A young retiree who pays himself a whopping £138,000 a year has disclosed his expenses for living in a “premium” area of Dubai, “right off the beach”. Jamal Robinson, who decided as a teenager that he wanted to retire early, transitioned from working as a church janitor to a position at Taco Bell for minimum wage, eventually securing roles at Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon.
Yet, by the age of 40, Jamal achieved his dream, retiring in 2024. He’s now residing as a US expat in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and has managed to amass a cash pot worth nearly $4million (about £3m).
A former executive director of generative AI at Microsoft, Jamal accumulated millions in savings and investments and pays himself an astounding figure of about £11,500 every month. Speaking to CNBC Make It, Jamal said: “What I love most about Dubai is it really caters to people that have been retired and are looking for a lot of services and activities.”
He added: “I found that, most often, the things that were promised to me in America actually existed here. So, the levels of safety, the levels of like integration of people into society where everyone’s accepted.”
Jamal disclosed that he pays himself roughly $15,400 per month (about £11,500), but he tends to spend around $9,000 (£6,700), usually allowing himself around $2,000 for food (£1,500).
A chart displayed Jamal’s spending for December 2024 (which he conceded was a “unique” month). Among his expenses were $4,429 (about £3,300) for rent, $2,840 (£2,100) for health and wellness, and a discretionary fund of $1,549 (£1,160).
He claimed that living in Dubai is “actually much cheaper” than most major US cities he has resided in. Jamal added that the UAE metropolis allows individuals to live the “kind of lifestyle” they desire and caters to “a lot” of price ranges.
Dubai, a city associated with luxury, is also a favoured holiday spot and a global centre for leisure and business. Home to more than 200 nationalities, it also houses the world’s tallest building, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa.
Moreover, intrigued tourists can enjoy its luxurious shopping centres and traditional souks, and, as further proof of its wealth, you might even see the police driving supercars.
The Telegraph reports that living in Dubai is costly, and expats are required to pay for medical insurance. However, there’s no income tax imposed on individuals, meaning you retain more of your earnings.
It reports that, as of June 2024 (according to figures by CBRE), average yearly rents for apartments and villas were AED 56,000 (about £11,265) and AED 166,000 (£33,393). It also stated that the average salary of someone living in Dubai was £54,647.