Dubai has been ranked the best city in the world for remote workers due to the quality of life it offers and prime rents.
For the first time Abu Dhabi made the annual top 20 list which is compiled by property consultancy Savills and has been ranked as the fourth-best city in which to live in its 2023 Executive Nomad Index.
The index rates the world's top cities for long-term remote workers, based on internet speed, quality of life, climate, air connectivity and prime rents.
Paul Tostevin, head of Savills World Research, told The National both Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been rated top due to their ability to offer city living and a high quality of life.
"Dubai has topped the list this year and really ticks all the boxes," he said.
"It has fantastic connectivity with Dubai International Airport, it offers great quality of life and very strong mobile connectivity. Other components include its prime residential market.
"Abu Dhabi is a new entrant to the list, it has a lot of comparisons to Dubai and is very popular due to its investment in leisure and entertainment. They both have the advantage of offering city living alongside beaches creating an improved quality of life."
Last year Lisbon was rated top but the Portuguese capital has now dropped to fifth.
Dubai was listed third last year.
“Dubai’s fast growing FinTech and financial services sectors, along with a tax-free environment and high quality of life, are proving powerful magnets for executive nomads,” said Swapnil Pillai, associate director of Savills Middle East Research.
“Most are Dinkies [Dual-income, no kids] and they favour high residential buildings in Downtown Dubai, close to the DIFC, the financial hub, or in Dubai Marina for proximity to Media City and Internet City.
“Most of the city’s co-working spaces are operating at near 100 per cent occupancy, which supports Dubai’s ranking as a top destination for executive nomads."
The index, part of the Savills’ Impacts programme, ranks 20 destinations that either have a digital nomad visa programme, or equivalent, or in the case of the US and the EU, are already part of a large economic bloc that allows free movement of people for living or work.
The cities must have a favourable climate all year round, a high quality of life and have established prime residential markets.
Dubai scored highly on both air connectivity and internet connectivity.
"Dubai International, its main airport, is the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic. Meanwhile, Dubai continues to invest in its digital infrastructure – with the UAE now home to the fastest mobile speeds in the world," Savills said.
“Connectivity matters to an executive nomad, so cities dominate the top list, taking the first five spots. The leading centres offer good transport and communications infrastructure, business networks, together with favourable climates, beaches and a high quality of life," said Paul Tostevin, director of Savills World Research, told The National.
“Established leisure destinations also make the cut, led by Barbados and the Algarve [Portugal] in sixth and ninth place, respectively. For some, this has enabled second homes to become year-round ones and extending seasonality in local prime property markets.”
It is the first time Abu Dhabi has entered the list.
“Abu Dhabi has become far more outward-looking in the last two years and there is so much on offer now, including Yas Island, a huge leisure destination, and Saadiyat Island, where you have the Louvre and the Guggenheim, which is due to open in 2025,” said Stephen Forbes, Savills head of Abu Dhabi.
"The emirate is proving particularly popular with Northern European executive nomads. A remote-working visa is available, and for those making a longer-term commitment, golden visas are designed to attract property investors and global talent in the creative industries, financial services and start-ups.
“Abu Dhabi’s Free Zones, which offer various incentives to companies, make the city far more attractive to corporate entities now, too. Demand for Grade-A office space in our Central Business District has never been higher,” he said of Abu Dhabi.
He said the UAE's one-year residency permit for remote workers has also been a major attraction alongside its world-class health care and an ever-growing range of cool, indoor leisure and entertainment options to escape the intense summer heat had also been driving factors.
Malaga is second in this year's list, followed by Miami.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Mobile phone packages comparison
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
