Expats bemoan cost of UAE living

Dubai

Recent reports coming out of Dubai have suggested that expatriates living in the country are beginning to grow disillusioned with an increasing cost of living.

Despite a reputation for high expat wages, apparently some lower paid workers claim wage increases are not forthcoming, leading to difficulties with day to day lives.

However a survey by recruitment consultants Kershaw Leonard has found that living costs in Dubai have gone down, especially rent prices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

According to the report a three bedroom apartment can be rented for 17 percent less than this time last year.

Kershaw Leonard’s managing partner, Mike Hynes, said, “This report reveals a dramatic readjustment in key cost of living indicators as a result of the global economic downturn and an oversupply of housing stock. Freehold prices for both villas and apartments in Dubai have fallen by as much as 40 per cent in Dubai in 2010 and tighter bank lending rules seem certain to limit the extent of any short-term rebound. Villa and apartment rents in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have also fallen by similar amounts. However, while freehold property prices appear to be levelling out and in some cases making some modest gains, rental prices are still heading south.”