Compass
The guide
Dubai & Abu Dhabi
UAE · Middle East & Türkiye
A fast-growing corporate and startup market three hours from Central Asia, with branch campuses of Western universities on the ground.
Who this suits, and who it doesn’t
Suits you if you want to save quickly, stay near home, and work in a corporate or startup environment in English — and NYU Abu Dhabi's need-based aid makes it one of the most generous undergraduate doors anywhere. Look elsewhere if you want a permanent home with a path to citizenship, or a deep research culture.
The catch, and the way in
The catch
Income is untaxed but living costs are high, and residence is tied to your employer — losing the job means losing the visa.
The way in
NYU Abu Dhabi admits internationally with need-based aid that can cover the full cost, which makes it one of the most generous doors anywhere. Compass models UAE admissions already.
Living there
What living here is actually like
Life is organised around air conditioning and the car; the summer months are genuinely severe and much of daily life moves indoors. The population is overwhelmingly foreign, so being an expatriate is the norm rather than the exception — and the flip side is that communities are transient and friends leave. Central Asia is a short flight away, which matters more than people expect.
How the money works
Income is untaxed, which is the headline, and the honest counterweights are that rent and schooling are expensive and usually paid in large advance instalments, and that your legal residence is tied to your employer. Losing the job means losing the right to stay, on a short clock — so the savings that make this attractive should be built deliberately and early.Described in shape rather than figures on purpose: rents and salaries move every year and we cannot keep numbers true, but what is expensive and what quietly eats income stays true for far longer.
The language you actually need
Business, universities and most workplaces run in English, and you can live here entirely in it. Arabic is valuable for government-facing work and for genuine integration, but it is not a barrier to entry the way German or Korean is.
The work that clusters here
Fields with a real market in this city
Business & Economics · Engineering · Computer Science · Medicine & Health