Top 15 Pros and Cons of Living in Dubai 2024

Dubai is a dream destination for expats and professionals from all over the world. And I am pretty sure that even you have dreamt of working and living in Dubai.

The Dubai city is not only known for its massive shopping malls and exotic infrastructure but is also rich in heritage. It has preserved heritage for millions of years and it attracts the people who prefer to live in historically significant places rather than the ones that are freshly built.

However, the best thing about Dubai is that it didn’t let itself end up merely as a historical place to be visited if you love to witness heritage! Rather, it improved itself and now it is one of the best and most sought-after places to live in. It doesn’t only provides the best residential areas but also opens the chances of making your life more entertaining.

If you are thinking of moving to Dubai permanently, you definitely need to know the pros and cons of living in Dubai!

Top 15 Pros of Living in Dubai

The following are the top advantages of living in Dubai.

1. Religious Independence

Dubai is basically a Muslim city but people belonging to all religions live and practice their religion freely! You can witness a number of mosques, churches and temples in Dubai. However, during Ramadan it is a bit tough for Non-Muslims to find places to eat during fasting times.

2. Accommodation in Dubai

Buying a house is a little difficult as it requires you to be filthy rich. However, living in apartments is cost effective as well as really fun and with short-term leases you can relocate whenever you want to. Serviced apartments are available everywhere in the city. They are mostly newly built and almost all come furnished and are serviced as part of the rent.

3. Business Opportunities for Entrepreneurs and Professionals

Dubai has an economy that is vastly spreading. Once you start a business and it gets successful, you will be able to earn loads of money through it. As being the business hub of the world there exists a never-ending list of services, goods and expertise needed in Dubai and the UAE.

4. Tax Free Country

If you have a job and live in Dubai, you won’t have to pay any kind of tax on the salary that you receive. That means you won’t have to deal with the nightmare of tax deducted at the source. You can check out the highest paying Jobs in Dubai and compare them with your countries.

5. Multi-Cultural Society

People from different cultural backgrounds live here. If you are a social person, you will get to know various things about various cultures and it will enhance your knowledge manifolds. People are generally very friendly and eager to make new friends and, since it’s an international city, expats will have the opportunity to make friends from all over the world.

6. Dubai is a Fun City

You can never get boredom while living in Dubai as there are more activities, events, services and facilities than you could get around to enjoy in one lifetime. There is always something new to do, try, taste, see, encounter or experience in Dubai. Weekends are the most fun part of living in Dubai. When you live there, you get a number of places to visit to spend your weekends.

7. Luxurious Lifestyle

The quality, luxuriousness, and attention to detail in Dubai make it a comfortable place to live, work and explore. It will color your view of the world too, and when you travel or go back home you will be constantly comparing everything from shoddy service to tatty hotel rooms with what you can get in Dubai.

8. More Liberal than Other Middle-East Countries

Unlike many other cities in the Middle East, Dubai is quite open-minded when it comes to smoking or drinking. As Dubai’s population is consists of more than 70% expats, clubbing, dating, beach parties and open relationships are very common among the expats unlike other countries in the region. Also, you won’t have to deal with the issue of censored TV viewing, unlike other middle-eastern countries. You will be able to watch uncensored TV shows. However, there are still plenty of rules as well you should keep in mind while traveling to Dubai or living in Dubai. Like no revealing clothes, no kissing and touching at public places, going topless on beaches prohibited, un-marital sex, etc.

9. Public Transportation

Public transport is readily available in Dubai all the time and you do not have to pay much for them. Dubai Metro is a nice, clean, affordable way to move around the city. There is a system of feeder buses offered at most of the major stations. Taxis are cheap and plentiful. For air travel, once expats have their residence visa, they can get an e-Passes which expedites clearing customs.

10. Plenty of Outdoor Activities

If you are someone who loves to soak the sunlight, you will get it in maximum amount while living in Dubai. The climate in Dubai remains hot almost the whole year. It allows expats to enjoy outdoor activities for the majority of the year. And even when it’s too hot to do much more than sitting about, you can have plenty of fun at night time. Nightlife in Dubai is lively but doesn’t start until after 9:00 pm and goes on till late at night. Big-name entertainment and parties are advertised all the time. Also, check out our top 10 list of best nightclubs in Dubai. I am pretty sure that you may never find more vibrant nightlife anywhere else in the whole region.

11. Best Place to Raise the Kids

Dubai is one of the best places in the world to raise kids, especially if you are talking about early learning for your child. Though school fees are on the high side, the quality of education the kids are getting is much better than back home. Due to a multi-cultural society, Kids are more culturally aware. You don’t have to worry about kids safety as Dubai is one of the safest city in the world. With high salaries of parents and tax-free benefits, it is comparatively easy for the parents to provide the best environment for the kids.

12. Central Point of the World

The geographical location makes Dubai the central point for the travelers from all over the world. With the help of some most famous airlines, Dubai International Airport is being one of the most busiest airport in the world for many years now. Offering flights, connecting flights and layovers from all over the world. Also, As Dubai is located at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe that means you can fly to or from your homeland easily and without fearing of having long flights.

13. Safest City in the World

Dubai claimed the 7th position among the safest cities in the world in 2023. Due to the strict laws imposed by the UAE government and the almost the perfect justice system, all the major cities are among the safest cities in the world index. You can imagine that a single woman or a child can walk on the Dubai street safely even in the middle of night without any fear or worries.

14. The Warm Climate

Though the temprature rise upto 50 degrees celcius in the month of June and July but for some people who love dry and sunny days Dubai is the perfect place for them. Air conditions are installed every where in Dubai, so the extreme heat cannot bother you once you are inside or traveling in any type of transport. Common myth is that Dubai remains very hot all around the year but its not true. Weather conditions from the month of October to March are really mild means the weather is perfect not much heat and not cold at all.

15. There is Never a Dull Moment in Dubai

Dubai is not a big city or the history is not that rich but still Dubai offers so much that you will never get bored in the most exciting city in the world. Here in Dubai you can enjoy the things from Desert Safari to Ice skating, From full day at Water park to crazy ride in a hot air Balloon. From amazing 7star hotel breakfast to a romantic dhow cruise dinner.

That means there is never a dull moment in Dubai and there is always something for everyone of every age.

Top 15 Cons of Living in Dubai

Here is the top fifteen disadvantages of living in Dubai.

1. Difficult to Understand Addresses and Roads

Learning address is quite difficult and no matter how much you try, the letters won’t reach your house no matter how important they are. If you are new in Dubai, driving a car might be a huge issue for you because the roads are built in quite a weird way. It requires a lot of time to get used to the road infrastructure of Dubai.

2. Internet Censorship

While surfing the internet, there is a possibility that you won’t be able to browse many websites as they would be banned in Dubai due to offensive material.

3. Very Warm Climate

Living in Dubai is like living in hell in terms of the weather. The city is really hot and that too round the year. In the summertime, the temperature can reach as high as 54 Celsius and remain around 45-50 Celsius most of the year. Except from November to March, it is far too hot to walk in Dubai.

4. Filthy and Dirty Public Toilets

At one side, the luxurious hotels provide the best toilets in the world and at the same time, the public toilets available to a common man are extremely filthy and dirty. Recently authorities have started to make the situation better at public toilets but still need a lot of work to be done.

5. Expensive City

Dubai is considered to be one of the most expensive cities in the world and if you are financially week, surviving here won’t be easy for you. Your attractive tax-free salary can quickly be eaten up by rent, luxury goods, school fees and too much socializing if you are not careful. Too many expats get wiped out by Dubai and leave after their assignment with little more than memories.

6. Driving Can Be Stressful and Hazardous

Driving in Dubai is not an easy task because of the abundance of traffic cameras and even if you commit a minor mistake you might end up paying a lot of fines. Despite all this, it is driving hell for most of the drivers. If you pick up any newspaper or surf news on internet you will hear about plenty of accidents on Dubai roads. And with high traffic volume driving can be as stressful as hazardous.

7. Unchallenged Laws

If you have the wrong passport or you are the wrong sex in the wrong place at the wrong time, you may experience hardship and unfair treatment. This reality is generally not talked about, and certainly not challenged – and for some it is unpalatable.

8. Dealing with Real Estates and Landlords can be Tricky

Rents on apartments must be paid in full and up-front. Some companies will cover this for their employees and then deduct amounts monthly from their wages. Real estates can be difficult to work with. It’s better to find a place by word-of-mouth and then go directly to the property or engage a real estate to handle matters thereafter. An agent is required to complete a rental agreement.

9. Red Tape Bureaucracy

Red tape and ever-changing business laws make it difficult for anyone. It takes quite a lot of time to get your legal work done in Dubai. The legal processes are really long and nerve-wracking. It will be important to have a sympathetic and informed employer, as well as expat and local friends who can help you make sense of the red tape you have to unravel.

10. Difficult to find Job in Dubai

Due to large number of expats and very high competition finding a job in Dubai is difficult. The offices are always packed and you do not get to find any vacancy for years. Dubai is usually known for high salaries and high living standards that’s how many expats from all over the world came in Dubai to make their fortune. We have written a guide of the top 10 most in-demand jobs in Dubai. It might help you while searching for a job in the city.

11. No Citizenship

Like all other Middle-eastern Arab countries, UAE also not offers citizenship to any residents. It doesn’t matter that how long a resident is living in Dubai or how much he/she has invested in the business. Means that every expat has to leave Dubai once they get retired or lose their job.

Imagine the situation where a child born and raised in Dubai but he/she doesn’t have the nationality of any country in the world. As they can never become the citizen of the country where they are borned and raised and also they are not the citizen of their parents country as they are not born there.

12. Tax Implementation

Dubai is a dream destination for professionals from all over the world. The main attraction is high salaries and the tax-free income. However, Dubai is now planning to gradually implement a few taxes such as they have implemented 5% VAT recently and also has inroduced 9% corporate tax to all businesses working in Dubai.

Though the tax rates are very low compare to global standards but many thinks that there would be many other taxes in the future or the tax rates will increase as well.

13. Needed Permits for Almost Everything

The major disadvantage of living in Dubai is that you have to deal with many permits for every day tasks like driving a car, working or even buying an alcohol. To live in Dubai you need an Emirates ID that is an official ID that every resident must have it. The ID has resident’s biometric and personal information and it will be used for all kind of dealings with the government departments.

Every resident must have complete information of all these permits before moving to Dubai.

14. Cultural Shock and Local Laws

Expats living in Dubai may experience cultural shock especially if they belongs to the western world. As UAE is an islamic state that means all the laws reflects the traditional laws that can be very different for the expats from western world. Although Dubai is very liberal compare to other islamic countries in the region but still you have to follow the local laws. For example, you are not allowed to drink alcohol in streets or you need to think twice before PDA. You can hold your partners hand or hug in the public places but kissing should be avoided at all cost. Also, you should follow the strict dress code both for men and women.

15. Premarital Relationships

Although there are many unmarried couples living together in Dubai without any problem. But you need to keep in mind that there can be many legal complications especially if any issue arise. So it highly advisable not to reveal your relationship publicly.