The real monthly cost of a private driver in the UAE

Most families budget for a driver’s salary and stop there. In practice, employing a driver directly in the UAE brings a set of costs that arrive at different times of the year, which makes them easy to underestimate.

The monthly costs

• Salary: experienced private drivers typically earn AED 3,500 to 6,000 a month.
• Housing and living: accommodation or an allowance, plus utilities.
• Food and transport: an allowance for meals and getting to work.

The yearly and one-off costs

• Visa, Emirates ID and medical test, renewed every two years.
• Health insurance, which is mandatory.
• An annual flight home and 30 days of paid leave, during which you still need someone to drive.
• End-of-service gratuity of 21 days’ basic salary for each year worked.
• Recruitment fees if you use an agency.

The costs that don’t appear on paper

Sick days, a driver who leaves without notice, or a working day longer than the eight hours UAE labour law allows without overtime. Each one has a cost in time and disruption.

How to compare

Add the yearly costs, divide by twelve and add them to the monthly ones. Our cost calculator does this for you and compares the result with each Alsurb plan.