Moving to Dubai: myths and fears what is true, what is exaggerated and how people actually live here

Heat, rules and dress code

The three fears that come first and are the easiest to settle, because millions of people live with them every day.

• Heat, what is true: from roughly June to September it is very hot and humid, and the middle of the day is spent indoors. What is exaggerated: that life stops. Life moves: offices, malls, metro, taxis, gyms and clinics are air-conditioned, people walk, run and meet early in the morning and after sunset, and from about October to April the weather is what northern Europeans fly here for. Plan the first months around it: light clothes, water, sun protection, a flat near the metro or your work
• Rules, what is true: the UAE has clear public-conduct rules and takes them seriously: respect in public places, no aggressive behaviour, care with what you post about people and institutions, nothing that offends religion. What is exaggerated: that you are one wrong step from trouble. People who behave as they would in any professional setting at home have no issue. Read the official guidance for residents once and follow it
• Dress code, what is true: modest dress is expected in government offices, courts, mosques and old neighbourhoods, and employers have their own business or uniform rules. What is exaggerated: that women must cover up everywhere. In malls, offices, restaurants and on the street ordinary smart or casual clothing is normal; beachwear belongs to beaches and pools. The simple rule many residents use: shoulders and knees covered in official places, common sense everywhere else
• How people actually live: they adjust in a few weeks, keep a cardigan for the AC rather than the sun, and stop noticing the questions that worried them before the flight

Alcohol, language and "everything is expensive"

Three fears where the truth is more relaxed than the myth, with one honest exception: housing.

• Alcohol, what is true: it is served to adults in licensed venues (hotels, licensed restaurants and bars) and sold in licensed shops; public drunkenness and drinking in public places are not tolerated. What is exaggerated: that the city is dry. For a resident who drinks a glass of wine at dinner nothing changes except price and place. Rules can change; check the current official rules rather than a forum post
• Language, what is true: English is the everyday language of work, services, banks, clinics, apps and government portals; you need working English, and the better it is, the better your options. What is exaggerated: that you need Arabic. Learning greetings and courtesy phrases is appreciated and useful, Arabic is a plus in some roles, but daily life runs in English. Russian is widely spoken in beauty, medicine, hospitality, real estate and retail because of the large Russian-speaking client base, which is exactly why Russian-speaking specialists are in demand
• Prices, what is true: housing is the big cost, and rent is often paid in advance; eating out in tourist areas and imported brands are expensive. What is exaggerated: that everything is. Groceries vary a lot by store (Carrefour, Lulu, Union Coop, Viva and local markets differ widely for the same basket), public transport is affordable, mobile plans and petrol are not the expensive part, and there is no personal income tax on salaries, so compare your net at home with your gross here
• How to check it yourself (orientation, autumn 2026, check current prices): price the same eight lines in your home city and in Dubai: a room or a studio, a weekly grocery basket, a monthly transport pass or 40 metro trips, a mobile plan, a gym, a haircut, a lunch near work, a doctor visit with and without insurance; then put your net salary in each city next to each list. Many people find Dubai comparable to Moscow, Istanbul, Warsaw or Berlin on most lines and higher on housing; your own list decides, not ours
• How people actually live: they choose a district by commute and budget rather than by Instagram, learn which supermarket is cheap for what, use the metro and the Nol card, and keep the fancy restaurants for guests

Loneliness and "there is no career for Russian speakers"

Two fears that are about people, not about the city, and both have practical answers.

• Loneliness, what is true: the first months can be lonely; you arrive without your circle, the work is new and the city is spread out. What is exaggerated: that it stays that way. Dubai is a city of newcomers, so almost everyone you meet has been new recently and knows how it feels. Communities form fast around work, language, sport, children's schools, hobby groups and neighbourhoods
• What helps in practice: say yes to invitations in the first three months even when tired, join one regular activity (a running group, a class, a volunteer project, a language exchange), use professional communities for your field, and plan the first visit home or the first visit from family before you fly, so the calendar has a warm date in it
• Career, what is true: titles and licences matter, English matters, and in medicine you work only within the licence the regulator issues; some home qualifications need extra steps. What is exaggerated: that Russian-speaking specialists are stuck in low roles. Beauty masters, nurses, doctors, administrators, assistants and sales specialists with Russian and English serve a large Russian-speaking client base and are hired exactly for that combination, and good work in Dubai is noticed: managers, clinic and salon directors, business owners and executive assistants here often started a few steps lower
• How to check it: read our salary guides for your role (Salary Index, assistant salary, office staff salaries, doctor salaries), compare them with your current pay, and talk to two people in your profession who moved three or more years ago; ask what they earn now compared with the first year
• How people actually live: they treat the first job as the entry ticket, keep learning (English, tools, a licence step), build references and move up or move employer within a couple of years; the ones who stall usually stopped learning English

Safety and bureaucracy

The last two fears, where the reality is usually a pleasant surprise.

• Safety, what is true: no city is risk-free, and road traffic deserves respect. What is exaggerated: that a newcomer, a woman alone or a family should worry about walking in the evening. Dubai is widely regarded as a safe city; residents commonly leave a laptop on a cafe table, women take taxis and the metro alone at night, children play outside in the evening when it is cool. Keep ordinary common sense, follow the rules, and this fear tends to disappear in the first week
• Bureaucracy, what is true: there are steps after landing: the employer's visa process, medical fitness test, Emirates ID, a bank account, a tenancy registration (Ejari), utilities (DEWA), a SIM. What is exaggerated: that you will drown in paperwork. Most of it is digital, through apps and portals, most of the employer side is done by their PRO or HR, and the parts that are yours follow a predictable order; our first-30-days checklist walks through them week by week
• What is really yours to prepare: documents from home with legalisation and official translation (diplomas, marriage and birth certificates, police clearance where required), see our documents guide; passport validity; digital copies of everything
• Visa facts, carefully: the employer who hires you arranges and pays for the work permit and visa; family can be sponsored once you hold residence, subject to the income and housing conditions set by the authorities, and a registered tenancy is normally needed. Rules change, so check the current ones on the official portals (ICP, GDRFA, MOHRE) and never pay anyone for a job or a visa
• How people actually live: they download the official apps in the first week, keep PDF copies of every document in a cloud folder, ask HR what the employer handles and what they handle, and discover that most things close in a few visits or none at all

What is actually hard, so you prepare for it

Honesty cuts both ways. These are the parts that do not go away with information and are worth planning for; none of them is a reason not to come, all of them are reasons to come prepared.

• Distance from family: plan flights and budget for them; a trip home once or twice a year is part of the cost of the move
• Money before the first salary: rent in advance, deposit, agency fee, temporary stay; have two to three months of living costs plus the one-off set-up costs, as our decision framework explains
• The first job is a probation: you are assessed again, in a new standard, and the contract's probation and notice terms matter; read them before you sign, see our guide on probation and notice
• The summer: plan the first summer with indoor routines, a trip home or simply lower expectations of yourself for ten weeks
• Your English: everything above is easier with it; start before the move, not after
• The upside is real: a tax-free salary, a safe and convenient city, international experience and a client base that values your language; people who prepare for the hard parts usually describe the move as the best decision of their career

How we help

TLNT is a hiring consultancy. Employers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi ask us to search for specialists against criteria agreed at the start; we assess candidates on practical tasks and introduce the ones who meet the criteria. The employer interviews, makes the hiring decision and agrees the terms with you directly; you are employed by the employer's company, the employer sponsors the visa and we give a step-by-step checklist. We do not give immigration advice; check the current rules on the official portals.

For candidates: send your CV through our candidates page or build one in the free CV builder; we let you know when an employer has a matching vacancy. Candidates never pay us.

Our fee is fixed for each role and agreed before the search starts. A 10% prepayment of the fee starts the search, the rest is due once the person has started work. If it does not work out, we find a replacement free of charge; the period is set in the contract. Consulting and CRM projects are priced after a free review.