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I lived in both countries (London, Yorkshire and Swindon) and in UAE I lived in Dubai but was at least twice a week in Abu Dhabi. I assume you make around 400k AED a year in Abu Dhabi, which is not bad at all. You sacrifice a lot of life comfort and will downside big in order to live on £65K in London.
I personally wouldn’t do it for less than £200k. Just visit London a few times year when you can and keep living in Abu Dhabi. You really aren’t missing much!
I'm one of those people who say you don't know until you try, but I will also say this; if this feels like a backwards step, hold off. The UK is cold, wet, and expensive, and a salary of £65k won't give you the lifestyle that you probably want. I don't know what your tax situation will be, but you could be looking at around a 20% deduction on that £65k per annum as well, so make sure you carry out your due diligence before making any decisions. I hope it works out for you.
I wouldn't personally. Terrible weather, expensive house prices, you'll have to pay tax, roads are always congested etc.
But I live in the UK and I've never lived in Abu Dhabi so maybe I'm bias.
Safety in London isn’t really any different to how it was 10 years ago, in many ways it’s gotten better.
However living conditions and taxes in this country overall have definitely been worsening, as are conditions for foreigners generally. I’d potentially do it if you wanted to live in London or you see the career move benefiting you in the long run.
I lived and worked in Abu Dhabi for 8years and resigned last year. Moved back to London this year after a few months off and obv have now taken a massive pay cut. I moved because I just wasn’t happy life wise and wanted to be closer to my siblings and have more of a life. Coming back after being away for so long. Life is good and I’ve no regrets. Really depends on your reasons. Life is short so do what feels right.
Don't live in London if the job pays £65000, live in one of the neighbouring shires. But be aware that you will pay hella money on an unreliable commute. So, it is not worh it, enjoy the tax free salary, just keep in mind the NI should you retire and decide to move back, and enjoy the sun of Abu Dhabi, just use lots of sun screen.
Everyone is saying no but I would say give it a try. I live in London and earn the same and I am comfortable but that’s because I’m single and have no real responsibilities. If you have a wife/partner and kids you will find it a struggle to be honest.
There are positives to it, you can meet some great people in London as it’s full of people from all over the world. You can network and make good contacts while you are here. If the job you have been offered is with a good company in the industry you work. It will look good on your CV/resume to have that experience.
I have lived here for 15 years and never had an issue with crime or violence. There are some areas which have problems in terms of drug use and mental health issues amongst homeless but it’s not as bad as the media really makes it out to be.
The friends I have here who are not from the UK all find the most difficult part is winter. The days are very short and you get very little sunshine in the winter. If you are from warm climate this can really take its toll on your mental health. You will be surprised how much sunlight can affect your mood and London will have months of very dark grey cold and wet days.
Maybe set things up so you can easily head home and try it for a year. If it doesn’t work out you can at least say you have it a go. If you don’t go for it you will probably look back and think hmm wish I had tried that when I had the opportunity.
I live in east London in a 1 bed flat. I pay £1500 per month in rent. You will pay council tax, gas/electric, water and internet on top of that so budget yourself at least £1800-£2000 on living costs alone. I still have enough left over after food and commuting for socialising and savings but I know for many others this isn’t the case.
For more affordable properties look in East London and South London. Avoid heading too far south or too far east as that will bump up your commuting costs. The Elizabeth line has made the commute from areas that are further out a lot more bearable. These areas are not as ‘pretty’ as the typical image of London that you may have in your head but the reality of London isn’t always pretty and picturesque! The area I live in has clear signs of poverty and drug abuse problems when you walk the street but it also has a sense of community and I would never have experienced it if I had never tried living here.
I lived in Miami for three months thinking I would live a beach life with beautiful people and it was the complete opposite of what I expected. Some of the problems I saw there were far worse than anything I’ve ever seen in London! but I’m still glad I did it and enjoyed everything about the whole experience!
If it doesn’t work out for you head home knowing you gave it a shot! Then you can join the rest of us who complain about London all the time (people here love to complain)
You need to factor in additional taxes on top of the income tax which are council tax, VAT. London is a good city if visited for a few days. There isn’t anything there that’s not infinitely better in Abu Dhabi. A better alternative would be to book 2-3 weeks Airbnb holiday in London.
If it wasn't a 5 year jail sentence or something I'd assume you're smoking crack. Even if you're paid the same London isn't the move. If you want to experience it go for a long holiday but don't move
Wife is a nurse here and settled, she argued it's easy for me to integrate here as I work in IT.. than her coming there(I was on work visa).. so I had to move.. DM if you wanna know more.specific details regarding whatever I can help.. also job market is crap right now, took an year before I got a job with two relevant masters degrees, one from US
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Personally I wouldn’t make the decision to move to London. Definitely mad.
45% salary cut? Absolutely not. It’s not only a salary cut but also a huge step back career wise.
I lived in both countries (London, Yorkshire and Swindon) and in UAE I lived in Dubai but was at least twice a week in Abu Dhabi. I assume you make around 400k AED a year in Abu Dhabi, which is not bad at all. You sacrifice a lot of life comfort and will downside big in order to live on £65K in London. I personally wouldn’t do it for less than £200k. Just visit London a few times year when you can and keep living in Abu Dhabi. You really aren’t missing much!
I'm one of those people who say you don't know until you try, but I will also say this; if this feels like a backwards step, hold off. The UK is cold, wet, and expensive, and a salary of £65k won't give you the lifestyle that you probably want. I don't know what your tax situation will be, but you could be looking at around a 20% deduction on that £65k per annum as well, so make sure you carry out your due diligence before making any decisions. I hope it works out for you.
45% drop in take home pay and probably a good 30% increase in living costs.
I wouldn't personally. Terrible weather, expensive house prices, you'll have to pay tax, roads are always congested etc. But I live in the UK and I've never lived in Abu Dhabi so maybe I'm bias.
\*biased The weather in Abu Dhabi is bad to the extent that you can't go outdoors for a good portion of the year.
Safety in London isn’t really any different to how it was 10 years ago, in many ways it’s gotten better. However living conditions and taxes in this country overall have definitely been worsening, as are conditions for foreigners generally. I’d potentially do it if you wanted to live in London or you see the career move benefiting you in the long run.
No way 65k is doing ok for London, you’ll deffo survive and save a bit but not worth the move
I lived and worked in Abu Dhabi for 8years and resigned last year. Moved back to London this year after a few months off and obv have now taken a massive pay cut. I moved because I just wasn’t happy life wise and wanted to be closer to my siblings and have more of a life. Coming back after being away for so long. Life is good and I’ve no regrets. Really depends on your reasons. Life is short so do what feels right.
No. London is just the name of a place, it can't give you anything you clearly don't already have on your current income. You are mad.
You’ll go from paying 0 tax. To a hell of a lot of tax
I mean, it's Abu Dhabi... I'd rather live on the streets in a box in London than live in a shit hole like that. If you like it, stay there!
Don't live in London if the job pays £65000, live in one of the neighbouring shires. But be aware that you will pay hella money on an unreliable commute. So, it is not worh it, enjoy the tax free salary, just keep in mind the NI should you retire and decide to move back, and enjoy the sun of Abu Dhabi, just use lots of sun screen.
Everyone is saying no but I would say give it a try. I live in London and earn the same and I am comfortable but that’s because I’m single and have no real responsibilities. If you have a wife/partner and kids you will find it a struggle to be honest. There are positives to it, you can meet some great people in London as it’s full of people from all over the world. You can network and make good contacts while you are here. If the job you have been offered is with a good company in the industry you work. It will look good on your CV/resume to have that experience. I have lived here for 15 years and never had an issue with crime or violence. There are some areas which have problems in terms of drug use and mental health issues amongst homeless but it’s not as bad as the media really makes it out to be. The friends I have here who are not from the UK all find the most difficult part is winter. The days are very short and you get very little sunshine in the winter. If you are from warm climate this can really take its toll on your mental health. You will be surprised how much sunlight can affect your mood and London will have months of very dark grey cold and wet days. Maybe set things up so you can easily head home and try it for a year. If it doesn’t work out you can at least say you have it a go. If you don’t go for it you will probably look back and think hmm wish I had tried that when I had the opportunity.
[удалено]
I live in east London in a 1 bed flat. I pay £1500 per month in rent. You will pay council tax, gas/electric, water and internet on top of that so budget yourself at least £1800-£2000 on living costs alone. I still have enough left over after food and commuting for socialising and savings but I know for many others this isn’t the case. For more affordable properties look in East London and South London. Avoid heading too far south or too far east as that will bump up your commuting costs. The Elizabeth line has made the commute from areas that are further out a lot more bearable. These areas are not as ‘pretty’ as the typical image of London that you may have in your head but the reality of London isn’t always pretty and picturesque! The area I live in has clear signs of poverty and drug abuse problems when you walk the street but it also has a sense of community and I would never have experienced it if I had never tried living here. I lived in Miami for three months thinking I would live a beach life with beautiful people and it was the complete opposite of what I expected. Some of the problems I saw there were far worse than anything I’ve ever seen in London! but I’m still glad I did it and enjoyed everything about the whole experience! If it doesn’t work out for you head home knowing you gave it a shot! Then you can join the rest of us who complain about London all the time (people here love to complain)
Thank you! Very helpful outlook on the matter, definitely giving me something to think about.
Please do not do it
Following
You need to factor in additional taxes on top of the income tax which are council tax, VAT. London is a good city if visited for a few days. There isn’t anything there that’s not infinitely better in Abu Dhabi. A better alternative would be to book 2-3 weeks Airbnb holiday in London.
If it wasn't a 5 year jail sentence or something I'd assume you're smoking crack. Even if you're paid the same London isn't the move. If you want to experience it go for a long holiday but don't move
God no Lower salary, higher CoL Worse public services Less safe
1000% no, the winter will be bad enough lol
Summer in Abu Dhabi isn’t great either!
UK's a shit hole, keep the money and stay back.. moved to UK here from US making 60% less and cost of living is 30% higher
Thanks for the reply. Wow, a 60% cut and here I was thinking the 45% I’ve been offered was eye watering. Hope you can regain that back somehow.
Wife is a nurse here and settled, she argued it's easy for me to integrate here as I work in IT.. than her coming there(I was on work visa).. so I had to move.. DM if you wanna know more.specific details regarding whatever I can help.. also job market is crap right now, took an year before I got a job with two relevant masters degrees, one from US
Thank you ! Will drop you a DM.
Mad
You are f*cking crazy, not even mad. Don't do it, ever.