Hi
I joined as an FO a few months ago so can give you the little experiance i have had.
Housing is cheaper than what i was told about 8 months ago. My friend just took a 4 bedroom villa in a new development called AL Reef. He got it for 158k which is the allowance for an FO. I went to visit and its nice but needs some more time to develope.
Cars are cheap and so far i have one but would think of a second next year or if the wife starts work.
Cant help on schools as no kids yet, but from what i hear they are available but expensive again depending on where you put your kids.
Activities are plentiful but can be expensive.
Overall its roughly what i had in mind except for the housing which is cheaper, but the salary is ok for a good life style but more would be nice.