Is AED 18,000 a good salary in Dubai?
AED 18,000 a month is a comfortable salary for a single person in Dubai, with room to save.
A family of three in a one-bedroom in JVC with one child in an Indian-curriculum school would have about AED 3,633 left each month. Rent is the biggest cost, so the area you choose matters more than anything else.
AED 18,000 is about USD 4,901 a month.
What AED 18,000 leaves you, by lifestyle
| Set-up | Monthly costs | Left over | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, Deira / Bur Dubai, metro | AED 7,025 | AED 10,975 | 61% |
| Single, JVC / Silicon Oasis, own car | AED 9,500 | AED 8,500 | 47% |
| Single, Dubai Marina, own car | AED 11,513 | AED 6,487 | 36% |
| Couple, JVC / Silicon Oasis, own car | AED 12,800 | AED 5,200 | 29% |
| Family of 3, JVC, Indian-curriculum school | AED 14,367 | AED 3,633 | 20% |
| Family of 4, JVC, Indian-curriculum school | AED 16,333 | AED 1,667 | 9% |
Estimates, using the same assumptions as our salary calculator: average rent for each area, DEWA and housing fees, groceries, transport, internet, a balanced lifestyle, and Indian-curriculum school fees where children are included. Your own costs will differ.
Where the money goes
Rent alone takes about 18% of AED 18,000 in Deira or Bur Dubai, and about 35% in Dubai Marina. A single person in Deira on the metro spends roughly AED 7,025 a month in total, made up of rent (AED 3,167), groceries (AED 1,400), leisure (AED 1,200), utilities (AED 558), internet (AED 350) and transport (AED 350).
The set-up that saves the most on this salary is: single, deira / bur dubai, metro, with about AED 10,975 left each month.
End of service gratuity on AED 18,000
Gratuity is based on your basic salary, which is often lower than the full package. If AED 18,000 were all basic salary, three years of service would earn about AED 37,800 under the UAE rule of 21 days per year for the first five years. Use the gratuity calculator with your own basic salary for an exact figure.
Change the area, household and lifestyle in the Dubai salary calculator, or browse current UAE jobs.