Given its high quality of life and an active business community, the UAE attracts expat professionals from every part of the world. Until the early 2000s, real estate — both homes and offices — were not for sale to expats. Given the demand-supply equation, therefore, the cost of renting a house or office was relatively higher when compared with other countries. Things have changed since the gradual opening up of the real estate market even as rents remain comparatively high, especially during a booming business cycle. The cost of education, too, is on the higher side when compared with other countries in the region.

The average cost of living for a family of four is Dh12,000 ($3,000) per month. Besides rent, this includes groceries, transport, leisure activities and eating out.

In March 2021, Numbeo, a crowd-sourced global database of country-specific stats, placed the UAE as the 36th most expensive country to live in among the 138 countries that it ranks.

The country has seen a consistent decline in rent, property prices and cost of education, transportation and dining out, among others, over the past 12 months.

This means that the UAE is now substantially less expensive to live in than other expat hotspots like Switzerland (#2), Australia (#11), Hong Kong (#16), New Zealand (#18), the US (#27), the UK (#28), Germany (#29) and even Canada (#30).