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Neighborhood Residence selection Expat population Relative cost Commute to Privacy / low noise Restaurants Bars / Night life Shopping
center airport
Al Barsha new and old large stand alone villas mixed – both local Emiratis and Western expats good value Good neutral good good weak excellent
Arabian Ranches new villas and town-houses mainly Western expats high neutral weak good neutral weak weak
Bur Dubai old low-rise apartment blocks & new high-rise apartment blocks mixed – expats from Western countries, other Arab countries, India and SE Asia low neutral good weak good good good
Deira old low-rise apartment blocks & new high-rise apartment blocks mainly expats from other Arab countries, India and SE Asia low weak good weak good neutral neutral
Dubai Marina / Jumeirah Beach Residences modern high-rise apartment buildings Western and non-Western expats high weak weak good excellent excellent excellent
Festival City / Al Garhoud modern low-level apartment buildings expats from Western countries good value excellent excellent good excellent excellent excellent
International City new high-rise buildings with studio, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments expats from non-Western countries low neutral neutral weak weak very poor very poor
Jumeirah / Umm Suqeim new and old villas, town-houses, mansions and low-level apartment buildings mixed – both local Emiratis and Western expats high good neutral excellent excellent good excellent
Karama old low-level apartment buildings expats from India and SE Asia low neutral neutral very poor neutral neutral neutral
Oud Metha modern apartment buildings expats from Western and non-Western countries good value good neutral neutral neutral neutral good
The Lakes new medium-sized town houses mainly Western expats good value weak weak good neutral weak weak
The Springs new medium-sized town houses mainly Western expats good value weak weak good neutral weak weak
The Meadows new two-story villas mainly Western expats high weak weak good neutral weak weak
Emirates Hills new large mansions expats from around the world very high weak weak excellent neutral weak weak
Mirdif old and new villas and town-houses mixed – both local Emiratis and Western expats good value weak excellent weak good weak good
Old Town / Burj Khalifa modern low-rise and high-rise apartment buildings, some modern townhouses mainly Western expats without families very high neutral excellent good excellent excellent excellent
The Palm Jumeirah new villas and apartment buildings expats from around the world very high neutral weak excellent excellent neutral weak
Sheikh Zayed Road new and old high-rise apartment buildings Western and non-Western expats good value neutral excellent weak excellent excellent excellent
Silicon Oasis new villas and apartment buildings expats from around the world good value neutral neutral excellent weak very poor weak
scale

Top Tips

01 Dubai might look like a Western country but it is still a Middle Eastern country. Make sure you know the rules and stay on the right side of the law.
02 While Dubai is unbelievably hot in the summer, the weather in winter is wonderful. Make the most of it by investigating the many outdoor activities.
03 Choose an area to live and a school for your children which is close to work location. This will save the whole family a lot of commuting time.
04 When you first arrive, there will be a lot of bureaucracy to deal with. Make sure you have a good supply of passport photocopies and lots of patience.
05 With the high turnover of expatriates, people are very welcoming and extremely helpful in practical matters as well as in helping you settle in.

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Interesting fact

Dubai is the 2nd largest emirate of the Untied Arab Emirates, but the most popular with largest port and commercial centre.
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