TryBeforeDubaiWhat will your first year in Dubai really cost?
Rent is the headline. Cheques, deposits, agent fees, chiller, the 5% housing fee, mandatory health insurance, visa setup, transport, gym and furniture make the real number bigger. These estimates use typical Dubai norms and are clearly editable.
Inputs
Pick an area to prefill realistic local defaults, or enter your own.
Used to estimate mandatory health insurance and visa / Emirates ID setup.
Initial costs
Ongoing annual
Costs people forget
Rent is the obvious number. These are the ones that surprise new arrivals, and all are already in the totals above.
Watch outs
- • Car costs add materially; consider Metro-accessible areas.
- • Full-setup furniture is a one-off, but plan AED 35k or more.
- • Chiller is billed separately and scales with unit size. Verify the provider and capacity charge with the landlord before signing.
- • Health insurance is mandatory in Dubai. Employers often cover the employee, but dependants are usually extra.
- • Residence visa, Emirates ID and medical are a real one-off unless your employer sponsors them.
- • A 5% housing fee (on your annual rent) is added to your monthly DEWA bill.
- • About AED 12,000 of the first-year figure is refundable deposits, returned when you hand the unit back in order.
All numbers are illustrative estimates based on typical Dubai norms (checked September 2026). Verify with your landlord, school, insurer and DEWA before signing.
Turn these numbers into a decision
This calculator gives you the shape of the cost. The Dubai Landing Plan runs this model across your shortlist, ranked to your life, with the risks and commute realities that move the number.
Or line your whole shortlist up side by side in the True Cost deep-dive.