Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

1. Finding an apartment.

I'm looking on the internet for apartments and everything thing is soooooooooo freaking high. Then I can't find anything small.
I don't need a "villa" or all that high price crap.
I'm basically looking for a roof, floor, and toilet.
Do you know any cheap apartments (less than $500 per month).

Damn, are there no poor people in Dubai????

Good luck trying to find that kind of price in something decent. Beleive me if you don't get something decent in Dubai and spend the money you will sorely be disappointed... Cockroaches, flees, bugs, bad electrical setup, retarded neighbors are just an example of what you will get for cheap...

Poor people are the majority, but the emiraties make sure they are well out of the way

They ship them off to Yemen

Decent, I don't even know what that means. LOL.
I already live by crazy people, though I don't have roaches.

Note: In the US i've never paid more than $250 for rent.
I'm cheap and would like to remain cheap. Living around poor people wouldn't phase me because I am poor, lol!

Yemen is a poor non oil producing country on the south western tip of the Arabian peninsula... Its bad there!!

And bro, you have not seen poor like what is considered poor in the Middle East... You cannot live in such squalor I assure you.... What you get for $250 in the states will run you $500 here but it will be a rat and bug infested dump that may collapse on you at any time...

Of course, your from 'Bamma!!!

Dont worry, I'm from the South too!!

Great, now I have to bank up more money.

Liban wrote:And bro,

YIKES! Does my eye look like a man's eye???

Ouch! I'm sorry honey... I didn't mean it that way...

I'll refer you to as babe, or honey, or sweety, etc... from now on... Is that fine girl?

okie dokie

I guess I could pay more in rent.
In Dubai it seems like the going rate of pay in my field is only $1300

So how about you PM me and show me the rest of your pretty self...

Oh yeah, were ever I am I must be able to have plenty of cats.
MUST have cats.
Meow.

If its cheap you want, stay in Sharjah...you should easily be able to find a small apartment for that rate....but of course the trade off is you're gonna have to do a lot of driving/commuting...not that the distance is much, but the traffic is crazy, considering everyone has the same idea ie; stay in Sharjah work in Dubai...when there's no traffic you can get there in 15-30 min, but in rush hour it can take well over an hour....of course now there's Ajman as well, with the new ring road its probably gonna be faster to reach Dubai from there now than from Sharjah...and its way cheaper as well....wouldn't wherever you work provide accomodation as well? I see you're a phlebotomist, thats someone who collects blood right? I think hospitals/clinics etc would put people up, since they have so many with the same conundrum....don't go by the going rates for salaries btw, they can vary based on your nationality...I think an American phlebotomist would get paid exponentially more than say an Indian or a Filipino one...unfair but it does work in your favour here

Liban wrote:So how about you PM me and show me the rest of your pretty self...

smooth.

Hey if you're a girl planning to live by yourself, you'll need to be careful of where you live, trust me there are some places it's just not suitable. A friend of mind had an amazing apartment, in a fab building, sadly area was crap, people were nutters and she was assaulted 3 times, and the police couldn't believe she was a single girl living where she was, they were like, yeah that's where all the muggings, rapes and dodgy stuff happens.

Plus some landlords also don't like renting to single girls, come across this problem, it's weird, but it's thanks to the hookers!

So be careful and save up and get yourself somewhere decent.

Nik wrote:they can vary based on your nationality...I think an American phlebotomist would get paid exponentially more than say an Indian or a Filipino one...unfair but it does work in your favour here

Excellent!!!

Well, I guess my next question would be about crime.
Is it really bad or not that bad or you don't know of any crime?
Is Dubai under the Islamic law I keep hearing about in SA?
How about racism in Dubai? Just from this forum I get the feeling that Asians and Indians are not favorable in Dubai....what about Blacks/Africans?

Are women treated differently based on how they dress? (A woman dress modestly in hijab compared to a woman that is half dressed)

BrownEyez wrote:

Nik wrote:they can vary based on your nationality...I think an American phlebotomist would get paid exponentially more than say an Indian or a Filipino one...unfair but it does work in your favour here

Excellent!!!

What the hell is excellent ,its outrageous

Pumpkin Escobar wrote:Poor people are the majority, but the emiraties make sure they are well out of the way

But I will make sure UR @ss is outta of Emirates b4 theirs.

sniper420 wrote:

BrownEyez wrote:

Nik wrote:they can vary based on your nationality...I think an American phlebotomist would get paid exponentially more than say an Indian or a Filipino one...unfair but it does work in your favour here

Excellent!!!

What the hell is excellent ,its outrageous

Oh yeah,
Of course, of course....uh........discrimination based on nationality is bad.

I ment "excellent" I won't be getting jacked pay, even though it is still wrong.
Must go rest brain now................

To answer your questions:

Crime: Crime happens wherever you are in the world, Dubai is far safer than many many places, things do happen it's just that it doesn't really get reported that much, but for the most part it's fine.

Law: Yes Dubai comes under Islamic law, it's a muslim country, but authorities tend to turn a blind eye to expats, so long as they're not muslims going against things.

Racism: Yes Dubai can be very racist, it's a big shame but things are changing and more people are becoming intolerant of it.

Dress for Women: OK you don't have to go around wearing an abia but it pays to dress a bit more conservatively sometimes, more often than not to avoid the blokes gawping at you, mostly from the Indians and Locals. You know you don't have to wear a bikini, miniskirt etc to the shopping mall it's not appropriate.

For going out at night, sure wear the clubbing, party gear it's fine, you just ignore the leary guys. But you can have problems with local men trying to pick you up as prostitution is a big problem here, just tell them to get lost and they'll leave you alone.

There's been a lot said in the press about the ways people dress in Dubai, I think remember where you are and dress appropriately for certain places, but you also have to remember that Dubai has thrown open it's doors to tourism and people want to dress as they would anywhere else on holiday, you can't have your cake and eat it, so long as you're sensible it's fine.

I swear!
I can't go to any forum on the net without hearing about the whores in Dubai.

Where did all these whores come from?
The way some people talk its like there are whores on every street.
Do the whores only come out at night or do they walk around in the day time too?
Where is the "red light" district? (just so I'll know so I can avoid it)

Oh yeah, is pepper spay legal in Dubai??? I might have to mase me a pimp or whore.

Trust me on the fact that it wouldn't be tolerated if someone wasn't making money out of it!

Plus you get loads of local guys bringing them into the country and booknig them into the hotels, it happens all the time.

A hot mess.

BrownEyez wrote:Well, I guess my next question would be about crime.
Is it really bad or not that bad or you don't know of any crime?
Is Dubai under the Islamic law I keep hearing about in SA?
How about racism in Dubai? Just from this forum I get the feeling that Asians and Indians are not favorable in Dubai....what about Blacks/Africans?

Are women treated differently based on how they dress? (A woman dress modestly in hijab compared to a woman that is half dressed)

1) Crime. Dubai is safer than most places in North American and Europe
2) No Islamic law in Dubai. Sharjah is different
3) There is alot of racism, but I don't know too many blacks/africans in Dubai. Probably racist towards then too which is odd because the first Muezzin (person who calls the prayer) in Islam was a black man named Bilal.
4) No need to where a hijab or abaya. But for sure you will get looks wearing a skimpy outfit down the street, but if you don't mind the leering eyes of those zero class freaks then better for you

realisation has just struck home...

we should be compiling a book from this site and making some money out of it --- "collective essays from the land of the midday sun" or something like that..

we could have millions in royalties stashed away by the time they release us from jail!!!!!!

Well, Abu Dhabi is the first city I felt comfortable walking down an alley at night. Dubai is waaaaaaaaaayyyy safer than say, Chicago or Houston. U'll be fine.


PS-Dont be pepper spaying my whores either

I am pretty comfortable here, although yeah, you do get the looks - just take it as a compliment and move on and it's survivable. I did make the mistake of being at a bar alone the other night while I was waiting for a friend to show up and that was definitely not my idea of fun. Overall though, yes you get a lot of male attention, but it's pretty harmless.

You do see a lot of prostitutes here, but they tend to be concentrated in particular areas.