About MoveWise UAE

Why we built this

Most people moving to the UAE plan around two numbers: the salary on the offer letter and the monthly rent. Then the first month arrives. Rent is due in one to four cheques, the agent wants 5%, the landlord wants a deposit, schools charge registration and a seat deposit, and a brand new flat turns out to be completely empty.

MoveWise UAE puts all of those costs in one place. You tell us where you plan to live, how you will live and who is coming with you, and we show you the cash you need at move-in, the monthly running cost and the total for your first year.

Meet the founder

Waqas Jawed, Founder

I started MoveWise UAE after watching friends and family move to the Emirates with no clear picture of what the first year really costs — visa fees here, school deposits there, a DEWA bill nobody warned them about. I built the calculators I wished they had: honest, first-year numbers in AED, checked every month.

One important note: Waqas is hearing impaired, so please contact him in writing — email or WhatsApp. He does not take phone calls, but you will always get a written reply.

Who it is for

• Families comparing school curricula, home sizes and emirates.
• People with a job offer checking whether the package really covers rent, school and transport.
• HR and relocation teams who want to give new hires a realistic first-year figure.
• Investors and freelancers weighing up visa routes and setup costs.

People move to the UAE from all over the world, and their budgets look very different. That is why the calculator covers five school curricula, Pakistani, Indian (CBSE), British, American and IB, and homes from a studio to a villa.

What we offer

Everything on MoveWise UAE is free, and built to answer one question: what will your first year in the Emirates really cost?

• Free cost calculator — build your first-year budget for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or Ajman in minutes.
• School fee guides — compare curricula, fees and admission costs across the emirates.
• Moving checklists — step-by-step lists so nothing (visas, DEWA, Ejari) slips through the cracks.
• WhatsApp help — message us when a number looks odd or a quote does not match the calculator.

You can read exactly how each number is worked out on our methodology page.

How we make money

Our calculators and guides are free. When you ask us to connect you with a licensed moving company, we may earn a commission from the mover — it never changes your price.

Partners never pay to change the numbers in the calculator. If a partner relationship ever affects what you see on a page, we will say so on that page.

Our promise

MoveWise UAE bases its figures on published rules from u.ae, not guesswork.

• Plain numbers, not sales talk.
• We tell you where our figures come from and when we last checked them.
• We do not sell your personal details. Read our privacy policy.

How MoveWise UAE started

MoveWise UAE began as a spreadsheet a few of us built for our own move: a way to see, in one place, what rent, deposits, school fees, visas and insurance would really cost across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman. Friends kept asking to borrow it, so we turned it into a free calculator anyone could use, and MoveWise UAE grew from there. We still update the numbers ourselves every quarter, because a calculator is only useful if the figures match what you are actually quoted.

Get in touch

Questions, corrections or partnership ideas: email cs@movewiseuae.com or use the contact form. If you spot a price that looks wrong, please tell us. We would rather fix it than be wrong.