Skip to content
worldsalaries .com

Average Visual Basic Developer Salary in United Arab Emirates for 2026

A visual basic developer in United Arab Emirates earns about 183,600 AED a year. That's 22% below the national average of 233,900 AED.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Arab Emirates sit around 97,760 AED a year, while the very top stretches to 277,400 AED. Everything on this page is in United Arab Emirates dirham (AED, symbol د.إ), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Arab Emirates, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a visual basic developer make in United Arab Emirates?

Average salary
183,600 AED
15,300 AED per month
Lowest reported
97,760 AED
8,146 AED per month
Highest reported
277,400 AED
23,116 AED per month

A typical visual basic developer working in United Arab Emirates brings home around 15,300 AED a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 97,760 AED, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 277,400 AED for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior visual basic developer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How visual basic developer pay ranges in United Arab Emirates

A good way to think about salary in United Arab Emirates is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates earn less than 172,200 AED a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 119,900 AED (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 209,500 AED (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of visual basic developers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 97,760 AED. The highest stretch to 277,400 AED, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

97,760
Low
172,200
Median
277,400
High
119,900
25th
209,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in AED

Visual basic developer pay by experience in United Arab Emirates

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a visual basic developer in United Arab Emirates, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical visual basic developer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    112,280 AED
  • 2-5 Years
    +22% from previous
    137,400 AED
  • 5-10 Years
    +42% from previous
    194,600 AED
  • 10-15 Years
    +17% from previous
    228,500 AED
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    251,500 AED
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    263,900 AED

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a visual basic developer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Visual basic developer pay by education in United Arab Emirates

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving visual basic developer pay in United Arab Emirates. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average visual basic developer salary in United Arab Emirates broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    137,400 AED
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +29% from previous
    176,800 AED
  • Master's Degree
    +43% from previous
    252,300 AED

Visual basic developer gender pay gap in United Arab Emirates

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Arab Emirates is no exception. Male visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates earn an average of 189,300 AED a year, while female visual basic developers earn around 174,000 AED. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Visual Basic Developer gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Arab Emirates.

Men 189,300 AED
Women 174,000 AED

Pay raises for a visual basic developer in United Arab Emirates

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Arab Emirates sees a raise of about 10% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Arab Emirates, the national average raise is around 8% every 17 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Arab Emirates:

  • Banking
    2%
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
    1%
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Visual basic developer bonus rates in United Arab Emirates

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

52%

52% of visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a visual basic developer a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 48% of visual basic developers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Arab Emirates

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Visual basic developer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Arab Emirates is about 5% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

5%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Arab Emirates on average.

Public sector 239,300 AED
Private sector 228,500 AED

Visual basic developer salary by city in United Arab Emirates

Visual basic developer pay is not even across United Arab Emirates. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Dubai
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Sharjah
  • Ras Al Khaimah
  • Ajman
  • Al Ain
  • Um Al Quiwain
  • Fujairah
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
DubaiCity197,600 AED197,600 AED97,880-307,400 AED
Abu DhabiCity196,800 AED197,600 AED94,380-305,600 AED
SharjahCity181,600 AED195,200 AED84,040-290,800 AED
Ras Al KhaimahCity174,000 AED167,100 AED91,580-267,100 AED
AjmanCity172,200 AED159,500 AED94,900-263,100 AED
Al AinCity172,200 AED176,800 AED80,520-267,100 AED
Um Al QuiwainCity159,500 AED152,100 AED84,740-245,300 AED
FujairahCity159,100 AED168,100 AED73,760-251,500 AED


Visual Basic Developer in United Arab Emirates: FAQs

  • How much does a visual basic developer make per month in United Arab Emirates?

    A visual basic developer in United Arab Emirates earns about 15,300 AED a month before tax, based on an annual average of 183,600 AED.

  • What's the salary range for a visual basic developer in United Arab Emirates?

    Entry-level visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates start near 97,760 AED. Top-end pay reaches around 277,400 AED. The middle 50% of earners sit between 119,900 and 209,500 AED.

  • Is the median visual basic developer salary in United Arab Emirates higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 172,200 AED, lower than the average of 183,600 AED. Half of visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates?

    Men working as a visual basic developer in United Arab Emirates earn around 9% more than women on average (189,300 vs 174,000 AED a year).

  • Do visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates get bonuses?

    About 52% of visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

  • Do visual basic developers earn more in the public or private sector in United Arab Emirates?

    In United Arab Emirates, the public sector pays a visual basic developer about 5% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do visual basic developers in United Arab Emirates get a pay raise?

    A visual basic developer in United Arab Emirates sees a raise of around 10% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.