Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is characterized by low taxes. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in startups, business freedom and safety.
Dubai is one of the top ten city matches for 6.9% of Teleport users.
/11,45,1/510x340.png?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidGVsZXBvcnQiLCJhIjoiY2lnM3VqNXVqMDJsaHYza2gwN2wzdXhidCJ9.PuTxgLkbswKZzPhzlKgv4A)
Housing| Large apartment | $2500.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $2000.00 |
| Rent index [score] | 0.21 |
| Small apartment | $1500.00 |
Cost of Living| 5km taxi ride | $4.60 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $4.80 |
| A beer | $2.90 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $2.40 |
| Bread | $0.55 |
| Inflation [score] | 0.55 |
| Lunch | $12.00 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $100.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $72.00 |
| Movie ticket | $11.00 |
| Price of a meal at a restaurant | $68.29 |
Startups| Average monthly increase in number of startups | 17 |
|---|---|
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.65 |
| Coworking spaces [score] | 0.61 |
| Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co | 12 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.72 |
| Meetups groups | 200 |
| Meetups members | 107619 |
| Number of investors | 203 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 639 |
| Number of upcoming meetup events | 28 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.65 |
| Startup events | 74 |
| Startup events [score] | 0.62 |
| Startups [score] | 0.81 |
| Total number of startups | 620 |
Venture Capital| Funding accelerator names | SeedStartup, i360accelerator |
|---|---|
| Number of funding accelerators | 2 |
| Venture capital [score] | 0.42 |
Travel Connectivity| Airport hub | 215 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.90 |
Commute| Traffic handling [score] | 0.45 |
|---|
Business Freedom| Business freedom | 79.60 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.76 |
| Freedom from corruption | 70.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.73 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 80.70 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 0.81 |
| Time to open a business | 8.00 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.92 |
Safety| Crime rate [score] | 0.95 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 1 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 22 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.96 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 0.88 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.92 |
Healthcare| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.63 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.69 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.07 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.62 |
Education| Best university in ranking | American University of Sharjah |
|---|---|
| Best university ranking | 700 |
| Country mean scores in PISA math test | 431.29 |
| Country mean scores in PISA reading test | 441.70 |
| Country mean scores in PISA science test | 448.37 |
| PISA math ranking (high school) | 38 |
| PISA ranking | 41 |
| PISA ranking (high school) [score] | 0.36 |
| PISA reading (high school) | 35 |
| PISA science (high school) | 37 |
| Percent of happy students | 0.79 |
| University quality [score] | 0.10 |
Environmental Quality| Air quality [score] | 0.49 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.85 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.55 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.53 |
Economy| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 3.67 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | AED |
| GDP growth rate | 0.04 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 0.58 |
| GDP per capita | $64478.67 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 1.00 |
Taxation| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 1.00 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 1.00 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.16 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 12 |
Internet Access| Download speed (Mbps) | 19.84 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.35 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.28 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 5.90 |
Leisure & Culture| Art galleries | 119 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.72 |
| Cinemas | 115 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.74 |
| Comedy clubs | 27 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 0.87 |
| Concert venues | 89 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.47 |
| Historical sites | 42 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.39 |
| Museums | 48 |
| Museums [score] | 0.55 |
| Performing art venues | 103 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.47 |
| Sport venues | 45 |
| Sports [score] | 0.56 |
| Zoos | 14 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.88 |
Tolerance| LGBT Equality Index | 23.96 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.21 |
| LGBT adoption rights | ✖ Illegal |
| LGBT age of consent | N/A |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | ✖ Not banned |
| LGBT discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✖ Illegal |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | Male illegal, female uncertain |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT marriage rights | ✖ Not legal |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.87 |
Outdoors| Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 0.18 |
|---|---|
| Median peak in meters | 326.00 |
| Presence of hills in city | 1.00 |
| Presence of mountains in city | 1.00 |
| Seaside access | 1.00 |
| Urban area elevation (meters) | 8.00 |
| Water access [score] | 0.98 |
Costs of living in Dubai are in the 144th place of all 248 Teleport cities. Average living expenses are significantly higher compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
 Monthly fitness club membership | $100 |
|---|---|
 Movie ticket | $11 |
 Broadband internet connection | $79 |
 Monthly public transport | $72 |
 Lunch | $12 |
Software Engineer salaries in Dubai are above average. For this job type, Dubai ranks 108th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Dubai.
The overall crime rate puts Dubai in position 16 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Male Illegal
Female Uncertain
Illegal
No Protections
Not Legal
Illegal
337
A video by The New York Times
Dubai (Arabic: دبي) is a cosmopolitan metropolis and global city on the Arabian Peninsula. One of the ten most popular tourist destinations in the world, it is developing rapidly in tourism and trade. It calls itself one of the more modern and progressive cities in the Middle East, but it has been severely criticized for the mistreatment of workers, especially those whose home countries are on the Subcontinent. Critics investigating the labor situation, including professor Andrew Ross, of New York University, which opened a campus in the UAE in 2014, have been barred from entry by the local authorities. Dubai is sometimes mistakenly thought of as a country, though it is part of the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai is a commercial and cultural hub of the Middle East, it's a global transport hub, and has attracted world attention through many large innovative construction projects and sports events. The city is symbolised by its skyscrapers, including the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in addition to ambitious development projects including man-made islands, world class luxury hotels, and some of the largest and extraordinarily modern shopping malls in the world.
Read moreEvery city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Teleport Zen is a personalized to-do list and moving guide.
We've got you covered from job search and apartment hunting to visa advice.
Find on Facebook