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Our readers matter most to us. We have opened a page for robust debate among you. This page does not have a political stand and should be read in that spirit. We do not seek either to offend or to appease. We strive to present all points of view but expressed in a civil manner. Speak up and be heard.
Most readers said the increase in the cost of living has been a major cause for concern and anxiety, especially for those with families. However, some said that it has not stopped people from seeking a good lifestyle, although many are opting to delay marriage and parenthood.
We present their views in a debate.
Do you feel that the cost of living impacts people’s mental health?
Yes, I do. People have become more aggressive. I feel aggressive myself. People are worried about their income, expenses and loans. Many seek an increase in their income to keep up their lifestyle. It is expensive and to be realistic there are two types of people living in the country. Those who lead a high lifestyle, which is what everyone wants to achieve and there are the labourers and workers.
Tariq Khan, 51,
Businessman
Society is divided into classes and not everyone earns the same, so yes there will be those who will be worrying about the cost of living and those who won’t. However, if a company is concerned with providing its employees with what they need and keeps them happy, then it will get quality work from its people.
Nadeem Khan, 48,
General Manager
Yes, I think the cost of living does impact people’s mental health. In Thailand for example, cost of living is low and people are generally more relaxed and somewhat happy. When cost of living is high, people tend to be more stressed and worried. I see that also in Germany, where people are constantly concerned with the cost of services and maintaining a certain lifestyle.
Michael W., 29,
Engineer
Yes, people tend to constantly think about their financial situation when the cost of living is high. They won’t spend as much on luxuries and would concentrate on paying car loans, rent, school fees and these sorts of expenses. So I do not think with the rise in the cost of living, people are happy or even feel lucky. They are mostly troubled with how to get more money and how to meet their obligations.
Claudia Weiss, 26,
Chemist
Do you think more people are choosing to quit the rat race?
I do not think that people are choosing to quit living in luxury to only concentrate on meeting their basic needs. There are those who still go out there and buy luxurious things. However, I think to a certain extent people are genuinely worried. Still, this will depend on their income and how much they can do to meet the basic needs of life.
Subhash Kunder, 30,
Accountant
I do not think so. People still worry about how they look, so quitting to buy luxuries and concentrating on basics is not really true here. Also, people who need to maintain a certain lifestyle and cannot afford it, can always go to banks and get loans. A lot of people do that. So I don’t think many people are worried about quitting the rat race.
Ali Ahmad, 27,
Police personnel
I think it all depends on the income. Some people can afford to stay in the race and are enjoying different luxuries. Still, others cannot because they have basic needs they have to concentrate on first. However, I think people still try to maintain a certain lifestyle that allows them some luxuries.
Suhaila Al Hussaini, 28,
Human resources manager
From what I am seeing, because the cost of living in the UAE keeps going up, some people are choosing to quit the country all together and go to places like Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. If you think about it, the cost of living in the UAE compared to other Arab countries is high.
Bishr Sioufi, 28,
Self-employed
Do you think salaries dictate people’s choice of getting married or having children?
Yes, I believe so. However, people do it not because they want to but because they have to. Salaries do not match the cost of living here. I see it in my business, too. I own a shop and I see how instead of buying two or three things, buyers stick now to the basics. Living is expensive and getting married or having kids is also very costly.
Hani Addas, 36,
Shop owner
Yes, more people are choosing to stay single or not have children, but they are not happy about it. They do it because that’s all they can do under these circumstances. Some people even send their children abroad or back home. They are willing to live alone to make money and save, to pay for their children’s expenses. Even when it comes to choosing a place to live, people now are thinking of what is the cheapest.
Jamal Al Ya’badawi, 47,
Businessman
The great thing about this country is that there are endless job opportunities, money keeps pouring in, and living here is much better than in any other country. However, the cost of living is high. The percentage of single people has increased and many now choose to postpone getting married because it is hard to afford it.
Ahmad Hassan, 25,
Assistant director
Yes, especially in an Arab society. Getting married might cost more than Dh60,000. So if you have a salary of Dh6,000, I do not know how you can do it. I think people these days postpone the idea of marriage and prefer to stay single. Even for those who want to have children, they quit and go back home.
Mahmoud Ali, 25,
Retail banking executive
Do you think inflation will impact the demographics of the UAE?
In terms of seeing more older couples with young children, I think what’s going to happen is that cultures will dictate whether they should have children or not. I think regardless of inflation and high cost of living, some would still have children because of their traditions.
Mohammad Katanbaf, 27,
Architect
Yes, I think inflation is going to change the demographics of the UAE in a sense that soon you will start seeing older couples with young children. Couples have already started postponing having children because of the cost of living, especially rent and visa fees. I do not think, however, that the culture or background would have any effect on couples’ decisions nowadays. People have become more modern.
Rajini Punjabi, 32,
Accountant
I think it is possible (that there will be older people around). There are people who decide not to have children now because they cannot afford it and end up having them at an older age. Also, there are those who already have children and are sending them back home. Thirty to 45 per cent of people’s salaries go for rent, so how are couples going to afford children now?
Hiran Karaneawatta, 34,
Accountant
Yes of course. I, myself, postponed having children because of the high cost of living. When you want to have children, you need to be sure that you can provide for them and take care of their needs properly. I think there are so many solutions that can be implemented to solve the inflation problem and this will help people in so many ways.
Mumtaz Murad, 51,
Engineering consultant
Your comments
I read the complaints about the cost of living in the UAE in the Gulf News every day. Be happy you do not live in New York city. Where I live, a decent flat (by UAE standards) for a family costs at least $1 million to buy. To rent a small apartment, you must make 50 times the monthly rent, which effectively means your salary must be at least $100,000. Of course, we have taxes here and we do not have expat packages, so most of NYC is only for the truly wealthy today.
Michael
New York,USA
I've been brought up in Dubai and have felt a huge impact of the cost of living increase over the past few years. I just got married a year back, I had my own flat but couldn't cope with the high expenses. Now my wife and I have moved in with my parents so we can all support each other.
Henin
Dubai,UAE
As the economy of the country grows, so does the cost of living. Arab countries depend on expats that come here to spend their money on paying bills and inflated prices of basic neccessities. Most of them come to save money and invest it back home, but the current scenario is making it difficult to survive and do this.
Rahman
Sharjah,UAE
I was in the UAE in July of this year, returning after 6 years and was shocked to see the cost of living. It's unbelievable, the rents are the limit, and the cost of other things is way too high. How does a middle class person survive, I won't be surprised to see the crime rate go up because the public will have no other way out? It's time the cost of living was lowered to a normal standard.
Roopa
Overland Park,USA
The cost of rent, educational expense and air travel makes a common man like me hold a bank account with zero balance.
Cecil
Dubai,UAE
Everything is getting to be madly expensive especially RENTS. If it goes on like this after 12 years I will need to pack everything and go back home or immigrate to another expensive place with a better climate at least.
Shahram
Sharjah,UAE
I'm a former resident of the UAE and return for family visits once a year. The rapid development and desire to see return on the huge investments will be offset if inflation continues and demand for primary development areas like real-estate may dwindle. On my most recent visit, I noticed an unprecendented number of well-off expats who were considering moving away altogether.
If this jump in living costs is some way of filtering the residents of Dubai to attract only high income workers and turn it into a Monaco or French Reviera, it is doomed to fail.
Zeeshan
Mississauga,Canada
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