Free privacy-first tool
Dubai relocation budget planner
Use your own quotes and household choices. The planner keeps cash needed now, refundable deposits and ordinary monthly spending separate, and sends nothing to us.
What the three totals mean
Normal monthly plan is the total of the recurring categories plus the savings target. It is not a promise that each bill arrives monthly. Annual rent, school instalments, insurance and flights can create expensive individual months.
One-off spending is setup money that is not expected back. The planner adds your chosen contingency percentage to this figure. Refundable deposits are shown separately because they are still cash you need, but should not be treated as ordinary consumption.
Landing cash gap compares accessible savings with one-off spending, contingency, deposits and one normal month. It does not include every risk. Add more temporary accommodation or a larger buffer if residence, salary, reimbursements, banking or home handover could take longer.
Replace averages with evidence
Run the planner once with early estimates, then replace each large item with a dated quote. Use suitable homes rather than a city-wide rent average. Use the current KHDA School Fees Fact Sheet for a real school and grade. Use the policy schedule for insurance. Test the actual work and school journeys before settling the transport figure.
Keep a low, expected and high version. The high version should include a rent or school increase, delayed reimbursement and an emergency trip. Exclude uncertain commission or bonus income from the dependable-income field, then run a separate optimistic case if it is useful.
Privacy boundary: figures remain in this page while it is open. They are not saved, transmitted or attached to an account. Do not enter bank details, account numbers or identity information.
Run a payment-calendar check
The monthly total is useful for comparison, but it smooths out the very payments that can cause trouble. Put rent cheques, school terms, insurance renewals, flights and annual contracts on a twelve-month calendar. Mark reimbursements on the date you expect to receive them, not the date you submit a claim.
Next, create a downside month. Move one reimbursement later, add an emergency flight and assume a deposit has not yet been returned. If accessible cash becomes negative, the move needs a larger buffer, different payment terms or a cheaper commitment. Do not solve the gap by counting a bonus that is not guaranteed.
Run the tool again whenever the home, school, job package or number of dependants changes. Date each scenario so an older quote is not mistaken for the current plan. Save only the totals and assumptions you need in your own secure budget.
Continue the move in the right order
Budgeting should follow a confirmed legal route. Read the complete moving to Dubai guide, compare residence visa options, and check renting and Ejari before making a large commitment.