Activities for kids are expensive. Music lessons - 1700dh for a term of 30min lessons, swim squad twice a week 2000dh/term. There are 3 terms in the year, so you can do the math. There are no "community" activities or sports centers so you will pay for anything extra-curricular and nearly all sports are "for profit" organizations. Emirates won't cover 100% of school fees - some fees are way beyond the Emirates allowance. Getting a "good" school isn't guaranteed and many kids attend various schools throughout their time here as parents realize how bad some of them are. Once kids near university/college many parents are realizing that their kids are now considered "international students" in their home countries - especially if parents are still based in Dubai. These are just some of the many expenses. Others include school uniforms, school trips, and the many "charity events" parents are expected to contribute to. Friends of ours sat down and figured out they were spending about 25,000dh a year on two kids and extra-curricular activities - this would not be an isolated case - we are probably about the same! Food costs for a family of four are easily 2000dh/month and our kids aren't teenagers yet.
Last edited by Buford; 22nd Mar 2015 at 17:23.