Hardly any lay-over, unstable rosters, 7 Days On 2 OFF is often seen, 2 to 3 night flights in a row with minimum rest in between. Hours are balanced over 2 months so that you never get overtime. Life is hard on A320. Ever thought about converting to coal digger ? Welcome to EY A320. Life sucks on the A320, the only reason why people stay is the A330 CCQ and the lure of quick command , which is now minimum 5 years to joining.
Real estate....? a few guys still crying , allowance covers hardly the rental of a 2 bedroom appartment, and as I've read somewhere else in the ME forums, nothing is written on stone, but on sand....that means the accomodation allowance can be slashed by half anytime and real estate laws can be changed within a snap by Abu Dhabi rulers. Making any plan here is just lacking of judgement. The only consistent aspect here is the unconsistancy.