# Dubai or Singapore?



## Indian_Guy

I live in India right now and I am planning to either immigrate to Dubai or Singapore. In fact, I have already got my Singapore employment pass for one year. I have an online business so my income varies from USD 5000 - 15000 per month. I have not yet moved to Singapore due to these reasons:

1. The house rent in Singapore is very high (more than USD 2400).
2. The house which I would get for USD 2400 would be OK with not much amenities.
3. The electricity rates in Singapore are bit high. This means I will have to think twice before using my AC.
4. The Singapore Govt. is very strict in giving PR or renewing the employment pass nowadays. So I am not sure whether they will renew it for me every year. One fine day they would just reject it without giving any reason. This has happened to people.

Advantages of living in Dubai:

1. Very close to India.
2. House rents are comparatively cheaper.
3. Food suits us Indians.

I personally like Singapore more in terms of security, cleanliness, discipline, public transport. I have been to Dubai but have stayed there just for a day so not sure how it is. Can anyone help me in making a decision? I am married and would like to live a good life and save money for family.


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## XDoodlebugger

Indian_Guy said:


> I live in India right now and I am planning to either immigrate to Dubai or Singapore. In fact, I have already got my Singapore employment pass for one year. I have an online business so my income varies from USD 5000 - 15000 per month. I have not yet moved to Singapore due to these reasons:
> 
> 1. The house rent in Singapore is very high (more than USD 2400).
> 2. The house which I would get for USD 2400 would be OK with not much amenities.
> 3. The electricity rates in Singapore are bit high. This means I will have to think twice before using my AC.
> 4. The Singapore Govt. is very strict in giving PR or renewing the employment pass nowadays. So I am not sure whether they will renew it for me every year. One fine day they would just reject it without giving any reason. This has happened to people.
> 
> Advantages of living in Dubai:
> 
> 1. Very close to India.
> 2. House rents are comparatively cheaper.
> 3. Food suits us Indians.
> 
> I personally like Singapore more in terms of security, cleanliness, discipline, public transport. I have been to Dubai but have stayed there just for a day so not sure how it is. Can anyone help me in making a decision? I am married and would like to live a good life and save money for family.


I have to ask why? You have an online business that provides a decent income, why come to a high cost country to live?


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## javakiss01

To be sincere Singapore is one of the most beautiful and decent places I have ever been to, making up your mind on either Dubai or Singapore really depends on what you earn from your business........singapore is a nice place to raise up a family, so I will always recommend Singapore.


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## Canuck_Sens

@ Doodle. You would need to live in India to understand why. It is a good thing to seek for a better life for you family.

@ Indian guy. Why don't you move to Canada using the investor VISA ? I am not sure what the requirements are. But if you can draw 15K USD and save you sure will meet the requirements and rents are way cheaper. I truly believe you can even buy something as there are some Indian banks there and they will give you loans for houses.

Singapore hands down is better than Dubai in many ways, but it is expensive and wages tend to be lower. I would personally live in Singapore for the right offer. In Dubai you have more Indians living here no doubt and yup you can set up a business here (not that expensive) and rents vary greatly. However, there is not such a thing called citizenship here. There are no social benefits as this is a income free society (sort of)

BUT if you move to Singapore and become a citizen/ PR or even in Canada...you will feel immediately the benefits of being a Canadian or a Singaporean Citizen. This may have a huge repercussion to your kids and you will notice like most imigrants do when they move.

If your income comes from India either way and you are just looking to live somewhere else, you can go to many places. You are not limited to Singapore and/ or Dubai


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## Mr Rossi

What is your actual business and is it transferable to Dubai? Remember you will have to take out a business licence here to operate and obtain visas. They start at around 4000 USD per year but they are restrictive with what you can actually do and how many visas you will be allowed.

Rent is also expensive here, as are school fees and medical care. Electricity is affordable in flats but if you move to a villa then the costs add up. 

Dubai is safer than some other cities in the world but it's not without it's problems and crime. Many go unreported giving the impression it's safer than it is. Not mention heightened risks of being in a car accident and things like that.

Finally, as an Indian, you, your wife and your child will experience racism. Prejudice is ingrained into many walks of life and openly displayed by many other nationalities.


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## Indian_Guy

1. India is a good place to live but I think I can do better for my family by moving to a cleaner and safer country.

2. My income is from US and I can work from anywhere with a computer and an Internet connection.

3. I had thought about Canada but it is too far from India. It does not matter a lot but I have family and friends here so visiting India on a vacation would be good thing for me and my wife.

4. 15K a month would be my best month. I am sorry if I passed a wrong message. Right now I am averaging about 6-7K USD per month. This obviously can and will increase when I start my own office and hire people wherever I settle.

I personally think that with such an income, I would live a life in Singapore without much savings and will have to think twice before planning a vacation or even going out for a dinner. Whereas, I would live a better life in Dubai where I can spend a bit and even save some money. So there are some plus and minuses which are causing the confusion.

I might be wrong and all your help is greatly appreciated.


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## pamela0810

If you are earning that much after paying your taxes, then I would recommend that you stay put. Not sure where exactly in India you live but if it's one of the big cities, then you can afford to live a very comfortable lifestyle with that kind of money.

Expense-wise, I'm assuming that Dubai and Singapore are quite on par with each other. Depending on the comforts that you would like to enjoy, Dubai can actually be very expensive or quite economical. You could choose to live in a one bedroom apartment in Karama or Burdubai, send your kids to an Indian school and never venture outside of your neighbourhood and actually save about 30-40% of your salary each month. On the other hand, you could move into a villa, send your kids to an expensive International school and enjoy Friday brunches, and can very easily spend all of your money living a fancy lifestyle.

Now if you had to choose between Canada, Dubai or Singapore....Canada would win hands down in my opinion. I understand that it is far from your friends and family but you are at least ensuring that you have a better future. 

You will always be an outsider in Dubai and will eventually have to go back home. Also, as Rossi has already mentioned, racism is quite blatant here and you really need to have a thick skin to ignore it.

Lastly, I get the cleanliness thing but safety isn't guaranteed no matter where you go. Dubai is not zero percent crime free and you have absolutely no rights here whatsoever. You bounce a cheque and your landord complains, you get thrown in jail, simple as that.


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## Indian_Guy

How about Abu Dhabi? Never been there but have seen people say that it's better than Dubai.


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## xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxStewartC

If I was able to be based anywhere in the world, Dubai or UAE are the last places I would consider. I've also lived in Singapore and its pros and cons are already covered in this thread. If I could be based anywhere, I would have several homes and share my time between: Thailand; France; and England.


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## ziokendo

I believe you received excellent advice in this thread, very "centered".

Myself I kind of understand the fascination of many Indians for Dubai, it's easier to get friends and family because of the huge local community and the short distance to homeland, and the reaction to the climate is better to what a swedish would have  but let's face it - if your income is not coming from here - there are not many reason to stay.

You would be self employed paying medical insurance, visas and school fee for your family while averaging 25000 aed/month. Is not bad but won't make you rich.


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## Indian_Guy

So, I think sticking to plans for Singapore would be the better option?. Frankly, I have never thought of moving to Europe as it is expensive and countries like Thailand/Malaysia never impressed me. Please let me know if you think otherwise or have any other ideas.


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## rsinner

ziokendo said:


> I believe you received excellent advice in this thread, very "centered".
> 
> Myself I kind of understand the fascination of many Indians for Dubai, it's easier to get friends and family because of the huge local community and the short distance to homeland, and the reaction to the climate is better to what a swedish would have  but let's face it - if your income is not coming from here - there are not many reason to stay.
> 
> You would be self employed paying medical insurance, visas and school fee for your family while averaging 25000 aed/month. Is not bad but won't make you rich.


1. There is no way I would ever choose Dubai over S'pore
2. Dont overestimate the "local community" aspect. Indians don't think of themskves as Indians - they think of themselves in terms of caste/ community/ state. I probably have more things in common with a Pakistani or English guy for example, than a lot of Indians here. And I wont forget this incident which happened a few months back - i was at abu dhabi airport, when it was really crowded and my son was crying like crazy. I needed to get out of the immigration queue and i saw an indian guys letting a family through. When i asked him to do so, he spoke to me in his native language, but being from a different part of india i spoke in english. He rudely asked me to go back in the queue. And then an Emirati guy comes and very politely lets me through. Go figure.

Pamela's reply is very accurate in terms of living costs.


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## rsinner

Indian_Guy said:


> So, I think sticking to plans for Singapore would be the better option?. Frankly, I have never thought of moving to Europe as it is expensive and countries like Thailand/Malaysia never impressed me. Please let me know if you think otherwise or have any other ideas.


Canada is already mentioned. Australia and New Zealnd are too far out. Maybe Hong Kong? Comparable in costs to both Dubai and Sgp but it is a bit Chinese in character


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## Indian_Guy

rsinner said:


> 1. There is no way I would ever choose Dubai over S'pore
> 2. Dont overestimate the "local community" aspect. Indians don't think of themskves as Indians - they think of themselves in terms of caste/ community/ state. I probably have more things in common with a Pakistani or English guy for example, than a lot of Indians here. And I wont forget this incident which happened a few months back - i was at abu dhabi airport, when it was really crowded and my son was crying like crazy. I needed to get out of the immigration queue and i saw an indian guys letting a family through. When i asked him to do so, he spoke to me in his native language, but being from a different part of india i spoke in english. He rudely asked me to go back in the queue. And then an Emirati guy comes and very politely lets me through. Go figure.
> 
> Pamela's reply is very accurate in terms of living costs.


Same thing happened to me in Singapore. My son was crying and they asked us to come to a desk which was only for locals and PR holders. I never knew such things about Dubai. Really shocking considering the fact that there are lot of Indians there.


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## Tropicana

rsinner said:


> . When i asked him to do so, he spoke to me in his native language, but being from a different part of india i spoke in english..


Happens to me all the time; Indians from a particular area act as if every Asian person knows their language, and some actually have the gall to say "70% of people in UAE are m*****" .....


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## ziokendo

rsinner said:


> 1. There is no way I would ever choose Dubai over S'pore
> 2. Dont overestimate the "local community" aspect. Indians don't think of themskves as Indians - they think of themselves in terms of caste/ community/state....


Hmm, thanks for your perspective, didn't think about that ... clearly I know little about the subcontinent


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## Canuck_Sens

@ Indian guy

I feel that you do not know yet what your priorities are. Or at least the order of importance.

You do not discard a country simply because it is too far unless you think that distance to family has more importance than quality of life.

Quality of life and Standard of life are two different things. In some places you will get a pretty good quality of life but your standard may fall due to taxes. And no. A better standard of life is not a guarantee of a better quality of life. Dubai reminds me of that everyday. Of course quality of life has different meanings to everyone. You gotta figure that out too.

Once you make up your mind then you do research as to where you wanna go.


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## XDoodlebugger

Canuck_Sens said:


> @ Doodle. You would need to live in India to understand why. It is a good thing to seek for a better life for you family.


I've been to India several times and have friends who live there quite comfortably. I understand his wishing to leave but move to Singapore or Dubai?

I like both places but personally if I was in his position I would consider a place like Thailand where you can live comfortably for much less of your cash flow.


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## Tropicana

Singapore and Dubai are similar in some ways and different in others. 

In all probablity, in Dubai you are likely to have a bigger apartment and a much better car than in Singapore. You will also see 2 seasons as opposed to just 1 in Singapore.

OTTH, Singapore is good in other areas, such as education, lesser discrimination. You will never see this happen : I was turning left on a round about last night, went to take 3rd exit (indicators being used) and my car was hit from behind by a young guy with... | 7 Days Dubai.

Another difference is the pace of life: people in Singapore walk faster, eat faster, talk faster, the only thing "slower" there are the roads. OTTH, most things in Dubai feel more leisurely, malls have chairs, escalators move slower, however the roads are fast and you will see many people driving maniacally, (specially in these days) to catch a meal of all things, when a couple of dates in the car would suffice


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## currently_indian

Indian_Guy said:


> 1. India is a good place to live but I think I can do better for my family by moving to a cleaner and safer country.
> 
> 2. My income is from US and I can work from anywhere with a computer and an Internet connection.
> 
> 3. I had thought about Canada but it is too far from India. It does not matter a lot but I have family and friends here so visiting India on a vacation would be good thing for me and my wife.
> 
> 4. 15K a month would be my best month. I am sorry if I passed a wrong message. Right now I am averaging about 6-7K USD per month. This obviously can and will increase when I start my own office and hire people wherever I settle.
> 
> I personally think that with such an income, I would live a life in Singapore without much savings and will have to think twice before planning a vacation or even going out for a dinner. Whereas, I would live a better life in Dubai where I can spend a bit and even save some money. So there are some plus and minuses which are causing the confusion.
> 
> I might be wrong and all your help is greatly appreciated.


@Indian guy

You won't believe I am in exactly the same boat as you, though my current income is little bit higher and it can vary. I am in the business of selling iPhone/iPad apps. With this income I would definitely want to move out of India and live a better life. I visited Singapore in December and it was a fabulous place. Dubai is also an option but it is very hot I guess.

I would need to discuss this topic with you at length, so would it be possible for you to drop me an email at _/snip_


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## Mehdi58

Indian_Guy said:


> I live in India right now and I am planning to either immigrate to Dubai or Singapore. In fact, I have already got my Singapore employment pass for one year. I have an online business so my income varies from USD 5000 - 15000 per month. I have not yet moved to Singapore due to these reasons:
> 
> 1. The house rent in Singapore is very high (more than USD 2400).
> 2. The house which I would get for USD 2400 would be OK with not much amenities.
> 3. The electricity rates in Singapore are bit high. This means I will have to think twice before using my AC.
> 4. The Singapore Govt. is very strict in giving PR or renewing the employment pass nowadays. So I am not sure whether they will renew it for me every year. One fine day they would just reject it without giving any reason. This has happened to people.
> 
> Advantages of living in Dubai:
> 
> 1. Very close to India.
> 2. House rents are comparatively cheaper.
> 3. Food suits us Indians.
> 
> I personally like Singapore more in terms of security, cleanliness, discipline, public transport. I have been to Dubai but have stayed there just for a day so not sure how it is. Can anyone help me in making a decision? I am married and would like to live a good life and save money for family.


Dubai is a new well developed country, of course is a Muslim country, but standard life in Dubai is higher than UK , I don't think more than 150 nationality could bear it, if the system in Dubai wasn't as good standard as other well develop countries. Plus security in society is very high, much much less crime than other countries, well respected , transport in Dubai is well developed better than many west Europe countries. I have to admit that life is tough in Dubai but if you have good education or a developed business you will enjoy the life there, better than Europe, but this country has more opportunities for young people. Good luck


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## TallyHo

'transport in Dubai is well developed better than many west Europe countries'

Just curious. What countries would those be? When I think about all the marvelous public transportation systems around most European cities I'm struggling to see what country has a transportation network worse than Dubai.

'but standard life in Dubai is higher than UK' 

Subjective. It comes down to what you think of schools, health care, public libraries, other government provided benefits that are largely free in the UK but come at a great cost or are nonexistant in the UAE.

Then, of course, it also depends on what you're looking for. Arts and culture? UK beats the UAE hands down. 



Mehdi58 said:


> Dubai is a new well developed country, of course is a Muslim country, but standard life in Dubai is higher than UK , I don't think more than 150 nationality could bear it, if the system in Dubai wasn't as good standard as other well develop countries. Plus security in society is very high, much much less crime than other countries, well respected , transport in Dubai is well developed better than many west Europe countries. I have to admit that life is tough in Dubai but if you have good education or a developed business you will enjoy the life there, better than Europe, but this country has more opportunities for young people. Good luck


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## currently_indian

@IndianGuy, I would like to know what decision you took - did you move to Dubai or Singapore ?


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## Indian_Guy

I moved to Melbourne, Australia.


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## currently_indian

Indian_Guy said:


> I moved to Melbourne, Australia.


Congrats for moving to Australia. Are you doing the same business ? If you can describe your immigration experience and what prompted you to reject Singapore or Dubai, I would like to know. Also are you doing the same business in Australia ?


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## Indian_Guy

Yes, doing same business here. My business is US based and is 100% online. I had applied for Aus PR back in 2009 and the process then was very different. You can see my timelines in my signature.


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