It was only around 10 years ago that the first expatriates actually chose to take work assignments in Dubai without having to be lured there with the promise of ‘hardship money’ - and it is really only in the past five years that Dubai has been transformed into the sparkling metropolis where seemingly everyone dreams of living, working and owning real estate nowadays.
So what’s it really like living in Dubai – is it all glamorous parties and shopping at designer outlets, sunbathing on pristine beaches and making the most of a tax free salary?
Well, there are two sides to living in Dubai – the good side of life and the bad side of life.
On the Good Side of Life in Dubai
On the good side you have a fantastic climate where the sun shines and the temperatures are comfortable from October to June inclusive. You have the aforementioned pristine beaches which have white sandy shores and safe to swim in seas and where you can even join a beach cub and be waited on hand and foot. There is an amazing lack of crime other than some petty thievery in Dubai because the punishment for misdemeanours is so harsh and yes – you can enjoy a salary that is 100% free of taxation.
With that salary you can shop ‘til you drop in an abundance of tax free shops – you can buy designer clothes, gold and jewellery, electronic items, even cars or furniture. Petrol is also pretty much tax free making getting around cheap and the overall lifestyle that is enjoyed by the vast majority of people in Dubai is an incredibly good one.
On the Bad Side of Life in Dubai
It costs a small fortune to buy a house in Dubai and it costs almost as much to rent a house or apartment. In fact property prices in Dubai are so high that the government was recently forced to put a cap on the rate at which rental rates can increase annually as they faced a problem of pending homelessness as even those on good salaries were finding it nigh on impossible to get housing.
In a bid to move to areas where there is more affordable housing more people are commuting which has created gridlock on the roads and the driving in Dubai is frighteningly awful – people have no regard for road safety, they tailgate at 100 mph, overtake on blind corners, undertake on motorways and generally you take your life in your hands on the roads in Dubai.
Summer time temperatures regularly reach in excess of 40 degrees Celsius and humidity can top 80% making it uncomfortable for most and unbearable for some. When temperatures are soaring drains are stinking because Dubai has grown far faster than its infrastructure has been upgraded and roads are crumbling under the weight of excess traffic and drains cannot cope with the number of people now living in Dubai.
There is definitely a good side and a bad side to life in Dubai but most people find that the lifestyle, the location, the views, the sunny weather and the decent salaries outweigh any of the negative factors which is why Dubai has one of the fastest growing expatriate populations in the whole world.
