Moving to Dubai · monthly budget
Is my salary enough for Dubai?
Enter your monthly package and your household: what is left, or missing, each month after rent, school fees, health insurance, groceries, DEWA and transport. Published data with sources and dates; estimates are labelled, and what we cannot show is never counted as zero.
Example: AED 15,000 a month for a family of four
Family of four (two school-age children) · AED 15,000 a month
AED 1,310 short a month
It depends on rent and school fees. From AED 9,392 short to AED 3,229 left a month, mostly because of rent (AED 5,000–AED 8,417) and school fees (AED 2,706–AED 9,676). In a summer month DEWA can add about AED 504. Not counted: deposits and moving-in costs, eating out and leisure, buying or leasing a car, domestic help or nanny, flights home.
Estimate from published data, not financial advice
- Dubai Land Department (DLD) · 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sept 2026
- Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) · 2024-2025
- FAO — FAOSTAT Food Balances · 6 Oct 2026
| Cost | Middle | Range | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent: 2-bedroom apartment, registered contracts across Dubai (middle half) | AED 6,325 | AED 5,000–AED 8,417 | published figure | Dubai Land Department (DLD) · 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sept 2026 |
| Dubai Municipality housing fee (5% of annual rent, on the DEWA bill) | AED 316 | AED 250–AED 421 | published figure | UAE Government portal (u.ae) · 2 Oct 2026 |
| DEWA electricity and water, typical month | AED 489 | published figure | Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) · 2 Oct 2026 | |
| Transport with your own car (fuel, Salik, parking, inspection, insurance) partial | AED 879 | published figure | Brainy Prices transport model (fuel, Salik, Parkin, inspection, insurance) · Oct 2026 | |
| Mobile plans | AED 213 | published figure | Virgin Mobile · 2 Oct 2026 | |
| Home internet | AED 175 | published figure | Virgin Mobile · 2 Oct 2026 | |
| School fees for two children (KHDA) | AED 5,286 | AED 2,706–AED 9,676 | published figure | Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) · 2024-2025 |
| Health insurance for dependants (basic plan band) | AED 171 | AED 144–AED 197 | estimate | Dubai Health Authority (DHA) — General Circular GC 03/2024 · 2024-07-23 |
| Groceries (food supply estimate) | AED 2,455 | AED 1,914–AED 3,925 | estimate | FAO — FAOSTAT Food Balances · 6 Oct 2026 |
| Total counted | AED 16,310 | AED 11,771–AED 24,392 | ||
- Summer: a typical month assumes 1000 kWh and 20 m³ (AED 489); a summer month with air conditioning at 2000 kWh and 40 m³ costs AED 994, so AED 1,814 short that month. Official DEWA slab tariff and fuel surcharge of Oct 2026; the consumptions are illustrative, not measured averages (enter your own).
- Partial: Transport with your own car (fuel, Salik, parking, inspection, insurance) does not include registration (no official figure we can show yet); it is not counted as zero.
- Not counted: deposits and moving-in costs, eating out and leisure, buying or leasing a car, domestic help or nanny, flights home. Dubai has no personal income tax; UAE and GCC nationals pay pension contributions, which are not deducted here.
- Groceries: estimate from food supply data, not store prices. FAO. FAOSTAT Food Balances, United Arab Emirates, 2023. CC BY 4.0. FAO does not endorse this site or any product.
By salary and household
| Package | Single person | Couple | Family of four (two school-age children) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 10,000 | AED 4,481 left | AED 2,129 left | AED 6,310 short |
| AED 15,000 | AED 9,481 left | AED 7,129 left | AED 1,310 short |
| AED 20,000 | AED 14,481 left | AED 12,129 left | AED 3,690 left |
| AED 25,000 | AED 19,481 left | AED 17,129 left | AED 8,690 left |
| AED 30,000 | AED 24,481 left | AED 22,129 left | AED 13,690 left |
| AED 35,000 | AED 29,481 left | AED 27,129 left | AED 18,690 left |
| AED 40,000 | AED 34,481 left | AED 32,129 left | AED 23,690 left |
Questions
- How much salary do you need to live in Dubai with a family?
- For a family of four with two children at school and a car, the costs we can count come to about AED 16,310 a month (from AED 11,771 to AED 24,392), mostly rent and school fees, before leisure, savings, deposits, car purchase and domestic help.
- Is AED 15,000 a month enough for a family of four in Dubai?
- It depends on rent and school fees: about AED 1,310 short a month at typical rent and school fees (from AED 9,392 short to AED 3,229 left).
- Is my salary stored?
- No. The calculation runs in your browser; nothing you type is stored, sent or written into the address bar.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department (DLD) — 1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sept 2026
- UAE Government portal (u.ae) — 2 Oct 2026
- Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) — 2 Oct 2026
- Brainy Prices transport model (fuel, Salik, Parkin, inspection, insurance) — Oct 2026
- Virgin Mobile — 2 Oct 2026
- Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) — 2024-2025
- Dubai Health Authority (DHA) — General Circular GC 03/2024 — 2024-07-23
- FAO — FAOSTAT Food Balances — 6 Oct 2026
- Dubai Land Department — registered rent contracts by area, 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sept 2026
- Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) — school fees 2024-2025
Monthly cost model: Dubai cost of living (2026-10).
Related
Salary in Dubai vs your country · Monthly cost of living · School fees by school · Rents by area · DEWA bill calculator