Dubai: Residents say Dh4,000 — the minimum basic salary requirement to sponsor a family in the UAE — is not enough to maintain a family in Dubai.

Gulf News spoke to residents in several emirates, who agreed the amount was not enough to survive in Dubai and barely enough to live on in more affordable emirates such as Ajman.

“I think you need to earn at least Dh6,000 to Dh7,000 to survive in Dubai as a family. I’m not talking about a lavish lifestyle, just simple sustenance would need around Dh6,000, without any savings,” said Benu Korah, who has lived in Dubai for the past six years.

He added that to manage a family life with such a small income, one needs to be lucky enough to get a cheap apartment, as a major portion of income goes in rent in the UAE.

Another resident, who lived in Dubai until a couple of months ago, said it was impossible to maintain a family on Dh4,000.

“Life is tough for people in the middle-income group, especially in Dubai, a minimum of Dh7,000 is required to survive. I moved to Ajman recently, where it is better due to lower rents. In Ajman it’s possible to manage on Dh4,000 to Dh5,000,” said Abdul Basit, who runs a small trading business in Dubai and lives in Ajman.

With rents also shooting up in Sharjah, the minimum family expenditure in the emirate has increased.

“I used to manage with Dh4,000 earlier, but everything has become expensive now. You need a minimum of Dh6,000 to lead a simple life in Sharjah,” said Syed Tafheem, a long-time Sharjah resident.

In Sharjah, Kamal Shah Khan, a supply chain manager, said that rent is the biggest burden for most immigrant families living in Sharjah.

“Minimum rent expenses for a two-bedroom apartment in Sharjah for a couple with two children is Dh3,000 to Dh4,000 a month. A minimum salary of Dh10,000 barely covers rent, school fees and bills,” said Khan. “Many people can’t afford to have their families live with them in the UAE, so instead they keep their families in their home country and send money back.”

In Abu Dhabi, a doctor at a dermatology clinic said minimum salary requirements leave many families without a means to come to the UAE.

“Creating new laws on the minimum income needed to support your family will do more harm that good and will only strengthen people’s struggles. It will even cancel out a large portion of society — the middle class — which many people belong to,” he said.