Dubai is an expensive place but it can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be dependent on how much you say yes to things and what you want to do. With a budget, you can certainly save money and these tips will help you save more in Dubai.

1.) Use Money Saving Apps This tip is controversial as some will say that having money-saving apps encourages you to spend more money. To that, I would argue that I was going to spend the money anyway so why not save some. The entertainer is a 2-for-1 app which saves me thousands…of dirhams (£200) each year. You’ll find great use in a range of money-saving apps which I’ve shared in this video:

2.) AC temperature:

I recall a conversation with a friend who mentioned how high his AC bill was: 800 dirhams (£160). A mate then suggested taking his AC from 18C to 21C. His bill dropped to 400 dirhams. Keeping your AC at an economical temperature saves significant money each month. Alternatively, if you are in control of where you rent, consider renting in a chiller-free building.

3.) Make use of the home gym.

If you only go to the gym 1-2x a week and stay on the cardio machines, think carefully about whether you need a gym because they will at cost double what they do in the UK. Most towers will have gyms in the building albeit a little smaller. The cheapest gym package I’ve found in Dubai is Gymnation but beware that they can be hard to cancel unless it's been a year. You can find a referral thing if you want to join here

4.) VIVA can be your friend-

Viva shops have started popping up here there and everywhere. Viva is the equivalent of Aldi with less options BUT similar prices. Go here for all your household needs to save cash in the long run. We will go here one a month or so to stock up on all the home items and dry goods.

5.) Consider IKEA alternatives:

Guide 2 mentions that most people will go to Dubai with the idea of heading straight to IKEA to get everything you need. Little do they know there’s shops that are often more affordable. Carrefour, Homebox and Pan Emirates offer some brilliant home goods at affordable prices. I kit my home with a bunch of Homebox items as we knew Dubai wasn’t;t our forever place and the people turned up and assembled everything 2 days later.

BONUS: If you like a Friday drink, happy hours will be your friend. Often, beer prices are sky high. Happy hours will reduce prices fro 50 dirham (£10) to 25-30 dirham (£5-6).

If you're interested in becoming a teacher in Dubai, I highly recommend checking out the guides that I have created to support the process. Guide 1 will support you with understanding the process and getting a job out here in Dubai.

Alternatively, if you have a job lined up already, Guide 2 will support you with the move.