UAE Startup Cost & Runway Planner
Not just setup cost — the real total you need to survive as a startup, combining setup, business burn, and personal living costs.
Your Numbers
Jurisdiction
Office / Workspace
Visas Needed (Year 1)
Your Runway Plan
Enter your numbers and click Calculate to see your full runway breakdown here.
Why Founders Underestimate How Much They Actually Need
Most first-time founders budget carefully for licensing and setup, then treat monthly costs as an afterthought — or forget to budget for their own living costs entirely, assuming revenue will arrive faster than it typically does. This tool exists specifically to surface the real total, setup plus monthly burn multiplied by your actual runway target, rather than the partial picture a setup-cost-only calculator gives you.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cost Calculator figures out your one-time business setup cost (license, visa, office deposit). This tool goes further — it adds your ongoing monthly business and personal living costs, multiplied by however many months of runway you want to plan for, to answer "how much total capital do I actually need to survive as a startup," not just "what does day one cost."
Office rent, utilities, ongoing admin/PRO fees, marketing, software subscriptions, and any recurring business expense — everything that keeps the business running month to month, separate from your own personal living costs.
Because founders often budget for the business but forget they still need to personally survive while the business isn't yet profitable — rent, food, transport, school fees if relocating with family. Runway planning that only covers the business and not the founder's own life is a common, costly oversight.
There's no universal answer, but 12-18 months is commonly cited as a reasonable minimum for a new UAE business to reach meaningful revenue, since licensing, hiring, and building a client base all take genuine time. Riskier or slower-revenue business models often warrant planning for 18-24 months instead.
No. This is a straightforward calculation engine applying real arithmetic to the numbers you enter — not a live AI/LLM model, and not a prediction of your actual future costs, which depend entirely on decisions you haven't made yet.
Yes — once you've entered your numbers, click "Download PDF" to save your full runway breakdown.
Related Tools & Guides
Ready to commit to the plan?
Find setup consultants who can turn this budget into a licensed company.