Hello, I have been living in Dubai for 21 years now. I am a 30 year old male who works in an advertising firm in Media City. I spent my childhood here and have literally seen this city grow with me. I have been living with my parents since 2 years ago when I got married and our family of 8 moved to a bigger house in Rashidiya. Now, I want to move out. My wife and I earn 15K/month and my wife (who is an architect) is looking for a job in an architecture/interior design firm. I have been away from DEWA bills and house rents etc but now reality is hitting me and when I calculate I cannot seem to “survive” on my salary. Could you advise where my wife and I should move to (probably closer to where I work) and how much is this cost of living going to be. Your help would be highly appreciated.

You should consider looking at Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) or Jumeirah Village both of which are convenient to Media City.  Both these areas are good value for money and significantly cheaper than many of the developments near Media City such as Marina Area. Jumeirah Lake Towers is apartment living and prices start from approximately Dhs55,000. Included in this price is Palm District Cooling charges which will bring the cost of your DEWA bill down. JLT also has easy access to the Metro.  Jumeirah Village has a mixture of apartments, town houses and villas.  Studio and Apartments start at Dhs35,000.  Extras for both these areas include your one off agency fee, DEWA deposit, Etisalat/DU subscriptions plus your annual municipality charge (5% of rental value).  Avoid anything with a garden as water charges can be hefty.  For help finding a new home contact 1Step Properties.

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