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Low cost of living, high salary and no income tax. My sister works as an attorney for a global law firm in Dubai, and the attitude that westerners have there is

Low cost of living, high salary and no income tax. My sister works as an attorney for a global law firm in Dubai, and the attitude that westerners have there is like they're exploiting a rainforest for its goods. You move there for 4 or 5 years, rack up a huge sum and head back to your country of origin with a huge chunk of change. Although I imagine for Americans this will be more difficult now with FACTA laws.

level09 12y ago
>Low cost of living Not really true http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp however, many companies offer housing as part of their packages.
- mahyarm 12y ago
  But compared to the traditional high tax, high income areas? Like New York, SF or London? http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/mountain-view-california/dubai http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/mountain...
- enraged_camel 12y ago
  Yeah. My cousin works in Qatar and while his salary is around $50,000, he lives in a 4-bedroom condo on the top floor that overlooks the ocean and his company pays for it.
  - ghostly_s 12y ago
    50k (even cash) is not nearly enough for the tradeoff of life in a regime like UAE to be worth it.
    - level09 12y ago
      Don't really think that guy was getting a 50K package. The salary I can imagine for an American engineer working in Abu Dhabi would be a minimum of 100,000 - 180,000+ USD , and it is tax free (usually comes with additional benefits). Abu Dhabi is a rich city (they got oil) and they usually pay more than Dubai. Source: I live here, and run a startup and work with multiple companies and consultants.
      - enraged_camel 12y ago
        He's not an engineer.
    - 616c 12y ago
      It really depends. I have always lived on the cheap side, but others go out to expensive bars (almost all in 5-stat hotels) and waste incredibly dumb amounts of money on everything. Granted, I can drive a SUV at 1.00QR per litre. at 90 octane gasoline, that is basically 20-30 US cents a litre. However, inflation is a dirty word. Last inflation bump came because gov't sector pentions for Qatari citizens were close to doubled, and almost all grocer products increased by at least 1QR (0.20-0.30 USD) overnight. Many went up a lot more. And people were upset, but that is top-down economics.
- subliminalpanda 12y ago
  Precisely. And for many western expats, their package deals also include schooling for their children as well if they have them, and a company car. Besides food and utilities you're pocketing all the money you earn.
archier 12y ago
how do you find one of these jobs?
realusername 12y ago
High salary yes but until you get in a jail for a random reason and then it's just a number on your bank account.

level09 12y ago

>Low cost of living Not really true http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp however, many companies offer housing as part of their packages.

mahyarm 12y ago
But compared to the traditional high tax, high income areas? Like New York, SF or London? http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/mountain-view-california/dubai http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/mountain...
enraged_camel 12y ago
Yeah. My cousin works in Qatar and while his salary is around $50,000, he lives in a 4-bedroom condo on the top floor that overlooks the ocean and his company pays for it.
- ghostly_s 12y ago
  50k (even cash) is not nearly enough for the tradeoff of life in a regime like UAE to be worth it.
  - level09 12y ago
    Don't really think that guy was getting a 50K package. The salary I can imagine for an American engineer working in Abu Dhabi would be a minimum of 100,000 - 180,000+ USD , and it is tax free (usually comes with additional benefits). Abu Dhabi is a rich city (they got oil) and they usually pay more than Dubai. Source: I live here, and run a startup and work with multiple companies and consultants.
    - enraged_camel 12y ago
      He's not an engineer.
  - 616c 12y ago
    It really depends. I have always lived on the cheap side, but others go out to expensive bars (almost all in 5-stat hotels) and waste incredibly dumb amounts of money on everything. Granted, I can drive a SUV at 1.00QR per litre. at 90 octane gasoline, that is basically 20-30 US cents a litre. However, inflation is a dirty word. Last inflation bump came because gov't sector pentions for Qatari citizens were close to doubled, and almost all grocer products increased by at least 1QR (0.20-0.30 USD) overnight. Many went up a lot more. And people were upset, but that is top-down economics.
subliminalpanda 12y ago
Precisely. And for many western expats, their package deals also include schooling for their children as well if they have them, and a company car. Besides food and utilities you're pocketing all the money you earn.

archier 12y ago

how do you find one of these jobs?

realusername 12y ago

High salary yes but until you get in a jail for a random reason and then it's just a number on your bank account.