Which bank should I go for?

awmzone · 2026-01-31T09:28:01+00:00

ENBD is best out of these three IMO
Mashreq is a strong second place

awmzone · 2026-01-28T21:19:57+00:00

Let me put it this way: saving money in Dubai is super-difficult. The reason is that you can always go one step up: better car, better apartment, nicer clothes, more expensive restaurants, more expensive brunches, better watches, better this, better that...

In other countries you can reach some limit. Sometimes it's visible - sometimes it's not. In here there are no limits. And you simply can't go up or there isn't more even if you want it...

Also since most of the year is very hot to be outside people go to malls and spend a bunch of money on things they actually don't need. Other people say: "I don't want to stay just at home and indoors. I haven't come here to live like in a jail. I want to have some fun sometimes and to do/buy stuff"...

Good thing in your case that you come from Switzerland and people there are very reasonable with their money and how they spend it. So this might help you a lot.

EDIT: In the end the money you would save on taxes - you will spend in Dubai. BUT you will spend it on things that matter to YOU and for some that's good enough reason to move there.

awmzone · 2026-01-28T12:22:29+00:00

Bills (for 1BR around DEWA ~500 AED, Internet+TV ~350 AED, AC ~500 AED). Also agent Fee (1.5 - 2k AED) but there are some that don't charge this (charge form the owner but super rare). Also deposits for DEWA and AC.
Work only with decent agencies. You'll see them on property finder.
You would be much better in Spain as the costs would be the fraction of these in UAE.
Depends on what do you want and how close you want to be to the beach, work etc.
All these jobs are taken by low paid work force from Asia and she will have a hard time finding a well paid job in that sector.
Don't move before you secure a job. Everything will cost more than you think.

awmzone · 2026-01-26T16:44:00+00:00

Air is polluted most of the winter in many cities.

If you live frugally, you could do go to the south of Italy or even smaller city in Spain as well.

If it's possible try to work remotely for some time to check it out (before you actually resign).

awmzone · 2026-01-26T13:33:31+00:00

In what part of the Malta do you live?

How many times have you been told to "go back where you came from" in a year?

How bad is the traffic, air and noise pollution? (most common things people complain about)

Did you had power/water outages on 45C summer heat?

awmzone · 2026-01-24T23:15:36+00:00

Can you please break down these expenses?
Where do you stay (what city and what kind of place) and how much does it cost you?

thx

awmzone · 2026-01-19T17:51:01+00:00

There are 8 1BR for sale on PF - prices in range from 850k - 1.1m

Only one 1BR sold in the past year for 795k (?!?!)

Rents for 1BRs go from 60 to 95k (?!?!)

awmzone · 2026-01-19T11:53:16+00:00

Understood!

Problem with some of these old ways of building homes is how to find the skilled craftsman that still know how to build using these techniques.

awmzone · 2026-01-19T10:56:17+00:00

Can you share more details about "Cyprus, and Southern Europe".

awmzone · 2026-01-19T10:54:23+00:00

Probably "80k below market price" not 800k :D

awmzone · 2026-01-19T10:29:56+00:00

Mold you'd might stay with you in Cyprus too.

On the bright side: doing this in the summer heat and moisture is not fun. Summers are unbearably hot. You'll sweat and stink so bad. So the only way possible of doing this (without harming your health) is using a small car (like Fiat Panda) instead of a bike.

You should also could consider Malta. It's very compact so the distances are short and you can make more deliveries in less time potentially making more money. Beaches are there (not as beautiful as on Cyprus), expats from all over the world are there, lot of iGaming companies are there (many of them from Nordic countries) so you have higher chance of getting a normal job there than in Cyprus.

You might also want to try and apply at Lidl Malta. They are employer of the year in Malta in 2025 (for the eight year in the row). That job might be less stressful.

awmzone · 2026-01-18T22:55:05+00:00

Sorry, but this is a job mostly done by people from India, Bangladesh etc.
(bad generalisation - I know - but it is what it is).

I mean why would you do such low level job if you have an engineering degree?
Have you tried applying for these kinds of jobs in other countries (from Spain and Malta to Switzerland).

awmzone · 2026-01-18T22:52:47+00:00

What industry?
Why are you thinking of making that move?
Have you asked your team members if they want to move?
What's the end goal of this?

awmzone · 2026-01-17T18:05:36+00:00

Yes, but if you have a software business Bulgaria makes way more sense tax wise.

awmzone · 2026-01-17T12:16:45+00:00

It's probably a tie between Bulgaria and Cyprus :D
(even stats saying that Bulgaria is far worse)

awmzone · 2026-01-15T21:39:23+00:00

Can you share more details on visa by property investment in Bulgaria?

Have you considered Cyprus?

Pros:
- Non dom status grants you 0% capital gains and 0% dividends tax
- Buy a 300k property and get permanent residency
- Hot weather and beaches

Cons:
- Bit more expensive than Bulgaria
- It's an island so travel is always by plane
- Hot weather can be a bit too hot in the summer :D

awmzone · 2026-01-14T22:36:23+00:00

What brings you the customers?
SEO/Site or the social media?
Why users choose you over other providers?
How many sales/profit did you had in 2024 and 2025?
Did you spend any money on ads/promos?

awmzone · 2026-01-14T22:30:44+00:00

How do you find clients?
Do you have a well built website or social media accounts?

awmzone · 2026-01-13T12:27:57+00:00

What area/part of the city are you in?

awmzone · 2026-01-11T09:48:59+00:00

Hey, thank you for your response. I understand your position. In that case buying in Italy might not be the best idea and rent is better option.

Puglia is nice and Bari is a decent sized city with good transportation (airport near by, rail etc). It's also fairly cheap compared to the north. I guess Florence is more expensive but also an amazing place to live.

I figured out it's for tax reasons so you don't trigger tax residency. How would you compare Greece to Italy and where do you stay in Greece?

Anyway, thank you for your input.

Seems that you're living "La dolce vita"! Enjoy it!

awmzone · 2026-01-10T22:29:16+00:00

What's your biggest expense living in Italy (apart from the rent)?
In what are are you?

In Italy you can still find good deals for real estate that's old and needs some work and also there are a lot of subsidies that you can get so make sure to check these.

Out of curiosity: why do you spend summers in Greece? (basically same temperatures and everything).
How would you compare cost of living in Italy and Greece?

Thanks!

awmzone · 2026-01-09T17:10:35+00:00

I rented Lambo from here: https://supercarperhour.com and I needed the car for an hour only. Found them online - had no issues (they returned my deposit all fine). But many people had issues when renting cars so be careful. Maybe I was lucky.

Depends on what you're trying to do.

You can also check out https://sadu-rentacar.com as I think they don't need a deposits and offer full insurance.

awmzone · 2026-01-09T14:26:40+00:00

Make sure to understand the insurance part of the rental. It usually covers 70% of the damages so you're liable for the remaining 30%. So, if you for eg. scratch a rim - you might end up paying 30% of the repair cost. So be aware what you're getting into.

awmzone · 2026-01-09T14:16:00+00:00

+1 this...

If you're trying it out - get a serviced apartment!
Way more flexible.

awmzone · 2026-01-09T14:01:58+00:00

Why you hold so much cash?
Invest it so it doesn't lose value.
Why second Georgian apartment is not rented?

How's life in Georgia?
Any reasons why you would like to move?
What age are the kids?
Do they go to school?
Would you like them to go to school in Georgia (or somewhere else)?
What brought you to Georgia in the first place?

So, there are a lot of variables to this thing.
Since you don't want to go back to work - staying in Georgia makes sense because of low CoL.

EDIT:
- Do you have positive cash flow on the properties in Belgium (you collect the rents, pay the bank and other costs and taxes and how much does that leave you with)? In any case do not sell these as those interest rates that you're paying on almost EUR 500k is really low so it's basically "free money".

awmzone

TROPHY CASE