Moving to the Middle East

Dubai & Saudi Arabia

Healthcare

The quality of health care in Dubai & Saudi Arabia is generally high and equal to that in the West, except for highly specialised treatment.

• Owing to Dubai & Saudi Arabia’s small population and the numerous medical facilities in the private and public sectors, long waiting lists are almost unheard of.
• For specialised treatment, however, it’s sometimes necessary to seek medical assistance outside Dubai & Saudi Arabia.
• Although some of Dubai & Saudi Arabia’s doctors and medical staff are local, the vast majority are foreign and were trained in their home countries.
• The attraction of Dubai & Saudi Arabia for them is the same as for most other expatriates: financial reward.

Tax

Salaries in Dubai & Saudi Arabia are usually similar to or greater than those paid in western countries.

• Because the region has no personal taxation, net income is usually much greater than in the West.
• This is obviously one of the major attractions of working in Dubai & Saudi Arabia.
• In the past, remuneration packages were split into various elements: basic salary, car provision or allowance, housing provision or allowance, medical cover, education for children and air tickets for home visits.
• Today, however, employers tend just to pay a salary, which covers all these expenses.

Accommodation

Most accommodation is in urban or suburban areas; the desert is for camels and the Bedouin. Most visitors are pleasantly surprised when they see Dubai and the cities of Saudi Arabia for the first time, the modern architecture co-existing with traditional houses and ancient wind-towers. New buildings are often spectacular, as oil has provided the money for the best architects, builders and materials. Indeed, there’s competition between developers, who tend to be wealthy merchant families, to build the most impressive structure.

Many construction projects are under way and, when you’re choosing accommodation, you should check whether further construction is planned on surrounding land, as the resulting noise, dust and general inconvenience can be intrusive, sometimes for 24 hours per day.

Dubai rental costs are on a par with those in Geneva, one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in.

Short-term lets are charged at a higher rate than longer ones. Serviced apartments are available in all states, although not widely, and cost between 30 and 50 per cent more than unserviced apartments; services normally include cleaning, laundry and linen-changing.