Dubai is an expensive city, full of opportunities to spend money at every turn. Prices are rising, especially in the wake of the upcoming EXPO 2020. And salaries? With such an abundance of labor in the local labor market, both qualified and not so, employers have a huge choice, and they use it. The times of fabulous earnings in many sectors are over, especially for mid-level professionals and maintenance staff. The exception is the top managers of large companies whose main expenses are covered by employers, employees of local airlines and business virtuosos who managed to find and occupy the very niche in the local market that any entrepreneur dreams of. We talked with some residents of Dubai - can afford them life in one of the most luxurious cities in the world.
Dina Uvasheva (Kazakhstan, Almaty, 27 years old), employee of a real estate agency, in Dubai 3 years
"I arrived in Dubai at the invitation of acquaintances to work at the agency. The first salary was only 5,000 dirhams, and it was, of course, very difficult. Now the earnings are better, but it is still difficult to call life carefree in terms of finances."
Average monthly income: 8500 AED
Rental: AED 2,000 (studio in Remran with a girlfriend for two)
Utilities: 350 dirhams
Car loan: AED 1700
Gasoline, Salik, service: 1100 dirhams
Bank loan: 1700 AED
Lunches in the dining room: 600 dirhams
“There are about 1000 dirhams left for clothes, groceries (although I have almost no breakfast and no dinner) and rare parties with friends. I don’t have health insurance, so I only go to doctors when I go on vacation to Kazakhstan. And I hope I don’t get sick here It’s good that once a year the company pays me one ticket home. I still can’t postpone it yet, I live end-to-end. Sometimes I work out of school after-hours at the agency. As an administrative officer, I practically do not participate in sales and purchase transactions, so this side arrived no. Yes, it’s not easy, and in Kazakhstan I’ve lived more freely in this regard. But the experience that I am gaining here is invaluable, and I’m not going to return to Almaty yet. "
Antonina Rum (Russia, Moscow, 25 years old), model, in Dubai for 7 years. Graduated from the University of Wollongong in Dubai, Department of Finance
“It’s still not possible to get a job in Dubai. Employers prefer the so-called“ cheap ”specialists from Southeast Asia, rather than more trained, but also more expensive Europeans. And I don’t want to work for a penny. Fortunately, a model business Dubai is very developed and there is enough work in this sector, although it is seasonal. In the autumn-winter period, when the local calendar is filled with all kinds of activities, earnings are very decent. In the summer, you have to use money earned in the winter. Most of the work is paid after at least a month. "
Average monthly income: 13,000 dirhams
Rent: AED 4500 (one bedroom apartment in Sport City area)
Utilities: 500 AED
Taxi (since there is no car): 2000 dirhams
Food: 2000 Dirhams
"Large amounts go to clothing and caring for the exterior, as this is part of the profession. Appearance is my business card. In the summer I fly to Moscow and live on money I earned in winter. I can’t save, but I won’t return to Moscow for good. Honestly, I began to feel embarrassed there - I don’t like Moscow snobbery. However, I don’t see any sense in Dubai for a long time. I am very attracted to Canada, where, I am sure, I will have the opportunity to work by profession. "
Alessandro Gidini (Italy, Bergamo, 30 years old), children's swimming coach, in Dubai since September 2014
"My girlfriend, who works as an air hostess at Emirates Airline, was the first to move here, and I already followed her. The first months I had to live on the money I brought with me from Italy. I lived with friends who had sheltered me for a couple of months. Then slowly, work became more and more rumors that there was a children's swimming coach from Italy spread not only in the Italian community, but also outside it, and if at first I had 5-6 workouts a week, now same amount per day. Even in Abu Dhabi they’re called. "
Average monthly salary: 10,000 dirhams
Rental: AED 3,000 (room on Sheikh Zayed Road (incl. Utilities)
Gasoline, Salik: 700 dirhams
Sponsor Health Insurance
Food: 500 Dirhams
Parties: 1500 AED
“We Italians cannot live without parties. They are part of our culture. In general, I was lucky. Thanks to my friend and her many colleagues who took me almost to guardianship, I practically do not spend money on food - they me they feed me every day. I’ve been here for almost a year, but already flew twice on vacation — home to Italy and Thailand. Again, thanks to my girlfriend, I get tickets at a decent discount. So I live here better than in Italy, and even save But if it weren’t for friends, and especially not for my girlfriend, then the picture would be would be very different. "
Sarah Saleh (Dubai, 29 years old), specialist in computer science
“I was born in Dubai, although my parents are from Jordan. I must say that I was lucky - I received a very good education in the USA, so I will never agree to a salary of less than 20,000 dirhams a month. The same can be said about my wife "We both work, the total income is quite decent, we go to rest twice a year - in a word, we can provide ourselves and our son with a decent standard of living."
Average monthly family income (2 salaries): 46,000 AED
Rental housing: 13,000 AED, including utilities (apartment in Al Barsha area)
School: 3000 AED
Housemaid with accommodation: 1800 dirhams
Products and other expenses: 5500 AED
Yoga and beauty salons: 900 dirhams
Shopping: 4000 dirhams
Restaurants: 1000 AED
“I buy at least 4 new outfits a month. And this is not because I have a tendency to compulsive shopping, but because I need to look appropriately at work. We have many contacts with people from higher circles, and my appearance is very important "
Gabriele Grasso (Lugano, Switzerland, 45 years old), Bank employee
"I came to Dubai with my family (wife and two children) in 2011 at the suggestion of a bank in which I worked in Switzerland. Good earnings, no income tax, career prospects are the reasons for my stay in this city in the middle of the desert."
Average monthly salary: 60,000 dirhams
Rental housing: AED 14,500, including utilities (two bedroom apartment in the DIFC area)
School: AED 8,000 (incl. School bus)
Food (mainly organic): AED 12,000
Health insurance, car and annual business class family flight home fare are paid by the employer
"We spend a lot on children. We try to travel with them somewhere in the Emirates every weekend, and for short vacations - outside the country. In addition, my son plays football, and my daughter dances, which also costs a lot. Yes, and we do We don’t spare money for our wife. Despite the fact that few people complain about life in Switzerland - salaries are high, taxes, along with Ireland, are the lowest in Europe - but it’s still more profitable in the Emirates. We even manage to save decent amounts, despite on a local lifestyle, and most importantly, my bank continues to pay for my non-commissioned contributions in Switzerland, so cloudless old age is guaranteed. "
Avramis Despotis (Cyprus, Nicosia, 44 years old), founder and president of a company to train bank personnel and traders
“Before I settled in Dubai in 2013, I traveled a lot around the world, collaborating with numerous banks and large companies. When it became clear that Dubai took the position of the global financial capital, I moved here with my family (with my wife and daughter). Enough work "The company is booming and I am currently reaping the benefits of my hard work of 20 years."
Average monthly household income: 75,000 dirhams
Rental: AED 17,000 (two bedroom apartment in Downtown area)
Medical insurance for all family members: AED 3,000
School: 3400 Dirhams
Driver with car: 4000 dirhams (there was no time to get local rights)
Food: 10,000 Dirhams
"As you can see, complaining is a sin. We fly home to Cyprus twice a year, and certainly to Christmas in London - the city where my wife was born and raised. Every day we go to restaurants - we practically do not eat at home. We like to test new restaurants, opening in Dubai. Once a month we always go to a hotel for a weekend to relax and recharge our batteries. Ideally, it would be nice to live in Dubai during the cool season, and from May to October in London. But because of my daughter’s school unfortunately impossible. "
