses for the whole family.
I guess minor expenses like car maintenance shall not be that significant rite?
Thanks Dabi
SIF
hi syed
welcome to Abu Dhabi Living. i think your approx calculation is OK, car maintenance is not a big deal specially if you got it brand new, but also you have to consider that life is getting harder, CG is increasing, rents as well, so be prepared to face it... wish u a good luck and all the best
I believe that my dreams will become true ONE DAY.....
Thx Bigboss. Will certainly
Thx Bigboss.
Will certainly evaluate from every angle. I believe most banks in AD shall adjust the salary everytime the govt announce any increase in inflation. I just need to know the fixed expenses I may occur, then work backward on my proposed gross salary.
Thank you
SIF
Hi there, This topic has been
Hi there,
This topic has been quite a while, maybe you've already moved to Abu Dhabi.
Anyway.....
Another thing you should consider is the medical insurance package.
As far as I know, the medical charges here is way too expensive compared to Malaysia.
Please advise
Been through this website and found out its quite useful.My husband just got a offer .His package is AED6000 per month + AED3000 (as food allowance),accomodation provided . There is AED2000 per annum for medical expenses (it get cover by group hospitalisation medical insurance).
Do you think its sufficient and is there any money he can save ?By the way ,my husband will go AD alone.
Please help, need answer by this weekend
Phoebe
If he is going to be alone, i believe the offer is fine, he can have saving and support you back home, but finally it all depends over the person life style, so saving will vary..
Good luck
Welcome to Abu Dhabi Living online Community
If this post was helpful for you so please leave us your comments and share it in the online bookmarks links.
12k is enough
Assalam
Here the food items are cheap....accomodation is the biggest problem.
If the bank arranges you for the accomodation then you can live like a king in just 10k dirhams per month!!