As traffic grows, residents pay higher rents to live closer to office

For Thamjid Mohamed Sidhik, long commutes and the struggle to maintain a work-life balance were becoming increasingly challenging. To find more time for himself and his family and to avoid traffic stress, he relocated and moved closer to his workplace.

- Waheed Abbas [e-mail]

Sharjah resident Sidhik moved to Al Warqa to reduce his commute time; however, he had to pay a substantial amount in terms of rent.

“It used to take one hour in the morning to go to work and an hour and 15 minutes while returning. However, it now takes only 20 minutes in the morning and around 30 minutes in the evening on the way back from the office to home. It came at a huge cost as my rent more than doubled from Dh42,000 to Dh90,000. Although financial pressure mounts, I was counting on time to focus on my health and family. So I had to relocate,” he told Khaleej Times in an interview.

Recruitment and real estate industry executives in the UAE said many residents and employees are making a decision similar to Sidhik’s to relocate closer to the workplace, aiming to improve their work-life balance due to a surge in traffic.

Congestion on the UAE roads has increased substantially as residents returned to the country from a two-month-long summer break ahead of school reopening.