Benefits and challenges for living in Dubai

POSITIVES

Safety and education

UAE provides high safety standards, which is especially important for families with children. Also, there is a variety of education options and its overall a good quality. One may choose from many schools with different curriculums. UAE school students enter prestigious universities in the world. The government pays especial attention to the quality of education in order to increase the competitiveness of the country.

Low tax environment

The absence of personal income taxes and low corporate income tax is an incentive to relocate from countries with a large tax burden. It is possible that in the future the tax burden will increase (for example, a profit tax has been introduced), but in the medium term it will remain lower than the global average in order to ensure that UAE remains attractive for capital and skilled high-paid workers.

It should be noted that there are many government fees and fees of monopolies affecting a household life and businesses. Many household services are expensive (e.g. internet, mobile). However, the impact of these changes is not significant relative to median incomes if compared to many other countries.

High incomes

The country’s economy provides good compensation levels for skilled employers. There are also good entrepreneurial opportunities.

Multicultural environment

A multicultural environment allows to feel comfortable and is especially useful for children. One can choose the area to live in which provides an optimal set of benefits.

Ease of doing business

The country is ranked 16in the WB ranking of ease of doing business among 190 countries, outranking key European economies (e.g. Germany, France). However, it should be noted that considerable initial investments are often needed to start business given high fees related to registration and costs of operating infrastructure.

CHALLENGES

Climate

UAE climate and ecology are not very favourable in the summer period. These facts are partially compensated by the good infrastructure and a presence of many spaces for leisure without the need for people to exhibiting themselves to the hot temperatures, but the climate will continue to be a challenge for the country.

From late September to early May, the climate is quite comfortable for most people. Many people buy real estate in the UAE as an opportunity to use it during favourable season period for themselves, while renting it out during the rest of the year.

Naturalisation

One of the main disadvantages of UAE is a low probability to become a country citizen nor to get a permanent residence which introduces some instability for families. However, in order to maintain the competitiveness of the economy, it is possible that the Government may introduce further visa liberalisation for a number of migrants (qualified personnel, investors). Golden visa has already been introduced.

Lack of history and cultural vibe

Some residents miss history, and a cultural life compared to European cities. UAE government is steadily addressing this by urging projects to increase cultural infrastructure. This can also be offset by other benefits determining a good quality of life and Dubai's position as the largest transport hub in the region with easy access to the world’s majority destinations.