Reviewed by Stan, Head of Hiring Department, TLNT.aeMost of the anxiety before a move is not about the job. It is about the small things: what happens if I get ill, how do I get to work, is a car necessary, how hot is it really, where do I buy normal food, will anyone understand my English, is there anyone who speaks Russian. The answers are reassuring, and this guide gives them as they are: how the health insurance your employer provides works in practice, where the clinics and pharmacies are, what to do in an emergency, how to choose between the Metro, taxis and a car and what each costs as an orientation, how the year's weather shapes life, which apps run the daily routine, and what the language reality is for a Russian-speaking newcomer. Everything is available in Dubai; the skill is knowing where to look.
Talk to usHealth insurance for employees is mandatory in Dubai and the employer arranges and pays for it; it is part of practically every offer. What varies is the plan level, and that decides which clinics you can walk into and what you pay at the desk.
Dubai's healthcare is dense and modern: a clinic within walking distance in almost every residential district, hospitals with emergency departments across the city, pharmacies on most corners, many of them open late or around the clock. Clinics are licensed by the DHA, and licensed doctors are listed in its public register, which you can check.
Dubai is a car city with excellent public transport along its main corridors. Where you live and work decides the answer. The figures are an orientation, autumn 2026, check current fares on the RTA site and current rental prices directly.
| Option | When it works | Orientation, AED per month |
|---|---|---|
| Metro and bus with a Nol card | Home and work both near a Metro station (Red Line along Sheikh Zayed Road, Green Line through Deira and Bur Dubai), or a short bus or walk away; air-conditioned stations and trains, women and children cabins available | pay-per-trip costs a few AED per journey; a monthly pass for the zones you use costs a few hundred AED |
| Taxi and ride-hailing | Evenings, groceries, the summer months, areas without Metro; RTA taxis have meters, Careem and Uber work everywhere, Hala taxis are booked in the Careem app | a short ride costs from the low tens of AED; relying on taxis daily adds up to roughly 1,000 - 2,500 a month |
| Car rental, small car | Living in a community without Metro, a family, a job with travel between sites; monthly and yearly rentals with insurance included are standard, no purchase needed | roughly 1,500 - 2,500 for the rental; add fuel (published monthly, low by European standards), Salik toll gates (a few AED per crossing), parking (free in most residential communities, paid in central districts) |
| Own car | After the first year, when you know you are staying; used cars are plentiful, financing exists for residents | a deposit plus monthly instalment; insurance and registration yearly, check with dealers and insurers |
| E-scooter, bicycle, walking | Inside communities and along cycle tracks in the cooler months; a permit is required for e-scooters on public roads | low; not a commute option in summer |
| Driving licence | Holders of licences from a list of countries can convert them with an eye test; others take lessons and a test. The list is published by the RTA, check your country | conversion is cheap and quick; lessons and tests are a real cost, budget for them if your country is not on the list |
The climate is the thing people fear most and adjust to fastest. Dubai has two seasons, and the city is built around them: everything indoors is cooled, and life moves outdoors the moment the heat breaks.
Dubai is one of the most digitised cities to live in. Most of the administrative routine happens in apps, and most of the daily routine can be delivered to the door.
English is the working language of Dubai: shops, clinics, banks, taxis, government services and most workplaces run in it. Arabic is the official language and a plus in some roles, but daily life does not require it. Russian is widely heard and the community is large enough to have its own infrastructure.
TLNT is a hiring consultancy. Employers in Dubai ask us to search for specialists against agreed criteria; we assess candidates on practical tasks and introduce the ones who meet the criteria. The employer makes the hiring decision and agrees the terms with you directly; you are employed directly by the employer's company, which arranges your health insurance and sponsors your work visa, and we give a step-by-step checklist for the move. We do not give medical, legal or immigration advice; the authorities and your employer's HR are the sources for rules.
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.
Not necessarily. If home and work are both near a Metro station or a short bus ride apart, the Metro and a Nol card cover most days, with taxis for evenings and the summer. If you live in a community without Metro or have a family, a small rental car (orientation, autumn 2026: roughly 1,500 - 2,500 AED per month plus fuel, Salik tolls and parking) is the usual answer in the first year, with no purchase needed. Check current fares on the RTA site and rental prices directly.
Employees are covered by health insurance that the employer must arrange and pay for in Dubai. It is not free healthcare in the public sense: you use the clinics in your plan's network, pay a small co-payment where the plan has one, and some tests and procedures need the insurer's pre-approval, which the clinic obtains. Basic plans limit dental, optical and maternity. Dependants need their own policy, which is the sponsor's responsibility unless the employer includes family cover.
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.
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Message on WhatsAppReviewed by Stan, Head of Hiring Department, TLNT.aeCite as: TLNT.ae, "Healthcare, transport and daily life in Dubai for a newcomer how the everyday things work in the first months, calmly and without surprises", 2026, https://tlnt.ae/en/guides/healthcare-transport-daily-life-dubai-newcomer/. Prepared by TLNT.ae, a hiring consultancy working in the UAE since 2022.