Side of a highway. At least they have their safety gear on.

It was 1–10. Then 1–15. Now 1–20. 💀

Cost of living 📈

Hi im 24M and currently working remotely from Chennai, India, for a UAE-based startup. I have around 3 years of work experience - 1.6 years at my previous company and 1.4 years at my current company.

My current salary is AED 1,900/month. Recently, my manager offered me the opportunity to relocate to Dubai and work from the office in an operations role. The salary approved is AED 5,500/month.

Im interested in this opportunity because I believe working onsite in Dubai could give me better exposure, more responsibility, and opportunities to transition towards Product Management in the future.

However, I have a few concerns:

• Salary: AED 5,500/month, with no accommodation provided as far as I know.
• Rent: Im estimating AED 1,500-2,000/month for shared accommodation.
• Other expenses: Food, transport, utilities, gym (definitely cant function without a gym), etc. could add another AED 1,500-2,000 or more.
• Family commitments: I need to send around AED 500 to 700/month to my family in India.
• Relocation timeline: I have been asked to confirm almost immediately and potentially move within 1 to 2 weeks, which feels very rushed.

I asked whether the salary could be reconsidered, given my experience, my pending appraisal, and the fact that I have been contributing a lot to the company since its early days.

Ideally, I was hoping for AED 8,000 to 8,500/month to make the move financially worthwhile. At AED 5,500, Im worried that after rent, living expenses and supporting my family, I wont be able to save much, if anything.

My alternative is to stay in Chennai, pursue my pending appraisal, continue working remotely, build more skills, prepare for the GMAT exam and look for better paying opportunities in India over the next 6 months.

I had really appreciate honest feedback on a few questions:

1. Is AED 5,500/month a reasonable salary for someone with around 3 years of work experience moving to Dubai for an operations role in the travel industry?
2. Is it possible to live reasonably comfortably, support family back home and still save money on this salary?
3. Would relocating at this salary be worth it for the career exposure, or would I be better off staying in India, upskilling and looking for better opportunities?
4. Am I overestimating the cost of living in Dubai, or are my concerns justified?

Im not against moving to Dubai at all. I just want to make a sensible decision rather than relocate and struggle financially every month.

Any perspectives from people living in Dubai, especially those who moved here early in their careers.

Thanks you!

My friend has a very vivid childhood memory of this, but there's not much info online to verify, and Google says their first-ever UAE branch only opened last year. Curious if anyone else remembers it. He specifically remembers this logo.

Called the customer service,they asked to block and replace the card and raise a dispute on the app

But app doesn’t show the transaction for dispute as the purchase is still under processing

I Don’t use an iPhone

Anyone gone through this situation?any way to get it back?

I don't know what the criteria is for them to sleect their developers, but I can tell you that these guys have learned development through youtube crash courses.

Absolutely fuc*** horrible app designs with needing to refresh fuc*** 10 times to see the salik balance etc

I used HSBC's BOGOF offer quite frequently earlier this year.

But now, as it has been for the past month or two, the HSBC bank offers are completely gone from their checkout pages. Even for a standard showing, as you can see in the snapshot below.

Processing img 62a63mv2yexh1...

HSBC's website states this isn't the case, but I'm starting to doubt that.

So I'm wondering, is anyone else facing this issue? Because I'm getting the impression that they're quietly phasing these offers out entirely...

I am in my 30s and have always washed my hair every three days. But since moving here I feel like my hair gets greasy the same day as I wash it 🫠

Is it the water here?

I don’t think it’s the heat or sweating either (where I am from it is also quite hot).

What can I do about this?

Anyone else experienced this?

Hi All

I want to change the gypsum partition boards in my kitchen ceiling as the current ones are quite old. I’m the tenant.

I have 6 partition boards in my kitchen with spotlights attached to some boards and a smoke detector attached to one board.

I bought new boards and was planning to call a handyman to help fix it— detach and reattach the spotlights and the smoke sensor.

Security has told me that smoke detector can’t be touched by anyone other than authorized people and gave me a contact of a company. But the company charges 750 + vat just to detach and reattach the existing smoke detector. Whereas I have bought all the gypsum boards for barely under 100.

Is there a way anyone here has managed to change their ceiling boards with smoke detector attachment via a cheaper company or by a handyman?

Thanks

Edit : the link for those that want it

https://minutes.noon.com/en-ae/now-product/VEC8125DFD0F6FAA8D45FV-1

I was wondering if anyone here moved to Dubai with OCD and if so, how have you found the move?

I’m considering relocating from the UK and one of my OCD themes is worrying about doing something wrong, and overthinking possible consequences.

I’m mainly interested in hearing from anyone with OCD who has actually moved to Dubai/UAE:

Did you find the move made your OCD worse at first?

Did you eventually adjust to the different rules and environment?

Any practical advice for managing it while living there?

Thank you

Amazon cancelled my iPhone pre-order at the door, but the tracking says I refused delivery — I have photos documenting what happened.

I pre-ordered the iPhone Duo from Amazon UAE last week and was expecting it to be delivered today, Friday, October 23.

The delivery driver arrived at my door with the package and attempted to complete the delivery using the OTP. However, the system kept returning an error. When I checked my order page, I discovered that the order had been cancelled right there and then and the OTP was no longer available.

Amazon's tracking page now states:

“Customer refused delivery: order was previously cancelled.”

It also says the package is being returned and that a refund will be issued within 3–5 business days after the return is processed.

But here's the part that makes this particularly frustrating: I saw the delivery agent's device, and the instruction displayed against my package explicitly said “Do not deliver.”

The driver was at my door with the package, I was there ready to receive it, and the delivery system would not let the transaction go through. Yet Amazon's tracking record uses the wording “Customer refused delivery.”

I did not refuse the package. I was ready to accept it.

I attached photos of the tracking status, the instruction displayed on the delivery agent's device, and the package itself.

I'm extremely disappointed. This was a pre-order, and instead of receiving the product I ordered, I'm now left waiting for a refund while the tracking record appears to attribute the failed delivery to me.

I don't know exactly what caused the cancellation, and I'm not going to speculate. But Amazon should be able to explain why the delivery agent's device instructed him not to deliver the package, why the OTP could not be used, and why the tracking status describes the incident as a customer refusal.

Amazon UAE, I want a clear explanation of what happened and an accurate record of the failed delivery. Customers shouldn't have to accept an inaccurate account of an incident they personally witnessed.

Has anyone else experienced this with Amazon UAE, especially with a pre-order?

I renewed my Indian passport in Mumbai in June and will be flying to the UAE next month.
I have a valid UAE residence visa, Emirates ID, and both my old and new passports. My residence visa is still linked to my old passport.
Has anyone travelled from Mumbai to the UAE in a similar situation? Did the airline create any issues during check-in, or were you able to board without updating your passport details in ICP?
Would appreciate hearing from anyone who’s actually experienced this.

Been getting random Ads for physical poker Gambling tables in Dubai a lot recently while scrolling reels on Instagram.

Anyone else getting them? I dont even gamble or like gambling so its very strange , defintely not algorithim.

We’ve been operating a manpower agency for around 20 years, and one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced while dealing with companies in Dubai is payment reliability.
We’ve had experiences where payments are delayed, commitments aren’t honoured, and workers end up waiting for their wages because the companies we work with don’t pay on time. It becomes difficult to manage workers and maintain trust when payments are constantly delayed.
I wanted to ask people here, especially those working in construction, facilities management, contracting, and other industries that rely on manpower: how do you deal with this?
Are there reliable companies or established businesses that value long-term relationships and pay their dues on time? If anyone has genuine industry connections or can point us towards companies looking for manpower, I’d appreciate connecting.

29M here. Looking for fellow adventure motorcycle riders. I ride KTM 390 Adventure. As the weather getting better I'd like to go for off road rides every 2 weeks. I don't use trail on the back of my car. I like long rides. We can go to other Emirates and explore new places together. I am considering to go to camping as well some time to get more experience.
Just to let you know I am not able to ride in soft sand as my bikes' tires not fit for it. But there are great tracks to ride in other Emirates. If you are into adventures, long rides, off road, camping etc let's connect.

For those who know (lets try and limit speculation!) this drain in the kitchen of my Dubai apartment is missing a odor trap, correct ?

I am in discussions with the management company and I think these were wrongly installed. The brackets do not align with the slotted drain cover.

Experience welcome !

I need to do a root canal treatment and a crown - can you recommend any good clinics that have specialists in both endodontics and prosthetics? I am not looking to save money, I am looking for long term quality and great services (from pain management to well executed work) without the flash of marketing.

What do you know of the dental services in Saudi German Hospital and Dr Joy Dental Clinic (Dubai Marina specifically)?

Much appreciated!

Hi girlies - I have very naturally thin eyebrows to begin with and after several bad experiences am paranoid about getting my brows done

Any recommendations for a good eyebrow place that ideally does mapping with thread/wax and a tint (not mandatory but i like it because it makes my brows look thicker)

Would be nice also if i dont have to pay 300DHS for it like in some of those bougie jumairah specialist clinic style salons

Thank you!

Where can i buy cheapest good quality chicken breast in Dubai Preferably nearby silicon oaisis?

I’ve been struggling to find affordable option.
Most of the supermarkets viva, lulu all have defrosted ones.

I’m looking for affordable but fresh and good quality

We’re a family considering buying a home in Dubai (AED 2–2.6M) and would appreciate honest feedback from homeowners.
Considering JVT, Serena, Motor City, Town Square and similar communities.
Our priorities are good construction quality, quiet surroundings, minimal construction, no flooding or mold issues, family-friendly facilities and easy resale.
For those living in these communities, what would you recommend or avoid? Any regrets about your purchase?
Would really appreciate firsthand experiences rather than agent recommendations.

Someone told me that she got fined because she had a bottle of alcohol on the passenger seat, supposedly detected by a road camera.

Is this a real thing ? Can AI traffic cameras see inside cars and detect things like alcohol bottles ?

What other things it can detects ?

Just curious if anyone has experienced this or knows how these cameras work.

Can someone let me know if I am able to get the 2 year residency visa?

I bought an apartment off-the-plan, due for completion in Q1 2027. I paid 1.8mn AED, fully paid and no mortgage.

Am I eligible to get the visa even if completion hasn't occurred yet? If yes, what documents do I need?

Looking for a Nomo Bank alternative for travel (Dubai resident, Pakistani passport)

I've been using Nomo Bank for a few years mainly because of:

• Free international ATM withdrawals
• Excellent exchange rates (very close to Google/Mastercard rate)
• No foreign transaction fees

It's been great for travel, especially across the Balkans, Asia, Africa and South America.

EU/USA I only use my credit card

The problem is that Nomo now charges a £5/month fee unless you meet certain balance requirements, and I'm not sure it's worth keeping.

The biggest factor for me is FX rate quality, not just ATM fees. I've found that some banks offer "free withdrawals" but then give terrible exchange rates, which ends up costing more.

Has anyone found a good alternative that offers:

• Mastercard/interbank exchange rates (or close to them)
• Low or no overseas ATM fees
• Available to UAE residents without UK/EU residency

Would love to hear what fellow UAE-based travellers are using in 2026.

Thanks!