UAE rents, school fees put pressure on expats

Dubai: Although residential rents may have eased amid a slowdown in the real estate market, the overall cost of living in Dubai is still on the rise and continues to put pressure on UAE expatriates’ ability to manage their household budgets, new data suggest.

In a survey conducted in the UAE, a huge proportion of the country’s population pointed to high cost of housing and rising education and utility bills as their biggest worries. Nearly seven in ten (64 per cent) said that accommodation costs ate up the most of their budget, while a significant number (46 per cent) are feeling the burden of increasing utility costs. An almost equal number, 45 per cent, cited rising school fees as their biggest concern.

“Increased house rents, increased costs of utility items and children’s educational expenses appear to place the most pressure on households across the country,” said Mohammed Qasim Al Ali, CEO of National Bonds, which commissioned the survey.

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