Like I said earlier, ‘depending on the lifestyle of the person and his family’, it is possible to live a decent life in 12k. If his lifestyle is luxurious, of course 12k might not even be enough for a single person, let alone one with 2 kids. But point is, there are options. You can get a luxury 2 bed in Sharjah or Ajman for the price of a studio in Dubai. It is possible to save, again, dependent on your lifestyle. You are painting a bleak picture, based on actions of irresponsible folks, who tend to borrow heavily, and ruin their lives. That is not the norm though.