Want to Live in Dubai? Watch This Now!

6 Months Living in Dubai: Expectations vs Reality

🎥 Detailed Timestamps:
00:00 - Why we moved to Dubai
01:34 - First 6 months overview
02:39 - Dubai weather (July-December)
05:33 - Choosing schools and areas to live
07:58 - Renting vs buying a home
10:03 - Driving in Dubai
13:26 - Food delivery and cooking at home
14:23 - Must-have apps: Privilee, Entertainer, Careem
17:14 - National holidays and working schedules
17:48 - Coworking spaces

🏖️ Our Motivation for Moving - Move to Dubai:
- Better weather and quality of life
- Safety for the kids to grow up and explore
- Tax benefits enabling a great education for the kids

😎 The First 6 Months - Live in Dubai:
- Felt like an extended holiday at first, especially during kids' summer break
- More routine and feeling settled after kids started school
- Making friends and leaning into the community is key
- Be patient with building friendships, especially during summer travel season

🌡️ Navigating the Weather - Live in Dubai:
- Summer is hot! Expect to go from A/C to A/C, with pool time in mornings/evenings
- Humidity lasts until mid-October, then temperature cools Nov-Dec
- Pack a light sweater for winter mornings, you acclimatize quickly!
- Temperatures rise again January onwards

🎓 Education Insights:
- Do school tours in-person, don't just rely on online ratings
- Consider location and commute times, traffic can be heavy
- Fees vary widely, budget accordingly (we pay £36-38k per year for 2 kids)
- Pick school first then decide where to live nearby for an easier routine

🏡 To Rent or To Buy? Move to Dubai.
- We're renting now but considering buying within 2 years
- Keep in mind rental price increases upon renewal (5-20% is possible)
- Research developers thoroughly if buying off-plan
- Factor in higher per sqft prices for properties near schools

🚗 Driving Tips:
- Get used to multi-lane highways and assertive drivers
- Maintain focus, check mirrors frequently
- Expect tailgating and flashing if you leave space or don't exceed the limit
- Fines are easy to accrue, use apps to track parking fees
- Some leeway on speeds in Dubai, zero tolerance in Abu Dhabi

🥗 Dining In vs Eating Out:
- Food delivery is fantastic and affordable, local groceries are high quality
- We rarely cook, it's been cheaper to order in or grab easy meals
- Download all the delivery apps and compare for best deals

📱 Essential Apps:
- Privilee for beach/pool/gym access (pricey but can be worth it)
- Entertainer for 2-for-1 deals on dining and activities
- Careem for rides, delivery, services - the "super app" of the region

🗓️ Working and Holidays:
- Be aware of different holiday calendars and coordinate leave accordingly
- Coworking spaces vary in price/amenities, I pay £450/month for a great spot

💰 The Real Cost of Living - Live in Dubai:
You can live a very flashy, spendy lifestyle here - this place will happily "extract money" from you. But you can also find a wholesome, affordable family life if you choose.

🗝️ The Key to Success:
Come with clarity on your goals and finances. Find your community early and lean into it. Stay true to your "why" and you'll love it here. Get swayed by the glitz and you may leave disappointed.

[andreaskalpinis]

You guys are so real! this is real life refreshing to see on YouTube no acting just a family sharing their experiences, love it!

[davecritto-dfeb]

From a dad it was important to hear about your topics, especially good food, nutritious food and costs. Great video guys

[HarryK]

Great video! I’m moving to Dubai with my family next month and it’s videos like this that makes the whole process easier and less ‘daunting’!
Thanks guys!

[womeninadjusting]

Amazing video, I enjoyed her perspective so much especially about socializing and finding friends after relocating. She sounds like she wants to stay there forever . Makes me so happy about my moms move

[brucemead]

I'm relocating to Dubai this September with my wife and two year old. Your channel has been super helpful with solid advice.

Thank you and keep up the good work!

[candyfloss]

One of the best videos I’ve watched for those wanting to move.
Followed you guys and your tips are brilliant.
I’m a uk consultant anaesthetist with grown up son looking to now finally do something for me and consolidate my family financially
Found this very helpful

[astb]

Good video but I think the following would have been better to explain:

- did you sell up in the UK and buy a place in Dubai? Are you renting?
- how did you move into the place where you’re living in Dubai?
- what type of work do you do and what are the job opportunities out there for anyone wanting to relocate with family?
- what are your rough monthly expenses running a family, paying for gas/elec etc over there?
- have you signed up to any health care?

Many have been to Dubai to visit on holiday but those wanting to move from the UK to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, what are the initial steps you took?

[thehomelylife]

Thank you for sharing. We moved almost 5 months ago. Best thing we did.

[edinhadz]

Hi guys,
Should have seen our excitement this evening when we saw your video show up on our YouTube… again. We did miss the content.
We currently live in Melbourne Australia and are coming to Dubai later this year. Plan for now is to stay for 6 months.
We find ourselves relating so much to your content!!!
Keep up the great work guys!!

[masrezai]

Thank you so much guys for great content. Very helpful 😊
We are planning the big move and wondering if you’re still happy with the school - we are considering Hartland ourselves so it would be great to hear more about it.

[jims]

Great, I'll be watching this with the Mrs later! Need all the tips and insight before our arrival in June!

[adhamaltoura]

I love your videos, but please do more of them 😊🙏🏼

[harryjohn]

Can you let her speak without interfering for once ?

[wonderingbeast]

I am an Indian businessman living in Dubai.my girlfriend is an british.we haven't faced any problem yet.everybody will treat you well until and unless you break the law.i am hindu my girlfriend is a Christian.we go to temple and church on every Sunday in Dubai.we have set up small temple and church inside our apartment .you can drink alcohol, you can eat pork no issue at all.dubai is going to welcome its first casino very soon.if you buy an apartment worth of 190k US dollars in Dubai you will get automatically residency visa for 2 years in Dubai.if you buy apartment worth of 550k US dollars then you will get golden visa for 10 years in Dubai.you can do everything or anything in Dubai apart from political activities.

[JanineGeorgias]

Excellent, informative video. Please keep it up

[womeninadjusting]

I noticed you initially anticipated to have taxi or rental everyday, but decided to lease a car. I’m scared of collecting too many fines due to the different traffic laws. Where do you live in Dubai and did that impact your ability to go with a taxi everyday?

[nibblebytes]

“The weather’s not stopping you from doing anything” is not true. The heat will stop you during summer.

[mireillebernheimer]

I reloocate on next september....thank you

[stephenmietz]

I understand the concerns with driving ! In Australia, the on ramps and off ramps on major freeways are all to the left, however in Dubai, they are on both left and right sides therefore a chaotic multiple “Criss crossing “occurs across the 8 lanes . Driving is not a pleasure as one needs to be fully focussed and sharp

[Dejan_Unlimited]

24:33 Interesting to see, how you are on the "same" page 🤔