Dubai ranked best city for expats in Middle East and Africa

DUBAI: For the fourth time in a row, Dubai has emerged as the best place to live for expatriates in Middle East and Africa, according to an annual global survey on quality living.

Dubai, which is ranked 75th globally, has emerged as the top city in Middle East and Africa region, followed by Abu Dhabi, said the 'Mercer's 2016 Quality of Living Survey'.

"Dubai and Abu Dhabi remain extremely popular destinations among expatriates around the world, to the point that less and less multinationals are actually paying hardship premiums to motivate their employees to move here," said Rob Thissen, Consultant on Global Mobility at Mercer.

"Rankings in many regions were affected by recent world events, including economic and political upheavals, which resulted in currency fluctuations, cost inflation for goods and services, and volatility in accommodation prices," Thissen said.

The survey takes into account factors such as a city's political and social environment, medical care and health considerations, public services, recreation facilities and natural environment, amongst others.

"After a few years of sharp increase, Dubai's residential market is showing signs of slowing down. The delivery of a significant number of new units added pressure to the residential market. Prices are expected to continue falling as the additional residential units will be ready for occupancy this year," Thissen added.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi rank at the top of the list for quality of life in the GCC, (Gulf Cooperation Council) while Muscat and Oman were listed at 107th position, followed by Doha, Qatar at 110th place.

Kuwait City came in at 124th, closely followed by Saudi cities like Riyadh and Jeddah ranking at 164th and 165th place respectively.