2 Years In Dubai: Everything you need to know.

Two years ago today we packed up our life in the UK and moved our family to Dubai. This is the honest, no-fluff guide we wish we'd had before we made the move. We've tried to put everything in one place: the money and tax reality (it's not as simple as "tax-free"), schools and the KHDA system, your Emirates ID, renting and the cheques thing, swapping your driving licence, the bills nobody warns you about, the best family days out, the apps you actually need from day one, and an honest conversation at the end about whether we're truly happy and whether we'd do it all again. Grab a cup of tea, it's a long one. But if you're thinking about moving to Dubai, we hope it saves you a lot of money, time and stress. If you'd like the exact spreadsheet Adam built to work out whether the move was affordable for us, let us know in the comments and we'll polish it up and share it. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Welcome home (why we made this) 00:43 Money & tax: the truth about "tax-free" 02:46 Schools & the KHDA system 05:19 Emirates ID: medical + biometrics 05:45 Attest your documents BEFORE you fly 06:27 Renting: brokers, deposits & cheques 07:18 Swapping your UK driving licence 08:15 Furnishing your home (& the curtain trap) 09:23 Bills: DEWA, the housing fee, phone & internet 10:39 Getting around: taxis, Waze & Sofa 12:34 Buying a car & how insurance works here 13:47 Ramadan: what we learned 15:35 Family days out: our top 5 16:43 The apps you need from day one 19:48 The honest bit: what life here is really like 26:47 Are we happy? Would we do it again? 35:23 A note on the channel + thank you 🔗 Useful links & tools we mention Sara's website, all about relocation: www.sara-callow.com KHDA school ratings: https://web.khda.gov.ae/en/ Bayut / Property Finder (rentals): https://www.bayut.com | https://www.propertyfinder.ae/ Apps: Careem, UAE Pass, The Entertainer, Privilee, Waze, Sofa Banks we used: Emirates NBD & Wio Our free "moving to Dubai" spreadsheet: comment below and we'll share it 👋 About us We're Adam and Sara, and this is Dubai Diary. We moved here from the UK with our two boys, Riley and Reggie, and we share honest, practical vlogs about family life in Dubai to help anyone thinking about making the same move. ▶️ New here? Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. If this helped, the kindest thing you can do is leave a comment with your biggest question about moving to Dubai. We read every one, and your questions shape the next videos. #MovingToDubai #DubaiExpat #LifeInDubai #DubaiWithKids #UKToDubai