How do you work out how many work hours something costs?

You divide your take-home pay per month by the number of hours you work per month to get your hourly value. Then you divide the price of the product by that hourly value to see how many hours of your work the purchase costs.

Why see purchases as 'work hours' instead of dirhams?

Turning the price into work hours makes the real cost more concrete — thinking about an amount in dirhams is not the same as thinking about 'a whole day at work'. This way of looking at spending comes from the book Your Money or Your Life.

Should I use gross or net pay?

Use your net pay. In the UAE there is no income tax, so for an expatriate this is close to your gross salary; a UAE national also has the GPSSA pension contribution deducted.

Free Calculator

How Many Work Hours Does a Product Cost?

Turn the price of any product into hours of your work, based on your salary. Another way to look at your spending, in dirhams.

Your Details

Net Pay per MonthAED 12,000

AED

Price of the ProductAED 3,000

AED

Hours Worked per Month200h

A full-time week in the UAE is up to 48 hours under the Labour Law (often 8–9 hours over 5–6 days), around 200 hours a month. Ramadan hours are reduced. Adjust to your real schedule.

The Real Cost

Work Hours Needed

50h

≈ 7 days of work (8h day)

💬 In Plain Words

Every hour you work is worth AED 60.00. To buy something that costs AED 3,000 you have to work 50 hours — the equivalent of 7 days of your time.

Value of Your HourAED 60.00

Hours Needed50h

Work Days7

Estimate based on your net pay and hours worked. Does not account for overtime, bonuses or irregular income.

Examples: How Many Hours Do Common Products Cost?

With net pay of AED 12,000 and 200 hours a month (hourly value of AED 60.00), a few common products work out to this many work hours:

Product	Price	Work Hours
Mid-range smartphone	AED 2,300	39h
Games console	AED 1,900	32h
Laptop	AED 4,500	75h
Weekend trip (flight + hotel)	AED 3,000	50h

The prices in the table are examples only — change the price of the product above to the real value you want to compare.

Where Does This Idea Come From?

The idea of converting spending into life hours comes from the book Your Money or Your Life (Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez), which suggests looking at every purchase not in money but in the hours of your life it took to earn that money.

Applying that mindset before a big purchase — instead of just looking at the price — helps you decide whether something is really worth that time of your life.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you work out how many work hours something costs?: You divide your take-home pay per month by the number of hours you work per month to get your hourly value. Then you divide the price of the product by that hourly value to see how many hours of your work the purchase costs.
Why see purchases as 'work hours' instead of dirhams?: Turning the price into work hours makes the real cost more concrete — thinking about an amount in dirhams is not the same as thinking about 'a whole day at work'. This way of looking at spending comes from the book Your Money or Your Life.
Should I use gross or net pay?: Use your net pay. In the UAE there is no income tax, so for an expatriate this is close to your gross salary; a UAE national also has the GPSSA pension contribution deducted.