A person working as an Interior Designer in Dubai typically earns around 20,700 AED per month. Salaries range from 9,730 AED (lowest) to 32,700 AED (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Interior Designer salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Interior Designer salaries in Dubai range from 9,730 AED per month (minimum salary) to 32,700 AED per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 21,900 AED per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Interior Designer(s) are earning less than 21,900 AED while the other half are earning more than 21,900 AED. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Interior Designer(s) are earning less than 14,300 AED while 75% of them are earning more than 14,300 AED. Also from the diagram, 75% of Interior Designer(s) are earning less than 29,000 AED while 25% are earning more than 29,000 AED.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Interior Designer salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
An Interior Designer with less than two years of experience makes approximately 11,200 AED per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 15,500 AED per month, 38% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 22,000 AED per month, 42% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Interior Designer(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 26,900 AED per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 28,300 AED per month, 6% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 30,900 AED per month, 9% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 11,200 AED | |
2 - 5 Years | +38% | 15,500 AED |
5 - 10 Years | +42% | 22,000 AED |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 26,900 AED |
15 - 20 Years | +6% | 28,300 AED |
20+ Years | +9% | 30,900 AED |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Interior Designer salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of an Interior Designer is 13,900 AED per month.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 16,200 AED per month, 17% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 23,500 AED per month, 45% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
Professionals who hold a Master's Degree are rewarded with an average salary of 30,900 AED per month, 31% more than someone with Bachelor's Degree.
High School | 13,900 AED | |
Certificate or Diploma | +17% | 16,200 AED |
Bachelor's Degree | +45% | 23,500 AED |
Master's Degree | +31% | 30,900 AED |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in United Arab Emirates costs anywhere from 97,900 UAE Dirham(s) to 294,000 UAE Dirham(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Interior Designer employees in United Arab Emirates earn 5% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 19,200 AED | |
Female | -5% | 18,300 AED |
Interior Designer(s) in United Arab Emirates are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 2% | |
Energy | 4% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 8% | |
Travel | 1% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 5% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in United Arab Emirates for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
An Interior Designer is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
45% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 55% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 55% | |
No Bonus | 45% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Interior Designer is 4% more than that of Architecture. Also, Architecture salaries are 7% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Architect | 26,000 AED | ![]() |
Architectural Designer | 25,400 AED | ![]() |
Architectural Drafter | 10,400 AED | ![]() |
Architectural Manager | 38,600 AED | ![]() |
Architectural Technician | 13,900 AED | ![]() |
Architecture Consultant | 38,400 AED | ![]() |
Architecture Estimating Manager | 29,700 AED | ![]() |
Architecture Specifications Writer | 9,540 AED | ![]() |
Assistant Architectural Manager | 36,300 AED | ![]() |
CAD Drafter | 10,600 AED | ![]() |
CAD Manager | 25,100 AED | ![]() |
Design and Decoration Assistant | 10,900 AED | ![]() |
Design Manager | 37,100 AED | ![]() |
Drafting Supervisor | 18,300 AED | ![]() |
Facilities and Project Manager | 37,400 AED | ![]() |
Facility Planner | 20,500 AED | ![]() |
Interior Design Assistant | 8,970 AED | ![]() |
Interior Designer | 20,700 AED | ![]() |
Kitchen Designer | 13,100 AED | ![]() |
Landscape Architect | 30,800 AED | ![]() |
Landscape Artist | 16,500 AED | ![]() |
Landscaper | 14,600 AED | ![]() |
Mapping Technician | 8,970 AED | ![]() |
Mechanical Drafter | 12,400 AED | ![]() |
Photogrammetrist | 10,600 AED | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Abu Dhabi | 20,100 AED |
Ajman | 18,200 AED |
Al Ain | 18,900 AED |
Dubai | 20,700 AED |
Fujairah | 17,200 AED |
Ras Al Khaimah | 17,500 AED |
Sharjah | 19,300 AED |
Um Al Quiwain | 16,400 AED |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in United Arab Emirates earn 6% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 18,900 AED | |
Public Sector | +6% | 20,100 AED |