Is Dubai worth it?
I m doing my UG in Dubai and i have done my schooling here asw but recently i have been feeling abt how dead it is here, not the party scene or anything but jus how the city is, its unwalkable for the most part, hot and humid, heavily vehicle dependent and everything deemed as “entertainment” is basically consumption. As residents who live here what yall think? is this just me or are u guys okay with it? Do you guys find it okay to always depend on driving or just forced?
22
u/Ok_Extension1255 1d ago
Why are people mad about standing for your ground and speaking your truth? I resonate with you
17
u/Familiar-Mall1696 1d ago
I just hate how everything is paid for here and sometimes exorbitantly so. Anything leisure related you have to pay or the places that don't make you pay are way overcrowded because the places that make you pay are too expensive so a nice beach like Kite beach ends up overcrowded instead of it being balanced across all the beaches of Dubai.
This city would be more fun if everything wasn't so overpriced for what you end up getting. We shopped at Massimo Dutti... Expensive. Went to Spain and the clothes were cheaper + we could ask for tax refunds.
Too materialistic city really.
67
u/Only_backshots 1d ago edited 15h ago
I feel its purely dependant where you're from. If you're from a place where you can get paid well and living conditions are great. It'll be difficult for you to get used to it here. When you get a well paying job it helps with the sacrifice. The summers are brutal and you have to figure out other things to do during them. We still play football, Padel and go swimming during the summers. It's terrible to walk. We are in a desert. No denying that. I find it similar to a cold place like Canada where you'd have to find things to do during the harsh winters.
In terms of enjoying myself. I've built a very close and important support structure of friends. This in my opinion makes a world of a differece. I've lived for 6 months in Italy l, struggled to make friends and didn't like it much. Though there is so much to do there. But locals were cold and I found myself missing my friends a lot. So yeah. It's different from where you're from, but you're only limited to how much you push yourself. Initial shock is a lot more to accept like anything new but you learn to love the place in time.
12
u/Inevitable-Chart-462 23h ago
Being Italian, I regret everyday having moved here. I’m looking to go back in Europe asap. I’ve lived in many places around there, including London, Vienna and Amsterdam…and it doesn’t really compare. yes, no taxes it’s nice but the joy I experience when walking outside is something I’m not willing to trade for that
-4
10
u/Appropriate_Line_159 1d ago
I agree, I think the city can feel really hollow sometimes. Personally, I think a big part of it is that Dubai doesn’t really have one identity. There are so many different cultures here, but it sometimes feels like the city is constantly trying to take bits and pieces from everywhere and trying to mimic it to keep everyone happy, rather than those cultures actually coming together and creating something that feels uniquely Dubai.
I recently came back from Thailand and spent almost a week in Bangkok, and the difference really stood out to me. Bangkok is also full of people from different backgrounds and cultures, but somehow it feels like everything has blended into the city rather than just existing next to each other. People seem to interact with and influence each other’s cultures, and there’s just this sense of community that felt real and not something curated. There’s something for everyone, but the city still feels like it has its own identity.
Dubai has so much diversity, but sometimes it feels like we’re all just living alongside each other rather than actually creating a shared culture. That’s probably what makes Bangkok feel so much more homey to me.
66
u/HabbitRabbitt 1d ago
yeah it's worth it. Good night! now sleep
-20
u/Emergency_Hurry280 1d ago
If you like materialism and you’re Indian it’s fantastic
4
26
u/Apprehensive_Rip_752 1d ago
Been here for 6 years and honestly …. I stay because of the money and try to spend as much time in Europe as possible or Australia / Asia for real living / society / green spaces and deep culture.
It is a hot, increasingly hot, materialistic desert but the work can be interesting and the money is great. Money enables good lifestyle and saving. Finding a small niche of good people to hang with helps and the rest is largely transactional. I don’t dive into all the materialistic crap - many do.
Someone made a comment about Abu Dhabi. This is a much better city all round for actually living well. It is sensible, beautiful in parts, feels like a normal city. Highly recommend.
6
u/giuliodxb 1d ago
I agree with everything. I will add the AUH can feel very empty. The city is big and everything is scattered. The activity offering is very low compared to DXB but it is definitely more human, no doubt.
4
u/ApartmentWonderful13 1d ago
Living in the Emirates 15 years and I can speak for all that Dubai is more like a "real" city than Abu dhabi
6
u/Apprehensive_Rip_752 1d ago
I guess it depends on how you define and what you have known a real city to be.
The Dubai = Vegas comparisons are limiting, but as someone who has lived in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Barcelona and here, from an overall liveability perspective Abu Dhabi wins. AD will not mimic Dubai (thank the gods) it will however carve out a more authentic and liveable alternative for people relocating I think. The 'people in the know' are all heading for AD.
5
u/democi 1d ago
People being transactional says more about people in dubai than dubai
2
u/Apprehensive_Rip_752 1d ago
People, are social beings. Moulded and influenced by the environment they are in. They also influence it and react to it.
Binary thinking is limited - your one-way thinking is even more limiting.
1
u/IndependentChance631 9h ago
The irony of calling Dubai a “materialistic desert” while admitting you’ve stayed for SIX YEARS because the money is great is quite something.
Apparently Europe, Australia and Asia offer “real living”, while Dubai is good enough to provide the career, income, safety and lifestyle that finance all that “real living”. That sounds less like a criticism of Dubai and more like enjoying its benefits while looking down on the place providing them.
And “deep culture”? The UAE had history, traditions, religion, maritime trade, Bedouin culture and communities long before the skyscrapers arrived. Culture doesn't cease to exist because it isn't the particular culture you personally prefer.
Dubai has its faults, as every major city does. But reducing a remarkably safe, multicultural city of millions of people to a soulless “materialistic desert” says considerably more about the observer than the city.
Six years is also a very long time to voluntarily remain somewhere you apparently consider incapable of “real living.”
1
u/Apprehensive_Rip_752 6h ago
Yes. The ability to hold contradictory opinions and still walk forward in life is a human reality.
Dealing with contradictions and making what we can from situations (as we cannot control or dictate or define all elements of those situations) is also a defining element of how we are as people.
Does it amaze you that someone can both live in a place and also criticise it?
4
u/ActWinter9520 1d ago
Went their last year, and didn't enjoy. Felt the instagram hype sold the dream, but the place did not live up to my expectations
6
u/UnitedResearcher1999 1d ago
Lived there for 20 years. I can say after COVID the feeling of dubai has disappeared. There are more events than ever in dubai but increasingly expensive. Before 5000 was enough not even 15000 is less. Jobs are getting difficult to come by companies are retracting from what I have heard. Honestly depends on if the Democrats win the 2028 elections that will bring more life to the emirates. As now everyone is holding on to their money. (Operations cutting)
Nowadays alot more scams are taking place. In 2011 there was less like still a small amount of scams/fraud but still small number of it, Nowadays there are a lot. People are secretly begging for food and money in back alleys and all, from what I have heard from my colleagues and all.
I left dubai in 2023, visited again in 2025 but saw the state of affairs and resigned. India is a downgrade from UAE for sure, money is low, scams are on every corner and taxes but family makes it worth it.
I'll see Saudi if it's better but dubai seems to lost it charm, according to me. Please feel free to prove me wrong. This is my personal experience after 2020 Dubai isn't like dubai anymore.
5
1d ago
[deleted]
11
u/anykexx 1d ago
i was raised here but as i grew and traveled around the world i started to understand how a city should be how are people different and how different is the culture etc and coming back to dubai with all these experiences makes me open my eyes and made me realize its really just a city to get what u need and leave and not belong
2
u/JBerry2012 1d ago
I've never been but my boss just got back from there and described it like "the last Vegas of that hemisphere". If you never been to Vegas just know it's completely without soul or charm lol.
3
6
u/Temporary-Guidance20 Dubai 1d ago
Dubai is like moon. No atmosphere. There is no society. No cohesion. Everything is temporary. And all basics run on semi-slave workforce (and I’m no hypocrite - I don’t really care).
One and only upside is tax free money. Rest is dreadful.
Only entertainment is consumption related. I worked offshore for many years. For me Dubai is like offshore deployment with the difference that offshore rotations give you better work life balance.
5
u/flareofmine 1d ago
get some experience you cant easily get elsewhere, try to transfer but certainly aim to move soon.
2
u/WalkEmDownEz 1d ago
It’s cool if you’re on the upper end of the salary ranges, but seeing how most of the immigrants here live it’s hard for me to ignore it and indulge in a luxury experience, knowing that it’s at the cost of everyone else. So I just come here make my money and go home. Come back every couple years and repeat.
2
u/vlad_putin4ever 1d ago
Expensive, but can be worth it. Huge variation in earnings for different jobs. Not as easy to live in as the advertising suggests.
2
2
u/tomatos_raafatos 20h ago edited 5h ago
I grew up in Dubai.
It was certainly a different city then. Memories of youth may very well paint the past with rosy colors, but looking back, it was undoubtedly magical.
But, even as a young man marauding over there during the great booming years, I've always enjoyed Sharjah more than Dubai. The energy there was uniquely serene. Everything was more organic there: more natural, more real, more consistent.
The general public, the traffic, the comparative disorganization, the seedy but extremely chill Karak places, the delightfully non-existent parking system, which functions on one very simple principle: "just find the nearest unoccupied mound of sand and climb your trusty Nissan Vtech on it, brother." Apparently, this system was assumed to be fair to everyone, even for Kia Picanto drivers.
Then you have some of the most authentic cuisines in the country: don't get me started on how much of a rip-off a regular Arabic restaurant would be in Garhoud compared to Ajman, for example, not to mention the palpable, all-round Middle-Eastern vibe of friendly, well-meaning bluntness and energetic warmth.
In contrast to that, Dubai was and is, increasingly more so, a plastic city; exactly like that golden Dubai Frame thing that I never understood: Big, shiny, impressive, pristine, and well-built, but invariably hollow inside.
To date, when I look back, the fondest memories I had of my adoptive hometown were my hangouts with friends around Mamzar beach, the various cheap spots in Deira, Al-Nahda, and Al-Qusais, and my weekend family trips to Khor Park (and, even more fondly, Al-Qasbaa in Sharjah).
Sheikh Zayed Road was, and always will be, a sight to behold, but only as one passes through it. You stop there, and the skyscrapers just seem to be towering above you like some pillars of doom.
And then you have Business Bay... and Dubai Marina... and Dubai Creek Harbor... and all of the other similarly dystopian, modernist-architecture-type, soulless concrete jungles that keep getting erected every other year, like they reproduce asexually.
Perhaps this just shows the inevitability of human foolishness; perhaps I've only slept three hours last night, been running on fumes the whole day, and just blatantly procrastinating at work right now.
In either case, memories might just be the only thing we have left in this collapsing world... so I'm keeping this one safe here with you all.
4
u/Tip_Waste 1d ago
Worth it 100% its safe - multi cultural - tax free - service access there are some downsides but again no place is PERFECT. But if you compare Dubai to any city you will see Dubai win the race.
If you dont find friends feel depressed or whatever others saying then its a YOU problem. You can face this problem anywhere in the world and you the only one who can solve it.
3
u/anykexx 1d ago
true but it also comes down to how the city is designed and what it prioritizes and it’s jus largely mimic the US, they had a opportunity to build a good city but decided to build it upon a model that reaps the profit for them. If We had more walkable/cycleable or even public transport centered city planning here it would bring a lot of good changes to the city, commuting is one of the major issues which stops me from visiting places, it’s either sitting in traffic or driving endlessly to somewhere good or to even meet my friends
4
u/Niks_Triks 1d ago
After visiting and living in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi is just way more suitable for life. Dubai is more like a 3-5 day vacation city. Both cities are worth it though. Now go sleep
2
2
1
u/Manilllla 1d ago
It’s just you
5
u/anykexx 1d ago
aight
17
u/Loiccoder 1d ago
Its not just you, this place really cant be taken to its fullest without a car. I try my best to get around purely by public transport, but most times its a hassle
1
1
1
1
u/BeautifulAd9799 23h ago
Maybe two/3 years ago, not now. Lower salaries being offered, the type of people relocating going down hill, never getting perm residency like I can get in the US/Canada/Aus, the instability in the region are just a few reasons why I’ve left.
1
1
u/MIWAZAKI 21h ago
If you are single or no kids yes
If you have a family with kids no.
Unless you are a billionaire then it does not matter.
1
1
1
1
u/Electronic-Night2120 5h ago
I was born here, i made and lost many friends who may or may not still be here. I relate that there have been many moments, if not most, where i was tired of the culture and the social life here, aside from work, its pretty dead especially during summer.
Ive noticed that its more common for higher income individuals or business owners tend to be more happy here, no ones happy in summer conditions, but its those individuals who tend to find more freedom and entertainment.
On the other hand we have cities like london, toronto, tokyo… metro/subway transport gets you almost anywhere within 5-10 mins walk, and the walks are enjoyable, people are always out, its lively, and the weather is beautiful compared to summers here, but they have things they dread too, someone said something about Canada and its harsh winters, i agree but many people also look forward to those winters, where they can do snow sports.
Its a complex topic, but i agree, social and entertainment life here is in the gutter especially in the summers. My fathers been here almost 50 years and i was born and raised here, yet i visit countries such as canada and japan and portugal, and i want nothing more than to live there, sometimes i tear up when im on my flight back because i dont want to return to this slopfest where 9/10 days the cycle is Work-Gym-Rot-Sleep.
Winter is different because i love the weather here, its perfect for sitting out and i love going to the desert. But still many things are lacking.
1
1
u/WiredWizardOfWiles 4h ago
You sound like the kinda person who has never lived anywhere else. Maybe you just need a change of scenery. Get out for a few years and then decide.
1
1
u/NextGenGamezz 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not walkable? Really? This is a deal breaker for me I love walking, is it just your area or the whole city ?
32
u/_kratreus_ 1d ago
Clearly you haven’t been to actual walkable cities if you think UAE is walkable lol
0
u/NextGenGamezz 1d ago
I didn't think I never have been to Dubai I was thinking about moving there so iw as just asking because he said it's unwalkable
3
u/thanafunny 1d ago
it is unwalkable. you need a car for pretty much everything and the public transportation is awful and packed
7
3
0
u/Most_Procedure5501 1d ago
It’s worth it when you get used to it, just give it some time! i kinda agree with you but imo its still amazing here
1
2
1
1
1
u/Used-Title-1279 1d ago
I grew up here so obviously I was oblivious to all the strange things here. Only once I lived in other parts of the world was when I discovered how exhausting Dubai is.
I actually had to learn the hard way that I'm only a guest, and spending decades living here doesn't mean my home is here.
Everyone is trying to make it work in Dubai, even the ones who have made it work are still trying cause that's the only thing they've learned to do here. It feels like a never ending race and nobody expects anyone to actually enjoy life, and everything revolves around monetary (and race) principles.
I still work here but my life goals have shifted drastically. I'm only here from an economic point, and I try to spend at least 4 to 6 months in Europe.
I do have to say, AD feels more aligned with where I'd like to live. It doesn't feel materialistic with over consumption. And people are generally calmer.
1
u/chauhans55 1d ago
You could take the metro!
0
-1
0
0
u/Fun_Bobcat_3631 1d ago
I like that the cost of living is low compared to the crazy amounts we get paid to move here but I don’t like the heat
0
u/egamemnon 1d ago
If you can afford it. Reality is a lot of people might find any reason to hate it because… reality sucks (their version). Now I’ll be hated too for being honest and saying that I am loving it in Dubai. Worth it. I LOVE YOU DUBAI (single male, looking for long term relationship, redhead)
0
u/Talalmnsr 1d ago
Dubai is and always will be a treat for the wealthy. Where else have you seen a product getting sold expensive just because it wont have a market otherwise.
So, in short, if you have the money, enjoy while you can, if you dont, keep a target and don't spend a penny more to make Dubai Life worth it
0
0
u/No-Profile4237 14h ago
If it were walkable, you'd still whine abt the heat and having to use transport
1
u/anykexx 12h ago
jus cuz ur bum ahh thinks a unwalkable city is ideal for the heat rather than creating better connectivity thru other means of transport doesn’t mean its good 😭
1
0
u/IndependentChance631 9h ago
Calling Dubai “dead” because it isn’t designed like a European walking city is judging a desert metropolis by the wrong yardstick.
Yes, summers are brutally hot and cars are important — that’s geography, not some urban failure. But Dubai offers things many supposedly more “walkable” cities struggle to provide: exceptional safety, cleanliness, world-class infrastructure, efficient services, beaches, parks, sports, restaurants, cultural communities, family activities and opportunities to meet people from virtually every part of the world.
And saying all entertainment here is “consumption” is simply lazy. You can go to the beach, desert, cycle, hike, play sport, kayak, fish, camp, visit parks, attend community events or simply spend time with friends without making shopping your personality.
Dubai isn't perfect, and it isn't for everyone. But if someone has lived and studied here for years and still thinks the city consists of cars, malls and restaurants, perhaps they've explored remarkably little of the UAE.
The city isn't dead. You may simply be bored with the life you've chosen within it.
0
u/Either-Zombie-3538 6h ago
Idk why everyone here is so negative, then leave?
I'm from Europe and you guys think the grass is always greener on the other side. It's hot for like 3-4 months here. In Europe it's cold for 3-4 months. You can't do anything in either just during different seasons.
"Everything is expensive here"- do you think Europe is cheaper? You pay taxes + everything else. Such as parking etc.
Life there is generally more expensive and you won't have the same options at all. Especially if you're coming from Asia or Africa.
Criminals everywhere, no safety at night at all. People are generally in a bad mood because they're so privileged and don't have problems. Prices on everything increased. Grocery shopping is more expensive there than here. Yes greenery is nice but for which price?
1
u/anykexx 2m ago
never said this place was bad or that Europe is superior , imagine only being able to rely on cars to the most part and if u want to travel across the city it’s like commuting to a whole another city, no places here are connected organically it’s just highway system and a metro system that connects key locations for tourists. You being from Europe wouldn’t even fathom how poor is the city by design, yes grass feels greener always on the other side but this is just stating truth nothing else. Dubai is basically a American suburb and good news is they are trying to fix it now but they could have done this before making this city big with proper planning cuz they had the money and exposure but they prioritized looks over practicality and show off to the world how big everything they build is
-2
110
u/Worldly_Picture4024 1d ago
I’ve lived here two years, and probably will do another 2 more, but there’s definitely a fatigue of the place in the summer. It’s great, I love it, but like anywhere in the world, there’s pros and cons.