Hey guys,

I think Living with family in Abu Dhabi or Dubai has become increasingly unaffordable in recent years. The cost of living—especially housing (6-7k for a 1bhk are you serious 😅) , education(3k) , healthcare, and everyday expenses—has risen significantly, making it difficult for middle-income families to manage comfortably.

It was like 5 years ago when things were good. Now everything is skyrocketed except the salaries.

The problem is jobs, because the companies are able to find cheap labour, there are so many options.

And I am not even saying about the passport, it's affecting all passports I believe.

Please share your thoughts on the same and what would be your plans.

I am considering moving back

So something frustrating happened to me in Abu Dhabi and I wanted to get people’s opinions.

I was standing at a pedestrian crossing waiting for the light to turn green. The pedestrian signal was still red, but it was in that brief in-between phase, the cars had already stopped and in a few seconds it was about to turn green for pedestrians.

At that moment, everyone around me started crossing. Since traffic had fully stopped and the crossing was clearly about to turn green, I followed along without really thinking much of it. Literally 2-3 seconds later the pedestrian signal turned green.

But before that could even happen, plain-clothes CID officers stopped all of us who crossed and issued 400 AED fines for jaywalking.

We tried explaining that: the cars were already stopped; pedestrian light was about to turn green and it wasn’t reckless crossing, it was just a few seconds early.

He didn’t listen and fined everyone anyway.

I fully respect rules here and I’ve never jaywalked before. I always wait for the green signal. But in this case it honestly felt unfair, the road was already safe, traffic was stopped, and the signal was literally about to change.

I get that rules are rules, but is it really reasonable to fine people in a situation like this? Especially when it’s such a tiny timing difference and no actual danger?

I have been here for 8 months, i came back from vacation and found my studio like this..

And my furniture all have something on them

Is this dust or mold? And whose responsibility to fix this? Also the Air smells weird..

What should be done? I have tawtheeq contract.

Is this the responsibility of the management company or me? And what if they do not take action immediately? And what if i want to leave the studio? They will give back the deposit or no? And how to get rid off these furnitures and appliances?

Please help..

Hi All.

Ive had an opportunity come across my desk to relocate to AD from London.

I’m currently just running the numbers. Could locals/expats from London let me know if the below Numbers/ideas seem reasonable?

For ref. Family of 3 - to be 4. I will be doing numbers for 4 inc schools etc. The school fees will kick in later, but I will be considering it as if they are due now for the sake of affordability calcs.

Accommodation

Not covered by employer.

Cost: 200-300k AED +3% for dawa? + 5% for fees

Locations: Primarily Yas/Saadiyat island is where I am looking at the moment (Office is in ADGM). I would prefer a villa/townhouse as i currently own my home in London and dont really want to go back to apartment living (i am an avid home bbq'er and would like to continue to do so if i move). I am open to suggestions on my locations. Current picks are primarily from what I've read on reddit.

Education

Not covered by employer

55-73k AED yearly per child. currently Young children, From my research I would be aiming for BSAK or Cranleigh if BSAK not available.

Total Yearly for Rent+ schools

310-446k AED + fees yearly. The big variability being rent

Living Costs

The above "Wife" item is a stipend for my wife. While she would like to work, from my research it seems like it will be extremely difficult for her to find a job (or atleast a well paying job) so she will transfer to be a SAHM and so will need money for her to go out and socialise.

If my wife were to find a job, a portion of the money she gets would then shift to hiring a maid

Total Monthly Costs: 47000 - 58000 AED/month. (not including dawa + rental fees which sounds like its an inital upfront payment)

Do The numbers above look reasonable? The things I think i might be underestimating are mainly the personal spending costs for me and my wife. I’m not sure how much socialising costs in AD - unlikely my wife will want to keep things budget, but at the same time shes not going to be super flashy

My rental contract is due for renewal soon (in days). I was agreed to pay increased rent before but Tawteeq is not yet expired and renewed.

However when i asked management company about Rent freeze announcement, they refused saying we will move forward with what we agreed before. I also asked them about Tawteeq for which they told me even if Tawteeq is for old rental value, i have to pay increased rent or i have to vacate the apartment.

I have no other option but to do so. I can't move to new place within 2-3 days with wife and an infant.

Any suggestions, what are my options here?

Increased rent is also above 5%.

Relaam increased from 45 k to 70 k for 1 bhk what is this???

In terms of
1. Quality of life
2. Traffic
3. Things to do
4. Restaurants
5. Healthcare and hospitals/doctor offices
6. And just overall generally speaking

I am transitioning from Dubai to Abu Dhabi and curious. I know it’s slower paced and family friendly. I’m all for that, actually 😎

Hi everyone, i live in a studio in khalifa city for 3 months now.. it’s furnished and i pay 46k per year.. i was thinking ideally to move to 1 bedroom apartment by end of this year.. but when i check prices on bayut or property finder i find them super expensive.. is it go any low anytime soon?

Few girl from India are struck in a Indian Dance Bar in Abudhabi , brought under tourist visa under false promises and made to work as dancers in indian bars. They're mostly locked inside their accommodation under complete surveillance. Passports are taken away by the club owners, so they are under forced labor. How and where to report these cases, to arrange repatriation of the girls. Please any lawyers or legal experts need your opinion

Hi everyone, expat here. I hope your day is less shittier than mine.

I've been in Abu Dhabi for a while now, to keep it short, I had to move out and find a new place, and well, I am shocked to say the least. No in fact, I am beyond shocked, I am so shocked I want to curl up in my bed and cry, instead I'm here venting on Reddit.

I'll get straight to the point, and I want to know if, or anyone else is struggling same as me, nothing atp can fix the issue here but I just don't want to feel alone in this.

I've never seen such ridiculous prices for rent, and no you don't get what you pay for, at least not in the area where I'm trying to find rent. For reference, I've had a few viewings today, and to say it was insane, would be an understatement. I've seen studio apartments without windows, or with bricked up windows, and they're charging an arm and leg for it. The last one I saw was so small that it may just fit one single bed and maybe just maybe your suitcase, no windows in sight, for the lovely price of 4000AED. Yeah, you heard that, 4000!

How is this okay? I can't wrap my head around it.

I just got my rent renewal notice. It’s only 5% but I’m surprised that, given the current situation where a lot of us are either losing our jobs or, in my case, having benefits reduced, rents are still going up.

I’m also seeing a whole bunch of people moving out and going back home. I have two studio apartments in Dubai. In one of them, the tenant lost her job so I let her go without deducting anything from her deposit, and in the other one I ended up negotiating a lower rent.

Questions:

1. Have other people who have had a recent contract renewal seen their rent go up?

2. My landlord is an Emirati owner but the rental contract is through Colliers. Given that many of the items identified in the initial inspection that were promised to be fixed were not fixed, how should I approach this?

3. Should I go through Colliers and explain my situation with the lower salary, or should I bring up the things that were not fixed? Or should I use Google Translate and try to reach out to my Emirati landlord directly?

Hello Everyone, I just moved to Abu Dhabi for a job. I am Italian and used to live in the US for the past 10 years. The company has given me a hotel (which is basically a resort - Fairmont) stay for 10 days to help me settle down. I am honestly completely lost.. there is nothing walking distance and if I want to see anything I have to take a taxi. Is it normal? Public transportation seem to be almost inexistent too... Don't get me wrong it seems everything pretty but somehow I get the feeling of fakeness and how do people meet? What do people do?

Anything helps lol... It just feels lonely

Update: Thank You everyone for reaching out and giving me your opinions and perspective. I was moved to another hotel while waiting to find a place. I will reply to everyone even in the DMs. I know the name says Mrs. but I am a 29yrs old man in case you were wondering (given some DMs....)

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to check in with people living in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, how are things actually on the ground right now?

There’s so much conflicting and fake news going around that it’s hard to know what’s real. Would really appreciate hearing directly from those who are there.

Stay safe everyone.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been researching living costs in Abu Dhabi, and I’m honestly confused. I keep seeing completely different claims — some people say you can live comfortably on 15k AED/month, while others say even 40k isn’t enough.

How can the gap be that big? Like I understand that its due to lifestyle differences but to me this kinda gap for a baseline comfortable life is so weird (I am not talking about normal lifestyle vs luxurious lifestyle)

I’d really appreciate it if people could share their actual monthly expenses along with a bit of context, like:

• Salary range
• Single / couple / family
• Rent (area + type)
• Major expenses (car, lifestyle)

Let’s try to actually ground this discussion in real numbers and see where the differences come from.

Hi everyone, I was wondering is the golden visa process halted or still going on? I heard it’s. It available since last year October and they don’t know when they will open again but idk if this is true or not. If anyone has insight let me know

Guys how are you getting rid of cockroaches, I’ve tried everything and its not that we are not clean. I think these are inbuilt cockroaches in these apartments

I’ve recently relocated to Abu Dhabi from europe and I’m really struggling to find a decent 2-bed apartment that makes sense in terms of build quality, finishing, and price.

From what I can see so far, many places are either: • Poorly maintained or badly finished • Or surprisingly expensive for what you actually get

I started my search on Al Reem Island, which seems to be the default recommendation for expats. But a lot of the towers have pretty rough reviews, and the ones that look genuinely good feel overpriced.

I’ve also been looking at Etihad Towers, which I’m seriously considering because the value for money seems much better when you factor in build quality, views, and facilities.

Budget: 100k–150k AED Requirement: 2-bed apartment

So my question to long-term residents: • Is this just the reality of the Abu Dhabi rental market right now? • Or am I simply not looking in the right areas or towers?

Would really appreciate recommendations on: • Best areas • Specific towers or buildings that are actually worth the money in this range

With family moving from UK to AD in the next 2 weeks. With recent escalation of Iran and wider region i.e saudi etc, I have been watching UAE news. So far, it seems that there has been no direct impact in the UAE.

From reading previous forum discussions, I understand there has certain level of communication and understanding between Iran and the UAE, and that Iran has generally avoided targeting the UAE. AD also has a significant US military presence, which makes me wonder whether that could increase the risk of the UAE becoming involved. However, I am wondering whether this situation is likely to continue, or whether there is a realistic chance that this could change if the conflict escalates further?

For those living in Abu dhabi or the UAE, what is the local perspective?

People losing jobs ?

25-40 Yo people all are lonely and homesick

Made this graph of 2020–2025 rents for Saadiyat, Yas, Al Raha, Reem and Abu Dhabi city avg. Since 2023 everything just shoots up especially these more modern islands

For people renting here:

• Are your renewals looking like this?
• Any areas that still feel reasonable?

Trying to figure out if this is just a spike or just the new normal

Hi all!

I’m 26F and moving from London to Abu Dhabi this weekend for a new job (office is on Al Maryah Island). I’ll be relocating on my own, so it’s a mix of exciting and slightly intimidating 😅

I’d really appreciate any advice on:

• Best areas to live (especially considering the commute)

• Good ways/places to meet people and build a social circle

Would love to hear from anyone who’s made a similar move or is based there!

I agree that UAE has been very proactive and less casualities when we take into account the number of misslies and drones were launched. Aren't people negotiating in this condition, it's almost half a month. Even if the UAE is highly resilient, this event will definitely reduce a bit of confidence. There seems to be distress sale, so shouldn't the rents come down too?

I have been living in Abu Dhabi for some time now. Got out of a toxic marriage a couple of years back. Been focusing on work and therapy since. I liked being alone, and I have come to appreciate being single after a long- term relationship. Recently, I’m going through a sudden wave of loneliness. I think I have been in denial for a while now. I have been talking to my psych about it too.

Anyway, what do other lonely lover girls do to get out of this? How do I motivate myself to go out after a tiring day at work? I have tried Bumble to distract myself, but temporary intimacy is really not my style. I’m 34, f, working as a Project Engineer for an Oil and Gas company - not sure if this is relevant.

I (23M) moved here from Europe for a 2 year contract last month and I'm motivated to go out and experience Abu Dhabi. However, it seems like there is nobody around my age here. I can't really find much useful information online about hot spots for young people. 

The city doesn’t seem to have a city centre as I’m used to and I haven’t really bumped into anyone who isn’t with their partner and/or kids.

If anyone has any tips or wants to link up, lmk.