# Dubai or Abu Dhabi



## TexasRanger (Feb 8, 2012)

*UAE or Dubai*

If you had a choice, would choose to live in the UAE or Dubai?


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## confused.dom (Jul 29, 2011)

TexasRanger said:


> If you had a choice, would choose to live in the UAE or Dubai?


Both for me, everytime.


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## ant1982 (Oct 4, 2009)

TexasRanger said:


> If you had a choice, would choose to live in the UAE or Dubai?


Dubai is in the UAE!


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## Anabelle (Dec 5, 2011)

TexasRanger said:


> If you had a choice, would choose to live in the UAE or Dubai?


Dubai is one of the Emirates that make up the UAE


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## TexasRanger (Feb 8, 2012)

I know! I made a mistake. I meant to write Dubai or Abu Dhabi.


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## TexasRanger (Feb 8, 2012)

I made a mistake in a previous post. 

If you had a choice, would you choose to live in Dubai and Abu Dhabi?


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## GreyGT-C (Dec 23, 2011)

Dubai is fun.... Abu Dhabi sucks....


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## TexasRanger (Feb 8, 2012)

GreyGT-C said:


> Dubai is fun.... Abu Dhabi sucks....


Why?


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Abu Dhabi. 

Is less divided and more meshed together. Doesnt have such a divided feel. 

The corniche and outdoor areas that are built into the city just seem to be more accessible and better maintained. 

The traffic is worse so to say, as is a small island but the city is more condensed. So even though you are sitting in traffic a bit more, the drive to go from here to there is less. 

Less tourtists wondering about. 

The city has the same amount of fast food crap from the uk and america but just seems to be more choices of no named places to go to (still just stuck with arabic or indian type places though in either city but ?? we are in the middle east). Not saying there are the family owned type places that so wish for but gives you a feel that you are actually in a middle eastern country. 

People just seem more friendly.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Lived in both... My choice would be Dubai without a shadow of a doubt.

Since you are from TX, think Dubai = Houston, and Abu Dhabi = Galveston (minus the beach scenary).

Some quick random (- and +) reasons that migth not still apply since we left Abu Dhabi 5 years ago:

- Abu Dhabi is officially an island, yet has less beach access than Dubai. With Yas Island, that might have changed but the beach area in Yas is limited in ammenities.

- Traffic is now much worse in AD than used to be. Taxi is cheaper (rate and distance) but have to deal with worse taxi drivers than Dubai (if you could think it is possible).

- Limited in places to go out (i.e. restaurants, bars, etc.)

- Housing costs more.

- Less malls, if you look for them.

- No SkiDubai 

- Further to the East Coast for better diving scene.

- Less options on almost everything, it is just a smaller place. People go to spend their week-ends in Dubai...

- Less golf courses.

- Locals are much-much less expat-friendly in AD.

- Crappy airport and crappy airline.

+ British was the highlight, great place to socialize and sports, etc. - if you could get in, long queue for membership. I wish there is something similar to that in southside of Dubai.

+ A lot of our good friends are still there.

+ Mussafah is great place for picking up hardware, auto-service, etc. (I had a replacement 6.0L Mercedes enginer replaced for US$1,500 inclusive of material and labor ). I hate to go to Sharjah in Dubai for anything...


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## TexasRanger (Feb 8, 2012)

ccr said:


> Lived in both... My choice would be Dubai without a shadow of a doubt.
> 
> Since you are from TX, think Dubai = Houston, and Abu Dhabi = Galveston (minus the beach scenary).
> 
> ...


Interesting! A friend in Al Ain says that AD is cheaper than Dubai (including housing). You think Etihad is crappy?


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## Saint Ari (Oct 1, 2010)

Dubai by a million miles! 

Our friend Jinxy here is on medication at this time.

She will tell you that she prefers Abu Dhabi because she "feels" like she doesnt get stared on as much ... and people are friendlier and also the fact that people are "forced" to live with each other ... or something along those lines...

I suggest that you drive and spend the day in Abu Dhabi ... $1 says that after 20 minutes you would want to drive back to Dubai. PERIOD. 

Just my $0.02.



Jynxgirl said:


> Abu Dhabi.
> 
> Is less divided and more meshed together. Doesnt have such a divided feel.
> 
> ...


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

TexasRanger said:


> Interesting! A friend in Al Ain says that AD is cheaper than Dubai (including housing). You think Etihad is crappy?


For the same accommodations that I have, it would cost ~15% or more in AD.

And, IMHO since I have seen more villas in AD than I can remember, the style used to be very distinct Arabic:

- floor plan of ground floor and upstairs are identical - for wife #1 and #2

- most of newer versions still has separate entrance for guest with separate greeting room so females in the house are still isolated. This room makes a great mancave BTW 

Going out in AD might be cheaper (may be), but the choices are much more limited. We used to drive to Dubai for special night out...

Oh, and parking in AD is a HUGE problem!

From (my consumer point of view) Etihad is crap compared to Emirates. And the AD airport sucks.

Taxi isn't as automated and available as in Dubai. From where I live, I could get a taxi to come to the house in a few minutes without talking to a single life person. Yes, I have heard complaints about waiting for taxi on Thursday/week-end peaks hours, but I never had same problem where I live.

Again, it will boil down to individual preference (like some will like living in UAE and some will not on the other thread). I do prefer Dubai...


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

As someone who lived in Abu Dhabi for20+ years and is now a Dubai resident, i feel Dubai still offers the average expat much more than Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi was a better place from 2000-2006 when Dubai was building up very quickly, and AUH took things more easily, however, now Abu dhabi feels much more congested, rents still have not come down that much and there is overall less stuff to do. 
And IMO people are not any more friendly in Abu dhabi, yes Dubai has a certain sort of people who act arrogant, but there is not much difference. 

If you notice traffic flow on Fridays you will see a huge flow into Dubai from AUH after 3pm and a corresponding flow back after 10pm. Thats pretty much your average AUH resident driving to Dubai for the weekend.


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## mukallawi (Dec 2, 2011)

Dubai ofcourse, Abudhabi is quite boring and limited.....


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

TexasRanger said:


> Interesting! A friend in Al Ain says that AD is cheaper than Dubai (including housing). You think Etihad is crappy?


AD may be cheaper if you want to live in the middle of nowhere off the Island. If you want to live in a location that would offer you access to the one big positive AD has (the Corniche), you are going to pay.

Traffic and parking alone are enough to reason not to live in AD. Unless you just love sitting through 4 cycles to get through a traffic light. If you live downtown just assume you are spending 30 minutes to find a spot every time you have to park your car. Parking is better now, but only because you have to pay.

My favorite thing to do in Abu Dhabi is get on the highway and start driving back to Dubai


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Saint Ari said:


> She will tell you that she prefers Abu Dhabi because she "feels" like she doesnt get stared on as much ...


Presumably she has not been to the heartlands of downtown Abu Dhabi like the area around the souk, Madinat Zayed and Electra..... 

Madinat Zayed Mall is the only mall my wife refuses to visit unaccompanied and its in no small reason because of the staring from loitering guys and shopkeepers alike.


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Just want to point out that Houston got mentioned in this thread. That is all.


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## indoMLA (Feb 6, 2011)

Okay, I guess I should make a comment since the mods will most likely erase my previous comment if I don't.

I like Abu Dhabi because of the reasons stated earlier.... the city just seems to be built better then Dubai, the beaches are nicer, the mix of people seems more in your face and less division of groups.... but living, no.... Dubai has it.... less crowded and parking is not such a hassle. 

I agree that Abu Dhabi is to the UAE what Galveston is to Texas (i.e. the armpit).


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## Eng.Khaled (Feb 8, 2011)

the only bad thing in Abu Dhabi is the housing costs. Aside from this I like the Arabic flavor of Abu Dhabi... It's less Western and Indian than Dubai, so you can feel you are in an Arabic city. Plus if you drive 10 KM then you drove from the top to the bottom of the island, while for Dubai I used to drive 30 KM going to work, and 30 going back home.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Eng.Khaled said:


> the only bad thing in Abu Dhabi is the housing costs. Aside from this I like the Arabic flavor of Abu Dhabi... It's less Western and Indian than Dubai, so you can feel you are in an Arabic city.


You know things change 180 degrees without you even noticing. 

Last year i was in Karama in Dubai which is a very "Indian" place and i heard the Iqama and Isha prayers recited and suddenly i became surprised. In Abu Dhabi you no longer hear recitations from masajid but in Dubai you do, so even if on the surface Abu Dhabi is 'less Arabic', the recitation part makes a difference.

And to drive 10 km in Abu Dhabi you will have to go through 10 signals, stopping 2-3 times at each. I always get more tired and stressed driving 10 km in AUH than i do driving from Marina to Mirdiff.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> ...heard the Iqama and Isha prayers recited...


Reminded me...

In AD, the goal (from years ago, not sure if implemented) was to build a mosque for each 1 km radius area.

So for non-Muslim, that means easier to find living accommodation farther from mosque in Dubai so you don't get awaken every morning at 5AM...


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## Eng.Khaled (Feb 8, 2011)

When I mentioned "Arabic flavor" I didn't mention Islamic rituals. You can hear Athaan and Iqama in all islamic countries including Istanbul and Sarajevo... 

In Abu Dhabi it's easy to hear people talking to each other in Arabic everywhere, despite Dubai... And Karama particularly! 


Tropicana said:


> You know things change 180 degrees without you even noticing.
> 
> Last year i was in Karama in Dubai which is a very "Indian" place and i heard the Iqama and Isha prayers recited and suddenly i became surprised. In Abu Dhabi you no longer hear recitations from masajid but in Dubai you do, so even if on the surface Abu Dhabi is 'less Arabic', the recitation part makes a difference.
> 
> And to drive 10 km in Abu Dhabi you will have to go through 10 signals, stopping 2-3 times at each. I always get more tired and stressed driving 10 km in AUH than i do driving from Marina to Mirdiff.


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## Ben_130 (Jan 24, 2011)

An interesting thread this. Especially for somebody like me who has not made the move yet.

When I started my job search (over a year ago now!) Dubai was my first choice. Maybe because I have spent more time there & seen most of the place. However, I have not come across one employment opportunity for myself in Duabi compared to the number of opportunities I have come across in Abu Dhabi including the conditional job offer I received a few months back.

At least with the other half being a teacher hopefully I wont have to pay the extortionate rent. Also I have spent time I Bahrain where its obviously not as mad as Dubai and I could live there (my girlfriend also enjoyed the one year she spent there) so I think I will be just fine in AD! Just want to move first though!


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

Eng.Khaled said:


> Plus if you drive 10 KM then you drove from the top to the bottom of the island, while for Dubai I used to drive 30 KM going to work, and 30 going back home.


Except it takes longer and by the time you drive 10 km in AD you are ready to kill someone because of the traffic.


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

Ben_130 said:


> An interesting thread this. Especially for somebody like me who has not made the move yet.
> 
> When I started my job search (over a year ago now!) Dubai was my first choice. Maybe because I have spent more time there & seen most of the place. However, I have not come across one employment opportunity for myself in Duabi compared to the number of opportunities I have come across in Abu Dhabi including the conditional job offer I received a few months back.


What is your field? I do agree that there are better job opportunities in AD, including better pay I think. I just deal with the drive and live in Dubai, to me the hour each way is worth it. When I lived on the Island some days it would take almost 40 minutes to get to work anyway, and I would be insane because of the traffic


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## Ben_130 (Jan 24, 2011)

fcjb1970 said:


> What is your field? I do agree that there are better job opportunities in AD, including better pay I think. I just deal with the drive and live in Dubai, to me the hour each way is worth it. When I lived on the Island some days it would take almost 40 minutes to get to work anyway, and I would be insane because of the traffic


I work in GIS (geographic information systems) not the most widely known field! Job offer I had is with AECOM. They are still waiting to start one of their big projects which I would be working on. Its just taking along time to start! 

I guess the nearer to August it gets before I go the better in a way as then hopefully the other half will have a job and being a teacher hopefully accommodation for us both which will save us a lot of money, especially living in AD! 

Maybe because I have only visited Dubai and never lived there then I wont find AD too bad?


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

Ben_130 said:


> I work in GIS (geographic information systems) not the most widely known field! Job offer I had is with AECOM.


Strangely enough not only do I know the field, it happens to be the field I am in.


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