Dubai offers highest quality of living for expats in region

The Mercer rankings also ranked Abu Dhabi as the safest city in the region, offering a high quality of living.

UAE's Dubai and Abu Dhabi emirates offer the highest quality of living in the Middle East and Africa region, according to Mercer's 2016 Quality of Living Rankings.

Mercer, the world's largest human resources consulting firm, conducts an annual research to determine which cities in the world offer the highest and lowest quality of life - and this year they even examined personal safety, which has become a top issue for companies, sending employees abroad, with security concerns increasing throughout the world.

This year, only two cities from the MENA region made it among the top 100, including Dubai, ranked at 75 (overall no.1 in the region, and Abu Dhabi, ranked at 81 (over no. 2 in the region). This is the fourth time in a row that Dubai has been ranked as the top Middle Eastern city for living.

Other Gulf cities to feature on the list include Muscat (107), Doha (110), Amman (120), Kuwait City (124), Jeddah (165), Cairo (171), Beirut (180), Damascus (224), Sana'a (228) and Baghdad (230).

Austria's Vienna city was at the top of the table, offering the highest quality of life in the world, while war-torn Iraq's Baghdad city ranked at the bottom of the table at 230 - offering the lowest quality of life.

German-speaking cities dominated the rankings, with Scandinavian and European cities also featuring among the top 50.

The report provides valuable information and hardship premium recommendations for over 440 cities throughout the world, with the ranking covering 230 of these, covering 211 cities across five continents based on criteria such as safety, economic transparency and growth.

Among the top five safest international (assignment) destinations, Luxembourg topped the list with Switzerland's Bern, Zurich and Finland's Helsinki tied at no.2. Vienna ranked at no. 5.

"Vienna has ranked top in the last seven published rankings," said Mercer. "It scores highly in a number of categories; it provides a safe and stable environment to live in, a high level of public utilities and transport facilities, and good recreational facilities."

It is noteworthy that none of the US cities made it among the top 10, whereas Canada's Vancouver city ranked at 5. French capital, Paris and England's London fell in the rankings due to recent terror threats and attacks.

In Asia, Singapore ranked the highest at 26, in terms of offering the highest quality of living and safety.

From South Asia, Pakistani and Indian cities also made the list. Pakistan's Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi ranked 193, 199 and 202, respectively - which makes Karachi one of the most unsafe cities in the world, between Nairobi (Kenya) and Kinshasa (DR Congo).

India's Hyderabad (139), Pune (144), Bengaluru (145), Chennai (150), Mumbai (152), Kolkata (160) and New Delhi (161) featured on the list.

WHAT MAKES EXPATS LOVE DUBAI

By Sandhya D'Mello

Name: Shradha Mohanty

Designation: Manager, Gifts & Novelties, Watermelon Communications

Nationality: Indian

"There is something in this city which made me embrace it and love it from day one. It's definitely home away from home for me and my family. I feel safe, secure and wanted here and in fact wait to come back after a few days of going back to India. I always have many anecdotes and stories to share about the city and how well it manages its systems and multi-cultural population. Hats off to Dubai for making us all feel so incredibly 'at home' always!"

Name: Rizwan Bajwa

Designation: Owner, Oakks Walk Resturant and Cafe

Nationality: Pakistani

"Dubai has the best quality of life and a really stronger economy. Job opportunities here are great and a tax free salary are some of perks of this country. You come across different nationalities learning about their language, culture and religion. Dubai is a perfect starting point to various destinations as it is so well situated which makes flying anywhere in the world easier than it is from most other regions. Dubai is a relatively for business, as has been illustrated in numerous international business surveys. Overall Dubai is a pretty safe place to live and raise children with one of the best education systems."

Name: Johnaliza Nazareno

Designation: Office: Manager, Stender & Partners Management Consulting

Nationality: Filipino

I am here in Dubai because of the job opportunities, favorable salary, tax free environment and the fact that Dubai or UAE in general is being considered as one of the safest countries in the world despite of being a home for millions of people from different origins, cultures and beliefs, UAE government maintains its peace and order. These characteristics are very difficult to find from other countries.

I have been living here for almost 7 years and have witnessed how UAE stand against the recession in 2008. I plan to stay longer, if GOD wills it too. I am thankful to this country.

Name: Priyantha Brito

Designation: Director, Business Development - Aviation Services Management

Nationality: Sri-Lankan

"Dubai is a place that is like a second home to so many different nationalities. I have been here for over 12 years and loved every bit of seeing how the city has progressed over the years. It is a perfect example of how a great vision can transform a city in just a few years and become a place that everyone wants to migrate to. Most of it also has to do with how authorities here ensure the safety of its residents. And I think that is a feature I love the most."

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• MENA