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It’ll cost between £10,000 and £20,000 to move to Dubai from the UK. 

These moving costs include flights, visa fees, rent, and other essential services when moving abroad. While upfront costs may seem expensive, creating a budget you can stick to will help in the long term. 

Use 1st Move International’s handy cost guide to prepare for the costs of moving to Dubai in 2026.

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Breakdown of the costs of moving to Dubai

Visa and Document Costs

  1. Skills Assessment – Most Dubai visas don’t require a paid skills assessment. If you’re in the healthcare, education or engineering industry, then you’ll need a paid skills assessment. For health professionals, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) exam fees cost AED 1,000 to AED 2,000 (£200 to £400) and the registration fees are around AED 2,000 to AED 3,000 (about £400 to £600).

  2. Authentication Fees – Documents such as degrees and marriage certificates usually need a UK solicitor or notary to certify them (around £70 to £120 per document), then an FCDO apostille at £45 per document by post. Because the UAE is not part of the Hague Convention, there is a further step the apostille alone does not cover: attestation by the UAE Embassy/MoFA in London, which adds a per-document fee on top. Budget for all three stages, not just the first two.

  3. Mandatory Medical Check – Mandatory Medical Check – A medical fitness test (blood test plus chest X-ray) is required for residence and employment visas. Importantly, it must be done in the UAE after you arrive on an entry permit, not in the UK, as results from outside the country are not accepted. The standard test costs around AED 270 (£25) and can be completed, according to DubaiHealth, in 24 working hours. A premium fast-tracked service is also available for AED 750 (£150) that can be completed within 6 working hours.

  4. Police Clearance Certificate – Employment visas in Dubai require a police clearance certificate for the past 5 years. These cost between £55 and £95 (AED 275 – AED 475).

  5. Visa Application Fee – Visa application fees vary by visa type. The Golden Visa is a 5- or 10-year residency, depending on the route you qualify through. For most routes, total costs including the medical test and Emirates ID typically land around AED 4,000 to AED 6,500 (roughly £800 to £1,300).

    An employment visa typically costs AED 3,000 to AED 7,000 (roughly £600 to £1,400), including the medical test and Emirates ID. Under UAE labour law, your employer must cover this cost in full.

    The property-investor route costs more, at AED 9,884.75 (about £2,000) for a 10-year permit, because of Dubai Land Department charges. Note that the AED 2 million property or investment thresholds are eligibility requirements, not fees. For more detailed information on property eligibility, including valuation requirements, mortgaged properties and off-plan purchases, see dataHabibi’s guide to obtaining a Golden Visa through property investment in Dubai. Applicants should confirm the latest eligibility requirements directly with Dubai Land Department.

  6. Visa Assistance – Visa assistance fees vary by the complexity of the visa. Fees can range from £50 up to £1,500 (AED 250-AED 7,500) for a Work Visa.

Travel and Relocation Costs

  1. Flights from the UK to Dubai: It’ll cost between £200 and £500 (AED 1,000-AED 2,500) for a one-way flight ticket to Dubai. Expect costs to rise to over £2,000 (AED 10,000) if you choose business class.

  2. Shipping Your Belongings: To ship the contents of a 3-bedroom home to Dubai, expect to pay around £4,775 – £5,865 (AED 23,228 – AED 28,530). UK to Dubai shipping & removals costs will vary depending on the size and location of the move.

  3. Rental Deposits & Advance Rent: The standard security deposit is 5% of the annual rent for an unfurnished property, or 10% if furnished, capped by market norm under Dubai’s rental law. On a one-bedroom apartment at around AED 75,000 a year, that is a deposit of roughly AED 3,750 (about £775). You will also usually pay a 5% agency fee and register the contract with Ejari, and rent is typically paid in one to four cheques in advance, though monthly payment options are now more widely available.

  4. Health Insurance:  Expats must get health insurance to access healthcare in Dubai. The cost ranges between £500 to £2,000 (AED 2,500-AED 10,000) annually depending on the plan and coverage.

  5. Shipping Your Car: To ship your car to Dubai, it’ll cost £1,141 (AED 5,705) for a standard saloon car going via RoRo service. 

  6. Shipping Your Pet: It’ll cost between £800 and £5,500 (AED 4,000-AED 27,500) to ship your pet to Dubai. Costs will depend on the size of your pet, flights and whether or not you use a relocation service.  

Average Salaries in Dubai 

Dubai does not publish official average-wage statistics the way many countries do, so the most reliable figures come from recruitment-firm salary surveys. These put the average professional salary at around AED 15,800 to AED 18,000 a month (roughly AED 190,000 to AED 216,000 a year, or £39,000 to £44,500), with the median closer to AED 13,800 a month.

Pay varies widely by sector rather than by neighbourhood: finance, technology and healthcare sit at the top, while hospitality and retail pay considerably less. Entry-level professional roles typically start around AED 8,000 to AED 12,000 a month, and senior specialists can command AED 40,000 or more. The headline advantage is that salaries are tax-free, so the gross figure is effectively your take-home pay.

Final Thoughts

Moving to Dubai from the UK can seem expensive at first glance. Moving costs such as flights, visas, and rent are all essential costs that work towards your new life in Dubai. By creating a budget for your move to Dubai, you’ll know exactly what to expect for each step of the move. 

For many people, the long-term picture of life in Dubai will outweigh the initial upfront costs. With excellent career opportunities, a warmer climate and tax benefits, Dubai is a popular choice for people looking for a new adventure. 


Moving to Dubai – We Can Help

At 1st Move International, we help hundreds of people move to Dubai each year. We are experts in the international removal space, offering safer packing, faster shipping and smarter pricing. When you’re ready to move, get in touch for a free, tailored quote for your removals to Dubai.

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