Been here a while, salary (incl housing) over 50g / month. (+/- 15000 USD) Live an avarage life style:
Living in own accom, house back home (rented out)
2 cars: 8 & 3 years old
2 kids
1 maid
Club membership
Golf and booze etc
So take it from my perspective or adjust as required.
Our groceries +/- 6000/mnth (1600 USD)
Phone: 900-home/ 800-2 mobiles (460 USD)
Internet: 250/mnth (68 USD) DSL. Etisalat very slow and very restricted. Sahm OK and you can look at ANYTHING, need to buy a home.
Gym 8000 to 17000 for family. (2100 to 4600 USD) Hotel gym, house wife orientated, no serious body building gyms unless you dress like porn star, speak Urdu or Arabic, use 50ml of decadron a week and moonlights as a doorman at some Deira club.
Petrol 6.25 a US gallon (1.7 USD/gal) I think.
Gas 45 per 40lbs cylinder refil. (12 USD)
BMW 330Ci Convertible, 2004, steel grey, with grey leather interior, automatic / steptronic transmission, black, automatic power hood, navigation system, 6 CD player, F.S.H., 30,000 km, Face Lift model, PKS, BMW Premium Sound system, Gulf specs., balance of dealer's warranty. Only Dhs 154,950/- or Dhs 3,486/- x 48 months.
BMW 330Ci, 2002, white, Gulf specification, 120,000 kms, Dhs 103,000/-.
BMW M3 Convertible, 2003, Individual, blue green, with cream leather interior, wooden trim, SMG transmission, DVD naviation, CD, power hood, c/w Hard Top, multifunctional steering wheel, FSH, Gulf specs. Only Dh 179,950/- or Dh 4,049/- x 48 months.
Volkswagen Passat, 1.8L, 1999, manual transmission, ABS brakes, full options, 6 CD changer, remote control entry, insured & registered up to 1 year, Dhs 20,000/-.
Volkswagen Passat, 1998 model, white colour, full options, steptronic transmission, 131,000 kms, agency maintained, Dhs 30,000/-.
Volkswagen Passat, 1998, black, 6 cylinder, full options, company maintained, for Dhs 25,000/-.
Cinema 200 for 4, with drinks & popcorn (55 USD)
DVD/video 10 a go can keep for few days (2.7 USD)
Hair cutter 15 to 100 for man/boy (4 to 27 USD) Cheap hair cutter makes you look like Lego man.
Girl cut & blow +/- 200 (54 USD)
Highlights +/- 500 (136 USD)
Dinner with wife at nice place, 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 Irish coffees, 2nd cheapest wine and 5 Stellas for dad. 800 (220 USD)
Dinner at reseonable place with kids, 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 burgers, 2 cokes, bottle of house plonk and 7 stellas for dad 600 (160 USD)
Anything your wife and kids do, it will cost.
Football weekly 500 for 3 mnths (136 USD)
Swimming weekly 600/3 mnths (160 USD)
Tennis weekly 600/3 mnths (160 USD)
Karate weekly 40/session (11 USD)
Yes your wife can work if you write a letter of permission.
Options, my wife HAS to work to balance the books.
American and Australian uni's. Other guys could help, my kids to dumb for that, so not researched.
As an expat you can do anything inside the law.
as an expat you can not overtake in the yellow lane.
as an expat you can only tint your windows 40 % max.
as an expat you can not show hand gestures to anyone.
as an expat your no. plate can have minimum 4 digits.
as an expat you can not go to newspapers to air your grief.
as an expat you must never talk about a union.
Yes, I feel I only live here to work.
No, not confined to housing area.
Thought I was safe until my home got burgalled a few days ago, garden furnture, ladder & bicycles gone.
No, not comfortable with kids downtown or shopping malls without supervision. To many stories of rape or boys beaten up.
Only contact with locals is at work. (good guys) Or when doing car registration and paying fines.
Try to avoid too many pilots in social live, conversation about work ALL THE TIME.
Yes there are churches, about 6 clustered together, hidden from view in a remote area behind Jebel Ali village. No road to churches, your 3 series is going to scrape it's belly getting there.
Some pilots formed their own church group at guys houses. Lost popularity when one wife apologised to husband, during prair, for having an afair. He then, during prair, confessed to shagging whores in BKK.
Now sit back and wait for condemnation and agreement on my figures. Then draw your plan. As a senior guy, my lifestyle is same as when I was an FO, thanks to INFLATION. Hope same doesn't happen to you. Good luck.
Last edited by Ahad Adump; 26th November 2005 at 05:11.