Abu Dhabi vs Dubia

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Suzy007 Member

Member since 01 January 2012

Suzy007Member01 January 2012 17:51:58

Hi I am new to the blog / form... but hoping that someone can help. I am currently based in the UK, I am a working mother of two, I am a (snr mgr) with a larger team / pressurised role. So when my husband was approached by a firm based in the UAE and then offered a fantastic position we certainly were willing to look at this as an opportunity for us to stop juggling things with us both working fulltime and trying to raise a young family. The role was to be based in Dubai, so after my husband and I did much soul searching on this including us having a very brief trip out to Dubai we agreed that even with two small children and the fact that I would have to get up a well paid job in the UK it would be a great adventure / opportunity for us. Dubai seemed like a fantastic place for us to live - so my husband accepted this post, however we have just been advised that this role is now not likely to be based in Dubai but in Abu Dhabi - which is not what we have researched in terms of houses / schools / ex-pat community etc, so we are very concerned now about this no longer being the best move for us as the houses and other costs seem far higher and now unsure of this, so any advice on this would be massively appreciated.

james.hamad Serial expat

Member since 11 September 2010

james.hamadSerial expat01 January 2012 18:45:32

311

hi suzy, you are right about the expenses in Abu Dhabi! But I have noticed a fact that the housing allowance in Abu Dhabi is better than Dubai so as to balance the extra expense? Is that not ur case?
Secondly, Abu Dhabi is also a nice place to live and it is just a bit more than 100km from Dubai, therefore, traveling can never be an issue (specially on weekends). That's all from my side! If you need to ask anything specific, then do let me know?

Saud1979 Contributor

Member since 18 December 2011

Saud1979Contributor02 January 2012 13:40:30

154

A lot of expats live in Dubai and work in Abu Dhabi. You can very easily get yourself settled in New Dubai, i.e. places like JLT, JBR, Marina, Discovery Gardens etc. These places are 40 minutes away from Abu Dhabi. Plus the fact that, if it's moving to Dubai then it definitely has to be New Dubai. You don't have to shift to Abu Dhabi.

Sandman6 ViP

Member since 17 May 2009

Rocking in the free world

Sandman6ViP02 January 2012 14:51:18

1863

Let's be a little more realistic with our journey times to Abu Dhabi. Marina (New Dubai) to downtown Abu Dhabi is 160km.

Based upon traveling at 120kph, as follows:

Marina/JLT to AD airport - 50mins
Marina/JLT to Musaffah - 1hr 10mins
Marina/JLT to AD Cornishe (Marina) - 1hr 30mins (via 30th Street)
Marina/JLT to AD Mina Port - 1hr 15mins (via the new Saadiyat road)

These times are the best you can expect without being delayed either by regular accident hold ups or by bad weather (fog, rain) on Sheikh Zayed Road.

SRZ has one of the highest road traffic accident rates in the Gulf; I would not recommend doing a daily commute from Dubai to Abu Dhabi unless you absolutely have to.

If you want somewhere less expensive in Abu Dhabi, try either Al Reef, Khalifa City B, or Mohammed Bin Zayed City.

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