Live in Dubai

Living in Dubai is highly attractive to many as a result of the good quality of life it provides through tax free salaries and relatively cheap living costs. This allows peoples money to go a lot further than it would back home.

Year round sunshine and low crime rates ensure a pleasant and safe environment that few plan to leave. Bars and nightclubs are found in hotels as to comply with the alcohol licensing laws and the result of this is that if you like going out, you’ll find yourself in some of the best hotels in the world on a frequent basis.

Cost Of Living :

The Cost of living is still reasonably good value when compared to other major cities, however, some aspects are not as good in value. Rent is the largest outgoing for most, and can take up a large proportion of one's salary. However this is now starting to level out and has now been capped at a 7% increase per year. The completion of new development projects should also ease rental incomes in the near future to a more reasonable and sustainable level.

Food costs are generally low, with fresh meat, fish and fruits particularly good value. Supermarkets sell an extensive array of products, so most goods you would expect to see back home can be found here.
Cars are inexpensive in Dubai, and petrol better value still. Therefore living in Dubai isn’t as expensive as one would assume from the lifestyle it provides and many companies will even provide accommodation and car allowances.

Driving and Car Buying :

To obtain a Dubai driving license you will need a Dubai issued residency visa and must be over the age of 18. For a number of countries shown in the table below, it is possible to simply transfer your international license to a Dubai license without having to take a test. However, it’s only necessary to transfer to a Dubai license if you plan on living in Dubai.

Australia	France	Japan	South Africa
Austria	Germany	Luxembourg	South Korea
Belgium	Greece	New Zealand	Spain
Canada	Holland	Norway	Sweden
Czech Republic	Iceland	Poland	Switzerland
Cyprus	Iran	Portugal	Turkey
Denmark	Ireland	Singapore	United Kingdom
Finland	Italy	Slovakia	USA

Cars in Dubai are very good value due to the savings made on tax. To purchase a car you need copies of your passport and residency visa, your driving license and a photocopy of it.

Postal Services

There is no house to house postal service in Dubai, with all mail instead being delivered to a central post office then sent to a PO Box in one of 22 post office branches in Dubai. You can either have mail sent to your place of employment or you can rent your own PO Box. To do so, you will need a your residency visa and 2 copies, 2 copies of your passport and 2 passport sized photos. The cost will be 150 DHS for a year’s rental.

Bank Accounts

It can be very useful to get a Dubai bank account, especially in the long term. Savings accounts can be opened without a residency visa, but a current account will require one. A saving account will provide you with an ATM card, whilst with a current account you can apply for a cheque book or personal loan.