Abu Dhabi expats sending their families home due to rising cost of living

ABU DHABI // The rising cost of living in the capital has forced many expatriates to send their families and children home to make ends meet.

The cost of rents, school fees and groceries have risen while salaries remained the same, they said.

Shibu Varghese said: “Last year, I sent two of my children back to India because of the rising cost of living in Abu Dhabi.

“Before, there was five per cent cap [in rent rises], but now there is no bar. At the same time, while salaries are not increasing the prices of food and groceries have gone up. School fees and water and electricity rates have jumped.”

Families find it very difficult to makeends meet, he said.

“That’s why, many Indian families are going back. Indian schools, except a few, charge more than Dh20,000 in annual fees.”

Mr Varghese said that if rents rose by five per cent, salaries also should go up by five per cent.

“But it doesn’t work that way,” he said.

“We, a husband and wife, work here but still we find difficult to manage,” he said.

Source