UK citizens looking to live in Dubai

[PinkBubblesxx]

Me and my partner are thinking of the possibility of relocating to Dubai for a better standard of living. We have a 7 month baby too. We are thinking of selling our property and using the funds from the sale to purchase a property in Dubai. I believe this grants you a 2 year visa which you have to renew every 2 years. We have visited Dubai lots, so are familiar with the culture and country. Does anyone have any advice or has lived in Dubai themselves? My partner can most likely work remotely over there but I think I would struggle to find a job as I work in as Office Support / Admin. I believe for education we will most likely need to fund for a private school ( which isn't as expensive as what it is in the UK.

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This thread is a few months old now. If you've found this page in search of information about moving to Dubai, you might find our guide on moving to Dubai with kids useful. Hope this helps! MNHQ

I think you need to do your numbers carefully as Dubai is very expensive. Rents and property prices are sky high at the moment.

I’d be wary of selling your UK property to buy here. The build quality is not good, and you don’t see capital appreciation over time in the same way as the UK. Prices are high at the moment because so many people are moving here, but they keep on building and building so you may end up buying high and seeing a dip in value or waiting a long time for growth. In the meantime, you could get priced out in the UK when you need to move back (Dubai is not a forever place).

You can get a visa through property ownership at a certain level, and there’s also a remote working / digital nomad visa. Or you can start a company. You will need residents health insurance, which is normally provided by your employer. A good policy is expensive.

School fees at British curriculum schools are the same as private day fees in the UK. I think a lot of the schools are pretty average for what you’re paying for.

Office support / admin work is available, but tends to be done by Filipinos or Indian expats, so you may find your nationality is a barrier. Managers often like to employ their own nationality and there’s not the same discrimination laws here as in the UK. There is huge competition for jobs at the moment, UAE experience will nearly always be valued over international experience. And office admin salaries are low - around 4,000-5,000 AED / £800-£1000 per month, and minimum 45 hours per week. But at least you’d get a visa and basic medical insurance.

Feel free to DM me if you want more info.

I recognise this type, although I don't fit into it myself, and neither do my friends. I don't think I'd say it's the majority, just a vocal minority. This group is also reducing as well as the premium for being 'British' is (rightly) eroded. More and more of the Brits I deal with are now highly qualified professionals. This is particularly the case for new arrivals (noting I interact with families, not 20 year old real estate agents!).

OP what I'd said is (1) yes schooling is cheaper than South-East private (not necessarily cheaper than private in other parts of the UK), (2) don't forget medical insurance, and (3) you would be insane to sell up in the UK to buy in the UAE. Come out, rent for a year or two and then decide. No one can predict the property market but there is a real risk in Dubai that you could buy a house and lose money over a 10 year period.

And it's reducing because employers aren't willing to pay enough to support the particular lifestyle being referred to (brunch, premium British schools etc). The big salaries go to people with a lot of experience in the region (often not British) or people with particular in demand skill sets. Otherwise, why would you pay double for someone just because they have a certain passport.

This is up there with the worst advice I've ever heard.

But there is more than a grain of truth in it.

I am a 64 year old single woman who is thinking of relocating to Dubai. My son lives and works there, my niece and her family live there, my daughter has worked there and is thinking of going back there. I'm thinking of selling my house and moving there. I have visited twice and although it's hot, it seems safe and clean for me to retire to.
I'm not really happy in the UK at the moment what with everything that is going on.
Has anyone got any advice for me please?

It is really difficult to retire there. You need a visa sponsored by a resident or via an employer. If you retire healthcare provision could be an issue. Also ridiculously hot in summer.

https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/residence-visas/residence-visa-for-the-retired#:~:text=Eligibility-,Retired%20foreigners%20can%20apply%20for%20a%20long%2Dterm%20visa%20of,than%20AED%201%20million%20or

This sets out the criteria. But I would visit considerably more than twice before trying to move there longterm.

I'm planning on buying a property there, 2million AED and you can get a 10 year Golden visa, or 2 year visa if you spend less. I've done a lot of research and been out there in the hottest months. I'm just wondering if anyone has done anything similar?

This isn't correct. There are retirement visas and property golden visas.

However, the cost of healthcare makes retirement in Dubai prohibitively expensive for most.

Some people do it but it is rare amongst the British community. Have you checked out health insurance costs?

At 64 to retire and buy property there you’ll need a million or two. Why not just go out for a long holiday every winter and rent somewhere? You can border hop to extend it.

‘Safe and clean’ are your main requirements? Safe for whom? ‘Clean’ in terms of being among the world’s top producers of crude oil, and with plans to expand even further?

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates

https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/united-arab-emirates/report-united-arab-emirates/

If you have family out there would it be possible to stay with them? My advice would be that if you sell up and buy somewhere out there you could be left with nothing if everything kicks off in the ME. Dubai may seem clean, safe, fun and yes standard of living is much higher but the ME is a very volatile region. My brother lived there and he and all his colleagues/friends were keeping a close eye on the situation in Iran and were ready to leave at a moments notice if the situation changed for the worse.

I think some of the numbers given here are excessive. Depends what you are used to and to have a similar level of living and save.

As a family of 3, I would say 100k would be enough to live comfortably, however you won’t save.

anything more and you will save a large chunk of it.

2 bed apartment for rent is £40k in a decent area, DIFC, Marina etc.
Car Lease £7k
Utilities £5k
Groceries + Restaurants £33k.

So you can get a picture that even if you add school fees, you should be ok.

These are annual numbers.

when you go above that, then you can save.

Your own figures have it as not enough though - that's GBP 85k and school fees for one child will be at least another GBP 10k (if primary). GBP 5k to cover everything else is simply not enough - there's petrol, transport costs for whoever doesn't have a car, clothing, entertainment for the kid when it's 40 degrees, and I think most people would want to be able to afford to leave Dubai at least once a year. Plus medical insurance if that's not covered and just the daily stuff everyone needs like.

(Although food plus restaurants is very high from my perspective - we don't spend anything like that with teens)