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Hello,

I'm a student who has recently been given the oppertunity to go to Sharjah for a project. However I know nothing about this emirate state.

Can someone please tell me what:
- Cost of living is in Sharjah?
- If it is possible to share appartments and what these will cost?
- How conservative Sharjah is, I am a women so I really would like to know how the dresscode is and if women can live freely in sharjah??
- What do i need to consider before accepting the project?

The company said they would pay me a 1000euro's a month and pay for my flight ticket. How much more money will I need to be able to live in a good area in Sharjah? Sharing with other expats is also fine.

It's really difficult to find information on the internet so I hope that someone can help me.

Kind regards,
A dutch girl!

Well I can give you a rough estimate of what costs will be like here. All in AEd. 1 Euro = 5.25 AED.

Apartment: A decent studio will normally cost about 28000 - 32000 a year while a one bedroom will cost about 37000 - 45000 yearly. If you find someone to share with you can just divide that by 2.

Food & Household: No accurate way to determine this as it depends on you, but I would say the average person will spend about AED 2000 a month shopping for Food and Household items.

Transportation: Of course this also depends on what you are planning on doing. Whether you will rent a car, take cabs or go by bus. Renting a car would likely cost you about AED 2500 per month. It will cost you about 15 - 20 for a 10 km taxi drive. So you may be paying just as much as a rent-a-car. Sorry but don't have much info on buses but I'm sure they are the cheapest of all transport.

So in summery, lets say you choose to live wit ha roommate in a 40000 1 bed room apartment, you will be paying a total of about AED 6200 per month. Of course it is possible to get this number down with a few compromises, but I believe that is how much you need to live a comfortable life with limited luxuries. So the AED 5250 in my opinion would not be enough to live here. I would say an extra 500 Euro a month would do. But you might need a little more if you are planning on saving too. Mind you though, there are plenty of people who have salaries less than AED 6000 and do manage to get by. But I assume you don't just wanna 'get by'.

As for how conservative Sharjah is, well it depends. I rarely ever see women walking on the streets with short skirts or shorts. Though Jeans and a shirt is common and you don't have to worry about wearing the Hijab, that is not required here. In Malls though people seem to let go more as I've seen uhmm quite a lot :/

And just another note, most people here go to Dubai when they wanna go out on weekends. Sharjah has it's few destinations but generally Dubai is where people go. Since it's only about 30 mins away that shouldn't be too much of a problem, unless you choose to go by cab. Might be a little on the expensive side.

Hope that helps.

Sharjah = No alcohol

No alcohol = Cost of living to high

craigindubai wrote:Sharjah = No alcohol

No alcohol = Cost of living to high

You are able to get a Liquor license from Sharjah Police which enables you to purchase from Dubai Liquor Shops and transport to your home in Sharjah.

You can also join the Sharjah Wanderers Rugby Club and drink to your hearts content.

The above is of course applicable to Non-Muslim only.

Guys keep in mind an important point here:

I'm a student who has recently been given the oppertunity to go to Sharjah for a project.

This is an internship type placement, and to be honest 1000 euros is decent pay for an internship for a student because most of those around here don't offer ANY pay. So it shouldn't be evaluated like its a full time job.

Dutchyveendam: other than the pay from your employer will you be eligible to some sort of scholarships from your university/government ? Or will your parents give you support in case you need it ? My point is if you have long term career goals to come and work here after you graduate coming here for an internship will be an invaluable experience to gain contacts and know how things work around here. Yes you might not be living comfortably at first but it will pay off in the long term.

But if your idea was just a paid vacation then you might want to re-think it

MaaaD wrote:Guys keep in mind an important point here:

I'm a student who has recently been given the oppertunity to go to Sharjah for a project.

This is an internship type placement, and to be honest 1000 euros is decent pay for an internship for a student because most of those around here don't offer ANY pay. So it shouldn't be evaluated like its a full time job.

Dutchyveendam: other than the pay from your employer will you be eligible to some sort of scholarships from your university/government ? Or will your parents give you support in case you need it ? My point is if you have long term career goals to come and work here after you graduate coming here for an internship will be an invaluable experience to gain contacts and know how things work around here. Yes you might not be living comfortably at first but it will pay off in the long term.

But if your idea was just a paid vacation then you might want to re-think it

You are wrong with your assumption that 1000 Euros is enough because most internships are unpaid. Her question was what the cost of living in Sharjah was. Therefore it doesn't matter if other interns don't get paid because she will still need the money for living, food and transportation. So I believe she would still need another 500 Euros to live comfortably in Sharjah.

Thank you all very much for your replies!! I will consider each and everyones opinion before making my decision.

Is there anything that I haven't thought of which is really important for me to know before I make my decision?


Thanks again very much!! the responses I received are really helpfull, I really appreciate it

hmm, what else...well uhh guys stare a lot So you have to put up with that.

Can't think of anything else.

Is there a hobby you enjoy or something specific you like doing that you think you might not be able to do here?

"hmm, what else...well uhh guys stare a lot So you have to put up with that."

That's why she should ignore places like Rolla Square. Retards all the way to the sea.

At the malls and places where things cost more than 5dhs, people are more "modern" and doesn't stare so much, at all. Just like you mentioned though.