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Just Checking. Anyone from NYC or its vicinity living in Dubai?

Hey. Me and my fiance are not exactly from New York, but we are from Montreal (so, close enough). But I know NYC pretty well. My sister used to live there with her New Yorker husband on the Upper East Side.
So, are you living in Dubai? We got here about 4 months ago, and haven't really met anyone yet from our neck of the woods.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Hi,

Yes Montreal is closer to NYC than lots of places in NY [and certainly a nice size city]. Anyway I plan on arriving in Dubai sometime in the middle of Jan 2006.

Happy Holiday and Happy New Year to you and your fiance too.

Well, good luck with your trip to Dubai. I hope all goes well. Do you know where you will be staying?

Don't know yet but I will be in a hotel for a month while looking for a place to live [a one bedroom is all I need]. Any suggestions? In looking at the forums it seems like one can live almast anywhere. I will be working near the entrance to "palm island".

Thanks in advance.

When I arrived, my company put me up in a hotel for three months, and just last month, me and my fiance moved into the Greens. It is a community where a lot of expats live, and it is really nice. We are loving it! We have a one bedroom but it quite spacious and comfortable. Also, the facilities in the Greens (and probably in some of the other communities) are really nice. They have a great communal pool that is used by four adjoining buildings.
Unforunately, in the past little while, rents in Dubai have skyrocketed, but we find the price is fine for what you get. In Montreal (and obviously, it is the same in NYC), a luxurious place like the kind you get in Dubai would cost you an arm and a leg.
By the time you move into an apartment, however, the real estate market may have corrected itself and the prices may have gone done. I hope so for your sake!
Hope this information was helpful, and best of luck!

Thanks again,

What sort of rents are average for a 1 bedroom? Without prying too much what do you guys pay (so I can gage). I am not looking for super luxury (safety and tranquility yes) as I will be carrying my NYC place concurrently at least for the first year.

Well, it depends where you live.
The only way you can get a cheap place is if you live far away from the city - like near the airport or something.
For our place, we pay 65,000 dirhams a year. When we were looking, I didn't see too many places that were much cheaper than that; however, I have heard that rents may go down soon (maybe in March or so). But, who knows?
Anyway, I would say that you should expect to pay at least 60,000 or so a year for a one bedroom, but if you get a studio, the price goes down quite a bit.
Hope that's good news!