Most Important Things you Need to Know Before Moving to Dubai

Living in Dubai is not that cheap, however, it’s also not as expensive as others might say, but all this depends on how you will live. Moreover, it depends on where you are coming from. If you are relocating from Africa, then you would feel the pinch more than someone moving from the United States or Europe. For a single person, earning an average of AED 15,000 (Approx. $4,000) would get you a very comfortable life. You can learn more by using The Dubai Nomad – Dubai cost of living calculator to see how much you would need based on your lifestyle.

Unfortunately not. The best UAE offers is a Golden Visa for 10 years. So if you are planning to stay in Dubai for years in the hope of receiving citizenship or their passport then please regroup and start research on another country.

Definitely. If you get a freelance visa, Golden visa, or any type of visa, you can sponsor your family to come with you.

This depends on what you like. We have Dubai Marina for those who want to live near a water body, Dubai Downtown for the fast life, and Deira for those looking to save on costs. There are more areas you can check out.

Most expats start by leasing a car. There are less upfront costs, offers great flexibility, and when you want to move to a new place, it’s easier to cancel or run out your lease than start looking for a buyer. Some of the companies you can check out when it comes to car leasing include: Hertz, Europcar, eZhire, Sixt, Al Tayer Motors, Thrifty Car Rental, among others.

Some nationalities can exchange their existing driver’s licenses for a UAE license without further testing. For those that cannot, one has to undergo the full driver’s license acquisition process of opening a traffic file at an authorized driving school, undergo theoretical and practical driving lessons, pass the required tests (theory and road tests), and obtain an eye test.

Most definitely. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) ranks the quality of education in schools, allowing parents to decide on the best school for their children. It not only ranks but also manages the quality of education being offered by schools as well as set limits on school fees.

Now this depends on how many people we are talking about. For a couple, having about $5800 – $6500 per month would be considered very good. This will allow you to live a very comfortable life by living in a nice area such as Dubai Marina, do some decent house shopping, do some activities, as well as save some. For a family living the same manner as described above, you would need about $10,000 a month including school fees and more.

Yes. Having health insurance is mandatory in Dubai. If you are an employee, your employer should provide the coverage for you. If you are a business owner, you need to purchase insurance for yourself, and dependents, including your housemaid.

Dubai is among the top 5 safest cities in the world. Women, especially, enjoy relocating to Dubai as it provides them with a sense of security, safety, and comfort. You can talk walks at midnight, not worry if you left something at a coffee shop as you can easily get it back. However, it is always important to exercise caution.

This really depends on your taste and budget. Also, whether you are single or a couple will determine a lot. Most solo digital nomads tend to take a one bedroom in a luxurious area like Dubai Marina. For couples, they’ll more often than not go for a two bedroom in more affordable areas such as Jumeirah Village Circle or Dubai Creek Harbor. Learn more from our article on the best real estate platforms in Dubai.

You need to obtain an import permit (Approx $140), health certificates, pet microchip, Rabies vaccination, among other documents, including an inspection fee of AED 500 for cats and AED 1,000 for dogs upon entry. Learn more on our article about relocating with your cat or dog to Dubai.

The national language of the UAE is Arabic. However, with expatriates making up approximately 75% of Dubai’s population, several other languages are widely spoken. English is the most common, while Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, and Malayalam are also frequently used.

UAE and Dubai is quite strict when it comes to criticizing the government or from posting content that the state deems to be contrary to Islamic values, public morals, or national security. Also, there are restrictions on VoIP services meaning you cannot use platform like WhatsApp or Facetime to make video calls. However, there are many alternatives to WhatsApp and Facetime.

Dubai is not as expensive as most European nations when it comes to housemaids or house managers. However, it is not as cheap as African nations. On average, a good live-in housemaid will cost about $600 – $1,000 per month. This is if you are not paying for their work visa.

Electricity and water are paid to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). You can pay either through their mobile app or website. For the Internet, there are two main providers, Etisalat and du. When it comes to cooking gas, many apartment units have a centralized system, so they will pipe the gas to your kitchen.

Crime is quite low in Dubai. Here are a few stats: Aggravated assault – 1.7 people per 100,000 people, rape 0.3 people per 100,000 people, theft – 6.5 people per 100,000 people, robbery – 1.5 people per 100,000.

Nothing crazy as usually portrayed online. You can wear shorts, tank tops, etc. especially in malls. However, there is a

Yes, you can definitely have some fun and buy drinks. However, you need to have a license to buy alcohol from a liquor store. You can have a drink at a hotel, or restaurant. But if you want to buy ‘take-away’ alcohol, then you need the alcohol license.

It depends on the PDA. Holding hands or hugging is perfectly fine. But if we now start kissing, grabbing, then what you are requesting for is some jail time or huge fines.

Many expats relocate to Dubai through setting up a company there. We have written an in-depth article on how to set up a business in Dubai for those interested.

Once you get a residency visa, you will then get an Emirates ID. Once you have this, then you can open a personal or business account.

The primary stock exchange in Dubai is known as the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) while the one in Abu Dhabi is Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). Once you decide which one you want to invest in, you will need to get an investor number, choose a reputable broker then open a trading account to start investing in the stock market. For a more detailed process check out the article we wrote on Investing in the Dubai Financial Market.