GCC Expat Salary CalculatorSetup
Auto-saved locallySwitching destination loads typical costs for that country — adjust anything.
Current Situation (home country)
These are deducted from both sides of the comparison: what you pay now, and what you'll keep paying from the GCC (mortgage, credit cards, savings at home…).
New GCC Package
The contractual basic, before allowances. Enter it separately: end-of-service gratuity is calculated on basic salary alone, not on the package total.
Leave any allowance at zero if the offer does not include it.
0% across the GCC today — field kept for allowance deductions or future change.
A projection, not a history — used only to estimate the gratuity below.
Gratuity rules verified — official sources
Monthly Living Costs —
Paid as a lump sum at iqama issuance/renewal (3/6/9/12-month blocks), not a smooth monthly deduction — size it into your arrival float. 90-day grace period before the levy starts on a newly arrived dependent. Sector and company-size exemptions exist for related expat fees — check whether yours applies. Rate is the SAR 400/dependent baseline in force since July 2020, under periodic government review.
One-off Relocation Costs optional — includes school entry fees
Furniture and shipping allowances are increasingly senior-level only. These offset the costs above, not your monthly gross.
Assumes a direct hire — agency or umbrella contracts can change gratuity and benefits. Refine
Only changes the gratuity estimate for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, where the law reduces the award for early resignation.
Second opinion on this package
Reads the figures above and tells you what stands out — whether the housing allowance looks light for the city, whether school fees are eating too much of gross, and what to ask for in negotiation. This is the one feature that sends data off your device: the summary numbers on screen go to our review service. Nothing is stored, and the calculator works fully without it.
Scenarios compare offers side by side, like your spreadsheet columns
Questions people ask before moving to the Gulf
Is salary really tax free in the GCC?
None of the six GCC states levies personal income tax on employment income, so locally your gross is usually your net. That does not settle your position at home: tax residency rules in your home country may still apply, particularly in the year you leave, so check before assuming the whole difference is yours to keep.
What does a package usually include besides basic pay?
Typically a housing allowance, a transport or car allowance, annual flights home, medical insurance, and for families an education allowance towards school fees — though the mix varies a lot by country, employer and seniority; some packages fold it all into a higher basic instead. These are worth more than they look, because housing and schooling are the two largest expat costs — so compare offers on the total package, not on basic salary.
How much do international school fees take?
Fees vary widely by curriculum and school, not just city — a nationality-curriculum school can cost a fraction of a British or American one. At the pricier end, fees commonly run from roughly 40,000 to 70,000 riyals or dirhams per child per year in the main cities, plus one-off application, assessment and deposit fees. For two children that can absorb a fifth of gross pay, which is why an education allowance is usually the highest-value thing to negotiate. Enter fees per child and any allowance above, and the calculator shows the net cost.
Why do I need a large amount of cash on arrival?
Not always — it depends on your country and role. Where it applies: annual rent is often payable up front in one to four cheques, school deposits fall due before term starts, and your first salary can be four to six weeks away while your residence permit is processed. Senior packages more often cover this with a relocation allowance or paid flights and temporary housing, so check what yours includes first. In Saudi Arabia, the dependent levy is also billed as a lump sum at iqama issuance or renewal rather than spread monthly — factor it in if it applies to you. Use the one-off relocation costs section to size the float you need, and the break-even line to see how quickly you recover it.
Which costs do people most often forget?
Flights home for the whole family, a car (public transport is limited in most Gulf cities), medical and dental costs not covered by the employer policy, and the commitments that keep running at home — mortgage, council tax, credit cards. The last group is the reason two people on identical salaries can end up in completely different positions.
Does this calculator store my salary?
No. Figures are calculated in your browser and saved only to that browser's local storage, so they are still there when you come back. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose the optional package review. See the privacy notice.
What is the first month actually like?
Residence-permit queues, medical checks, a driving-licence deadline that catches almost everyone, and possibly a family visa run — read The first 90 days in Doha for the full first-hand account.