Life has changed a little since I posted my Dubai FAQ back in 2017. I’ve lived in Dubai for two-and-a-half years now, a relatively long time in a somewhat transient place. I thought it was time to re-address some of the most frequently asked questions I get about life in Dubai, and to debunk some persistent myths that still seem prevalent. 

How’s life?

Good, really good! It took me a long time to feel settled in Dubai but I finally feel like it’s home. I’m used to the city and how things work here, and I started driving around six months ago which has been a huge factor in feeling more independent and in control. I wrote a Money Diary over a year ago where I took 16 taxi trips in a week!

About a year ago I really started to think of Dubai as “home” rather than just somewhere I “live”. That mental shift was huge for me as my first year here was really tough. I’ve finally found cafes where the barista knows my order (matcha latte, coconut milk), a yoga studio that I love, and have made friends with whom I share the ups and downs of expat life.

I naively assumed that they’d be an “ex-pat community” and that making friends would be really easy. It’s definitely been a case of finding activities I enjoy first, and growing friendships based out of mutual interest. Mindset is key, too – it’s pretty obvious as to why I didn’t make many friends in my first year when I had a stressful job which sapped all of my positive energy.

My life is very different to how it was in London, but my London existence now feels long enough ago that things here are the “new normal” and I don’t really miss my old life. Of course I miss family and friends. It’s hard missing milestones and seeing some of your friendships drift due to the distance, being in different timezones and not being able to create new memories together. I’ve been really lucky to have friends come out to visit me, it’s nice to be able to offer an escape from UK winters! 

What’s day-to-day life like?

Life in Dubai is mostly pretty easy once you’re all set up. Pretty much everything can be delivered and Dubai is slowly catching up to having ASOS and Amazon on a similar basis to the UK. 

In terms of living, Dubai is divided into different neighbourhoods/communities. I sometimes think that all of Dubai feels like a suburb with no real “centre” of town. Ex-pats can live wherever they want, there are no gated communities or anything like that, it just comes down to lifestyle, preferences and budget. Downtown, The Marina, The Palm and The Greens are pretty popular – I’ve always lived in Downtown Dubai and love the location and that I can easily walk to Dubai Mall, even in the middle of summer. 

You pay your rent for the whole year in advance by cheque which felt a little crazy the first time I did it…. I didn’t even know how to write a cheque before I moved here. A lot of employers will loan you the rent money and take it out of your salary each month which eases the burden of having to make that first payment. I spend a lot more time at home than I did in London so I’d recommend not economising on this part of your life as having a home you love and feel happy in is so important for really feeling at “home” here.

The cost of living is generally quite high but there is no income tax and salaries are generally higher. I’ve stopped converting every thing I buy back to GBP as it can be really depressing when you realise a coffee is £6… It’s definitely an easy city to spend a LOT of money in, and the amount saved from not being taxed can be spent easily if you get caught up in the lifestyle here. The Entertainer app is a necessity if you go out a lot. A former colleague of mine saved thousands by diligently planning her social life around the app, and got me a bit addicted to it, too! 

And the weather?

The winters are beautiful with clear blue skies, sunny days and cooler nights. This is the time to take advantage of outdoor activities, beach days, exploring the desert and eating all meals outside. I pretty much wear the same wardrobe all year round which I love, I don’t miss tights, boots or big heavy coats at all. The summers are hot, really really hot. Cabin fever really sets in by the time mid-July arrives but I’d definitely take a Dubai summer over a London winter. 

Despite the beaches and outdoor lifestyle (well for half of the year anyway), Dubai isn’t really a healthy-living kind of city. The “Dubai Stone” is real (and unsurprising given the plethora of all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink brunches). Fast unhealthy food is unfortunately much cheaper than fresh, healthy food (although I imagine this is sadly the case pretty much everywhere). I’ve really chosen to focus on feeling my best in the last couple of years, and my slower social life means that I drink and eat out a lot less than I did in London. I’ve been studying to be a holistic health coach and this has really made me focus on my health and lifestyle, and I’ve made like-minded friends through the course too. The knock-on effects on my mental health of making some mindful, positive lifestyle changes have been amazing. I spend far more on gym classes than I do on gin these days and vegetable boxes rather than ASOS orders  turn up at the apartment on a weekly basis.  

Dubai isn’t the easiest city for healthy living but it is do-able if you make it a focus.  I’ve found I really need to make an effort to get exercise in to my daily life, in London I walked at least 10,000 steps a day just by walking everywhere, in Dubai if I don’t hit the gym I’m lucky to hit 1,000 steps! I love ClassPass for keeping my workouts varied and fun.

What is the working culture like?

The working week is Sunday – Thursday with Friday and Saturday as the weekend, it takes some getting used to. There wasn’t a big difference in the working culture from London, in my experience. All of my old law firm colleagues were ex-pats too and the business language is English. In over two years I’ve not had any occasions where I’ve needed to speak Arabic and I’m slightly ashamed to say that I’ve not picked any up.

Do you have to dress in a certain way?

Not really. Anything goes in in hotels and on beaches (seriously, anything) but hot pants are not appropriate for a trip to the mall. I do dress slightly more conservatively here but that’s more to do with being over 30 than being in Dubai, the revival of low rise jeans and cropped tops is not really my thing.  It’s worth always using common sense depending on where you are going, the air conditioning means I’m always cold inside and often wrapped in a scarf or cardigan. If you’re visiting a mosque, you’ll be given an abaya and headscarf to wear over your clothes. 

What other Dubai rumours can you debunk?

Alcohol is actually super accessible here, I get a lot of questions about whether I can drink here which surprises me. There are bars in all hotels, and some restaurants outside of hotels are licensed too. Alcohol is sometimes referred to in a bit of a strange way – wine becomes “grape” and beer is “hops” and it’s pretty expensive (a G&T in a bar in Downtown is £10-12, a cocktail sometimes up to £15-16) but definitely readily available.  You can even buy booze at the airport upon arriving in Dubai. Some restaurants serve pork and it’s available in most supermarkets, albeit in a separate room (visiting friends always find this amusing…). The contraceptive pill is available off the shelf at pharmacies (although not all brands). Public displays of affection are not allowed, but holding hands is totally fine. 

I’m visiting Dubai – what is there to do?

I wrote a post covering this here.  I’m always happy to give suggestions and answer questions over on Twitter too.

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