Jamal Robinson, who achieved his dream of retirement in 2024 and pays himself a whopping £138,000 a year, has revealed what he forks out to live in a “premium” area of Dubai “right off the beach”
A young retiree who pays himself a staggering £138,000 a year has revealed what he forks out to live in a “premium” area of Dubai “right off the beach”.
Jamal Robinson, who decided that he wanted to retire early when he was just a teenager, went from working as a church janitor to a position at Taco Bell for minimum wage, but would ultimately secure roles at Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon.
Jamal, who at the time of speaking was 40, achieved his dream of retirement in 2024. He’s now living as a US expat in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and has managed to save 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 a staggering figure of about £11,500 every month.
Jamal told CNBC Make It: “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 continued: “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 revealed 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 outgoings 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 Dubai is “actually much cheaper” for him than the majority of the major US cities in which he’s lived. Jamal added that the UAE city allows people to live the “kind of lifestyle” they want and accommodates “a lot” of price points.
A city synonymous with luxury, Dubai is also a popular holiday destination and global hub for leisure and business. Home to more than 200 nationalities, it also boasts the tallest building in the world, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa.
In addition, curious visitors can take advantage of its luxurious malls and traditional souks, and, in further evidence of its wealth, you may even spot the police driving supercars.
According to the Telegraph, it’s expensive to live in Dubai, and expats will have to pay for medical insurance. Despite this, there’s no income tax imposed on people, meaning you keep more of the cash you earn.
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.