You still get the full housing allowance even if you find a cheaper place and that is how a lot of single people make a bit of extra money. But even apartments are expensive now! Cheap 1 bed studio apartments are about AED60,000 pa while nice 1 bed studios in Downtown are more like 100,000 - 120,000 pa.
And you can take your leave as individual weeks which means you could potentially use EK staff travel to make it back to Europe occasionally.
As a single guy, the major hidden cost here will be the lack of pension. There is an End of Term Gratuity but it leaves you with a AED28,000 pa shortfall if you stay for less than 3 years. If you stay for longer you get a bigger gratuity but, even if you stay til you retire, it still leaves you with a AED20,000 pa shortfall!
Generally its a lot easier for single folk. FZ is not anti family but it damn well feels like it sometimes.......my wife is even unwelcome at the annual company party!