Short answer
A full-time developer in Dubai costs much more than the salary. You pay for the work permit and residence visa (official fees start at a few hundred dirhams and indicative totals run to about AED 1,300 to 5,700), mandatory health insurance, 30 days' paid leave, end-of-service gratuity of 21 days' basic salary per year for the first five years, and a desk. A freelancer carries none of those costs. Hire full-time when you have a steady, full-time workload; use a freelancer for projects and part-time work.
I'm a freelance full stack developer based in Dubai, and I get this question from UAE business owners a lot: "Should I just hire someone?" Sometimes the honest answer is yes. But the decision usually gets made on salary alone, and in the UAE the salary is only the start.
Here's what a full-time hire actually costs under UAE rules in 2026, with the official sources, and how I'd decide.
What does a web developer earn in Dubai?
Salary data in the UAE is patchy, so treat these as ranges, not price tags:
- Glassdoor puts web developer base pay in Dubai at AED 4,000 to 9,000 a month, with an average of AED 6,000 (Glassdoor). Its listed range at one larger employer, Dubizzle, is AED 10,000 to 16,000 a month.
- Indeed shows an average of AED 3,687 a month from UAE job postings, with a typical range of AED 1,357 to 10,017 (Indeed UAE).
Those averages include a lot of junior roles. A senior developer who can design, build, optimise and handle SEO typically sits at the top of these ranges or above them. And remember that UAE packages are usually split into basic salary plus allowances, and that split matters for gratuity (more below).
What visa and Emirates ID costs does the employer pay?
For a mainland company, the employer sponsors the employee's work permit and residence visa. The fees are set by several authorities:
| Item | Official fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| MOHRE work permit application | AED 50 | MOHRE |
| MOHRE two-year work permit | AED 250, 1,200 or 3,450, depending on the company's category | MOHRE, u.ae |
| GDRFA Dubai work entry visa | AED 200 + 5% VAT (plus AED 520 if the person is already in the UAE) | GDRFA Dubai |
On top of that come the medical fitness test, the Emirates ID and the residence permit itself. One guide that adds up the published MOHRE, GDRFA, ICP and DHA fees puts the typical employer total at roughly AED 1,300 to 5,700 before health insurance (HenryClub). Your company's MOHRE category, the medical turnaround you pick and typing-centre charges all move the number. Free zone companies have their own fee schedules.
Under UAE law, the employer pays these recruitment and visa costs and can't pass them on to the employee (DMCC Help Centre). The work permit is for two years, so you'll pay renewal fees again.
Is health insurance mandatory for employees in the UAE?
Yes. Health insurance has been mandatory for private sector employees in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for years. Since 1 January 2025 it's mandatory across all seven emirates, and employers must buy it before a residence permit can be issued or renewed (u.ae).
For the northern emirates, MOHRE's basic package costs AED 320 a year (MOHRE). In Dubai, the cost depends on the plan you choose, and most companies hiring a senior developer offer better cover than the legal minimum to compete.
What is end-of-service gratuity, and how much will it cost?
This is the cost people forget. Under UAE labour law, an employee who completes at least one year of continuous service is entitled to gratuity of 21 days' basic salary for each of the first five years, and 30 days' basic salary for each year after that, capped at two years' wages (u.ae).
It's calculated on the last basic salary, not allowances such as housing or transport.
As an illustration, if a developer's basic salary is AED 6,000 a month, one year's gratuity works out at about AED 4,140 (AED 6,000 × 12 ÷ 365 × 21). After three years, that's around AED 12,400 owed when they leave. It's a real liability, so it's worth setting aside every month.
How much annual leave and flights do you have to give?
Leave. Employees get at least 30 days' paid annual leave a year after their first year, and two days a month between six months and a year (u.ae). Public holidays are paid on top. That's six weeks of salary where no work gets done for you.
Flights. The UAE Labour Law doesn't require an annual flight home unless it's in the employment contract (The National). In practice, many packages for experienced hires include one, so budget for it if you want to compete. The employer generally does bear the repatriation cost at the end of employment, unless the employee moves to another UAE employer (DMCC Help Centre).
What about a desk or office?
If you don't already have space, you'll need a desk. As one example, a dedicated coworking desk in Downtown Dubai is AED 1,500 a month at Oh My Desk, which also quotes WeWork dedicated desks at AED 1,800 to 2,500 (Oh My Desk). That's AED 18,000 a year for one seat, before the laptop, screen and software licences.
What does it add up to?
| Cost | Full-time employee | Freelancer |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | Every month, whether there's work or not | Only for the work agreed |
| Work permit, visa, Emirates ID | Roughly AED 1,300 to 5,700, renewed every two years | None |
| Health insurance | Mandatory, from AED 320 a year (basic, northern emirates) | None |
| Gratuity | 21 days' basic salary per year for the first five years | None |
| Annual leave | 30 days paid, plus public holidays | None |
| Desk and equipment | From around AED 1,500 a month for a coworking desk | None |
| Recruiting and notice periods | Weeks of searching, then notice periods | Start when the scope is agreed |
I'm not going to give you a single "total" because salary, basic-to-allowance split, insurance plan and visa category vary so much. Put your own numbers into this table and you'll have the real figure.
When does a full-time hire make sense?
I'd hire full-time if:
- There's a full-time workload, every week, for at least the next year or two. Think of a product company or an ecommerce brand constantly shipping new pages and features.
- The work needs daily, in-person collaboration with your team, or access to sensitive internal systems.
- You want to build a tech team and have someone who can manage and review developers.
In that case, a good employee is worth the overhead. Some of my UAE clients have in-house staff and bring me in for rebuilds or specialist work.
When is a freelancer the better fit?
- A defined project: a new website, a redesign, a Shopify store or a migration. If you're choosing a platform, read Shopify vs WooCommerce.
- Part-time, ongoing work: updates, security, speed and fixes. See what website maintenance costs.
- Specialist skills: technical SEO, CRM integrations or performance work.
- You're testing the workload before committing to a visa, insurance and a two-year permit.
With me, you're getting senior-quality work without the overhead: 7+ years of building and fixing websites, and no visa, insurance, gratuity or desk to pay for. I work with UAE businesses and with clients in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Europe, so I'm used to clear, fixed scopes and agreed timelines.
For example, JPI Group runs three sites: jpirealty.com, jpi-services.com and jpigroup.ae. None of them were well optimised in design or development, so I redesigned all three, optimised them, made them SEO-friendly and made them easy for AI agent browsers to work with, and wrote custom code in WordPress instead of relying on plugins for everything. Being local matters too. With Desert Field, a construction company that didn't know much about websites, I first explained why a website was worth having, then went to their office, asked the staff for their construction file records, pulled the information out of them, and photographed their completed and under-construction projects myself.
If you'd like the same comparison for US and UK hiring, I've covered it in freelance web developer vs in-house hire: the real cost in 2026.
How should a UAE business decide?
- List the development work you actually need over the next 12 months.
- Price a full-time hire using the table above, including gratuity and leave.
- Get a fixed quote for the same work from a freelancer.
If the work fills a full-time role, hire. If it doesn't, you're sponsoring a visa for empty hours.
If you want an honest view, tell me what you need and I'll say whether I'd hire for it or do it as a project. You can also see my packages and my case studies.
FAQs
How much does a UAE employment visa cost the employer?
The MOHRE two-year work permit is AED 250, 1,200 or 3,450 depending on the company's category, plus a AED 50 application fee. With the entry visa, medical, Emirates ID and residence permit, indicative totals run from about AED 1,300 to 5,700 before health insurance.
Do I have to provide health insurance for employees in Dubai?
Yes. Health insurance is mandatory for private sector employees in Dubai, and since 1 January 2025 across all emirates. The employer must buy it before a residence permit can be issued or renewed.
How is end-of-service gratuity calculated in the UAE?
After at least one year of service, an employee gets 21 days' basic salary for each of the first five years and 30 days' basic salary for each year after that, capped at two years' wages. It's based on the last basic salary, not allowances.
Is an annual flight ticket mandatory in the UAE?
No. The Labour Law doesn't require an annual flight home unless it's in the employment contract, although many packages include one.
Do I need to sponsor a visa to hire a freelance developer?
No. A freelancer works under their own licence or visa and invoices you for the work, so you don't pay for a work permit, health insurance, gratuity or leave.
