A man stands holding a smartphone in front of the Dubai skyline, with the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, seen from Creek Harbour, UAE.

Get me out of herePhotograph: Getty Images

May 18th 2026|Berlin, Dubai and Singapore|6 min read

LIFE IN DUBAI used to be about as blissful as white-collar expatriate existence gets. The private schools are good, beaches pretty, flight connections plentiful and booze legal (so long as you are not Emirati or Muslim). Expats face no income tax; it barely rains; Russian oligarchs can mingle with Western bankers, Arab property moguls and Israeli entrepreneurs.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “New oases”

From the May 23rd 2026 edition

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