A 23-year-old Indian woman living in Dubai has shared a detailed breakdown of her monthly expenses, revealing that she spends around 1,100 UAE Dirhams (approximately Rs 28,500) a month, largely because her company provides accommodation.
Surya Gayathry posted a video on social media explaining how she manages her expenses while working as an accountant in Dubai. In the clip, she said rent would ordinarily be her biggest expense, but her employer provides accommodation, significantly reducing her monthly costs.
“Here is a realistic breakdown of how much I spend in a month as a 23-year-old accountant working and living in Dubai,” Surya said in the video.
Groceries account for the largest share of her spending. Since she lives in an area with few restaurants nearby, she cooks most of her meals and shops for groceries every week.
“I spend around 100 Dirhams (about Rs 2,600) on groceries per week, which totals up to about 500 Dirhams (around Rs 13,000) per month,” she said.
Surya also pays 200 Dirhams (approximately Rs 5,200) every month for her personal Wi-Fi connection.
Her transportation expenses remain relatively low because she lives and works in the same building. She spends around 70 Dirhams (about Rs 1,800) on public transport and occasionally takes a taxi from the nearest metro station to her accommodation, which costs about 35 Dirhams (roughly Rs 900) per trip.
“So travel comes to around 100 to 110 Dirhams (approximately Rs 2,600 – Rs 2,900), depending on how often I take a taxi,” she said.
Apart from essentials, Surya sets aside money for dining out and shopping. She estimated that eating out on weekends costs her around 100 Dirhams (about Rs 2,600) a month.
“Shopping has no fixed budget, but I like to keep it under 100 to 150 Dirhams (roughly Rs 2,600 – Rs 3,900). Otherwise, I may go bankrupt,” she joked.
She also allocates around 50 Dirhams (about Rs 1,300) for miscellaneous expenses.
Summing up her monthly budget, Surya said her average expenditure comes to roughly 1,100 Dirhams (around Rs 28,500).
“This is completely based on my lifestyle and it can be higher or lower depending on the way I spend. That is my real monthly expense, living in Dubai,” she said.
Her breakdown offered a glimpse into the day-to-day expenses of a young professional in Dubai, prompting conversations about budgeting, savings and the cost of living in the city.
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