Biggest mistake expats make in Dubai
This is how a typical move to Dubai looks like.
You get your residency, open your bank account and get offered a credit card with a super high limit. You get your first couple of paychecks and get a taste of tax free money for the first time.
You cover your moving costs and now start thinking about âfitting inâ. All your neighbors have two nice cars and loans are easy to come by so you buy a nice SUV and treat yourself to a car you would have never been able to afford back home but you deserve it right? At the end of the day what are you working for?
You start going and eating out more, those brunches are just so good. 6 months in you notice you gained the typical dubai âstoneâ. Family and friends start coming regularly and all you do is entertain them when theyâre here. You want them to have a great time. Too much drinking and eating but youâre having a great time.
Time for holidays. Youâve always dreamed of going to the Maldives and everyone around you has either been or is about to go. 4h flight and lots of school holidays. At some point you just have to tick it off your bucket list.
Youâre thinking of buying a house. 4-5 bedrooms at 1m offplan or 2m $/âŹ/ÂŁ in the current market. Itâs a really nice house and compared to back home itâs more expensive but then again donât forget youâve got a great job and the bank would help you finance it.
Youâre 2 years in and are now in a pile of monthly financial commitments. You realize you got sucked into a life you didnât plan but you just went with the flow.
Next time you buy something, remember there are always consequences.
I rent, have a 10 and a 3 year old car with no loans and generally havenât been sucked into the lifestyle above even though I lived at Burj Khalifa for almost 3 years, probably the pinnacle of high spenders.
This is how a typical move to Dubai looks like.
You get your residency, open your bank account and get offered a credit card with a super high limit. You get your first couple of paychecks and get a taste of tax free money for the first time.
You cover your moving costs and now start thinking about âfitting inâ. All your neighbors have two nice cars and loans are easy to come by so you buy a nice SUV and treat yourself to a car you would have never been able to afford back home but you deserve it right? At the end of the day what are you working for?
You start going and eating out more, those brunches are just so good. 6 months in you notice you gained the typical dubai âstoneâ. Family and friends start coming regularly and all you do is entertain them when theyâre here. You want them to have a great time. Too much drinking and eating but youâre having a great time.
Time for holidays. Youâve always dreamed of going to the Maldives and everyone around you has either been or is about to go. 4h flight and lots of school holidays. At some point you just have to tick it off your bucket list.
Youâre thinking of buying a house. 4-5 bedrooms at 1m offplan or 2m $/âŹ/ÂŁ in the current market. Itâs a really nice house and compared to back home itâs more expensive but then again donât forget youâve got a great job and the bank would help you finance it.
Youâre 2 years in and are now in a pile of monthly financial commitments. You realize you got sucked into a life you didnât plan but you just went with the flow.
Next time you buy something, remember there are always consequences.
I rent, have a 10 and a 3 year old car with no loans and generally havenât been sucked into the lifestyle above even though I lived at Burj Khalifa for almost 3 years, probably the pinnacle of high spenders.
