Living in Dubai
Living in Dubai by Shelter Offshore in Living Abroad
Published on 05 August 2008
Morgan Stanley report today that Dubai has been hit by an over supply problem as more and more projects reach completion while the demand fails to increase proportionally. They also say that in a worst case scenario that the Dubai property market could actually plummet by up to 80% in the same way the Singapore market did in the 1990s. So is the Dubai property market on the verge of collapse?
The first and critically important thing to take on board has been the huge 79% growth in property prices since early 2007. One would naturally expect some form of correction especially in the current world market situation where rational and logic have added a new air of caution to all investment markets.
Published on 04 August 2008
The heat really is on in Dubai at this time of the year – July and August are the most uncomfortable and unpleasant months to be living in Dubai or even to visit the emirate for that matter (hence the cheap holidays you may have seen advertised.) However, if you’re living and working in the UAE and Dubai is your base, you’re going to have to find ways to cope with the oppressive humidity and the searing and soaring temperatures.
The super wealthy and those who enjoy a certain amount of employment flexibility can of course choose to ship out during the summer months and visit Europe perhaps, or holiday at their second home somewhere less intensely hot. But for the rest of us, do we just have to grin, wilt and bear it? No, fortunately, as long as we don’t care about global warming there are plenty of things to keep us all busy and cool and happily surviving the summertime living in Dubai!
Published on 23 July 2008
According to the Research Unit at Mashreq Bank and the Macroeconomic Research Centre in the UAE, the UAE’s population will increase to in excess of 6.41 million people by 2010 compared to 5.19 million in 2007. In other words, the population of the UAE is predicted to increase by 18% by 2010 largely fuelled by expatriate arrivals. And Dubai alone is expected to attract over 50% of these new expatriates! So, if you’re moving to live in Dubai and you want to know what to expect from your new life, you are certainly not alone.
In this article we’ll explore what newly arrived expats living in Dubai can expect – covering both the good and the bad aspects of the emirate!
Published on 02 July 2008
The rate of population expansion in Dubai is not abating; so far there are some 1.4 million people living in the emirate, of which at least 75% are expatriates. By 2020 it is predicted that the population will grow to reach 4 million and even this will not be the end of the growth that the emirate will witness. So, with all these people arriving and all that construction going on to house them, what’s it like living in Dubai?
This is a question that increasing numbers of professionals are asking because they are seeing the very real opportunities that exist in the emirate for people like themselves, but they are concerned about the realities and practicalities of living in such a rapidly expanding country, where the cost of living is reputedly high and the pace of life reputedly quite fast. In this article we’ll take a closer look at what it’s really like living in Dubai at the moment.
Published on 27 June 2008
Apparently, according to the Gulf Weekly newspaper, more Britons are moving to live in Dubai in retirement – or so says a report on the PropertyShowrooms website anyway. Retire to live in Dubai? I don’t think so! For one thing the heat would probably kill you…
We find it incredibly hard to believe that Dubai is going to be a popular choice with 60 something Brits seeking a more laid back pace of the good life and quite possibly a more affordable cost of living in retirement. Dubai is certainly not synonymous with a laid back life nor with the concept ‘affordable,’ and what’s more, why on earth would anyone think about retiring to one of the most dynamic, fastest growing cities in the world? It defies logic.
Published on 13 June 2008
Despite what you may have read and come to believe, Dubai is not paradise on earth – at least not for everyone! For some people the summertime heat is too intense, for others the congestion and pace of life is too much.
In this article about reasons not to move to live in Dubai we will explain a few of the less fantastic aspects of life in the United Arab Emirates’ Trucial State of Dubai.
Published on 29 May 2008
Many jokes are made about the state of the traffic situation in Dubai and the safety – or lack thereof – of the roads in the emirate; but for those on the ground, cars, traffic, taxis and getting around when living in Dubai are no laughing matter!
There is gridlock and traffic chaos on the roads everyday, if you even have a single drink, attempt to drive and are caught you will end up in prison, and now that there are tolls in place on the main roads, the back roads are getting clogged up and no one is seemingly going anywhere in Dubai particularly fast.
Published on 21 May 2008
Fantastic news for busy mums living in Dubai – a brand new nursery is opening in September. With demand for places at international schools and nurseries in Dubai at a premium, this will indeed be welcome news for expats already in residence and those considering moving to live in Dubai.
Even for non-working parents who simply want to spend some time catching up with chores or who just want to integrate their children, the news that a new nursery is opening and it has 40 places available for children as young as just 40 days of age is very welcome.
Published on 09 March 2008
If you’re planning a trip to Dubai to decide whether its somewhere you could see yourself living and working, or if you’re just thinking about taking a holiday in the emirate to experience it, there are many unmissable places to go and things to see so it can actually be quite tricky to plan a visit and pack everything in!
In this article we’ll give you a run down of unmissable sightseeing and activities in Dubai as chosen by expats already living and working in Dubai. Naturally there will be many locations missed out and even activities missed off the list – but this is just a selection of some of the best elements of living in Dubai that you can cram in to a long weekend for example.
Published on 06 March 2008
Dubai is the most moderate of the United Arab Emirates in terms of the way of life Western expats can enjoy. You can drink alcohol in your own homes and in some hotel bars and restaurants for example, women can work, walk around unaccompanied and wear pretty much what they want in Dubai, (within reason), and the social side of life is varied, exciting and pretty much unrestricted – so is it fair to say that Dubai is a great place to work but a terrible place to live? Because this has become a common thread in various forums and on certain blogs of late...
The problem with Dubai could be its success...so many people have been attracted by high income, low tax job offers and the thought of living in a playground in the sun that there are overcrowding issues plaguing the emirate and causing some expats to regret their relocation. If you’re thinking of moving to live in the UAE let’s discuss whether Dubai really is a great place to work but a terrible place to live.
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