Indian woman in Dubai shares reality check for those planning to move to UAE for work
An Indian woman living in Dubai shared a reality check for those planning to move to the UAE for work, warning that a salary that may look substantial after converting dirhams into Indian rupees can quickly shrink once rent, food, transport and other expenses are paid.
Instagram user Shree Shukla shared the video on her account, where she urged Indians to carefully consider their salary and overall employment package before moving to Dubai.
In the video, Shukla turned the camera towards herself and said Indians should not move to Dubai unless their company was willing to pay them around AED 5,000 to AED 6,000 per month.
She explained that Dubai was an expensive place to live and cautioned people against looking at a UAE salary simply by converting it into Indian rupees.
She pointed out that someone earning AED 3,000 might calculate the amount in rupees and feel that it was more than enough to live on. However, she stressed that the money had to cover expenses in Dubai itself, where everything from accommodation to daily necessities had to be paid for in dirhams.
Shukla said she had seen people earning AED 2,000 to AED 3,000 a month struggle to have anything left by the end of the month. Her message was therefore to consider the actual cost of living in Dubai rather than relying on a currency conversion to decide whether a job offer was worthwhile.
In the caption, she similarly pointed out that while life in Dubai might appear glamorous on social media, the reality could be considerably more expensive.
She advised people to properly calculate their expenses before accepting a job offering AED 3,000 to AED 4,000 and to examine the complete employment package, including accommodation, transport and other benefits.
Her advice, she said, was simple: people considering a move to Dubai should look at the complete package rather than focusing only on the salary.
The video prompted a discussion among viewers, with some arguing that even AED 5,000 to AED 6,000 might no longer be enough given Dubai's rising expenses. Others suggested that a monthly salary of around AED 8,000 to AED 10,000 would be more realistic for someone planning to move.
Several viewers agreed with Shukla's broader point that salaries in Dubai should be considered alongside the cost of living rather than converted directly into rupees.
One user also summed up the argument by suggesting that a UAE salary may need to be several times a person's previous Indian salary to make the move manageable, while clarifying that this might only provide a comfortable means of survival rather than a luxurious lifestyle.
The discussion highlighted a common calculation made by people considering jobs abroad: a higher figure after currency conversion does not necessarily mean greater savings once the local cost of living is factored in.- EndsPublished By: Yashna TalwarPublished On: Sep 12, 2026 10:36 IST
