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Dubai, Gulf emerge as core hubs as global rich abandon ‘single home’ model
Nearly half of wealthy individuals now run households across three countries or more, while Middle East clients generate the highest spend per event, a new report shows
- PUBLISHED: Tue 23 Jun 2026, 11:55 AM
Dubai and the wider Gulf are becoming central to how the world’s wealthy live, as high-net-worth individuals increasingly split their time, assets and operations across multiple countries rather than relying on a single primary residence.
Nearly half — 47 per cent — of wealthy individuals now manage active households in three or more countries simultaneously, up from just 18 per cent two years ago, according to a report by Perfect.Live.
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The shift is being underpinned by record global wealth migration and policy changes, including the expansion of residency programmes in regions such as the Gulf, which are increasingly drawing internationally mobile millionaires.
For the Middle East, the trend is translating into outsized spending power. Clients from the region generate the highest average spend per event globally, highlighting the Gulf’s growing importance as a premium market for luxury and lifestyle services.
The report shows that the traditional concept of a primary residence is fading, with wealthy families maintaining parallel homes, staff and operations across jurisdictions — often including hubs such as Dubai alongside European and US cities.
As a result, demand is shifting decisively toward services that enable mobility and efficiency. Around 34 per cent of all requests relate to “mobility and speed”, including private aviation, airport fast-track services and last-minute logistics, reflecting the premium placed on time.
Travel planning accounts for a further 27 per cent of demand, with trips becoming shorter but more frequent, typically spanning multiple cities and countries within a single itinerary.
The data also points to a structural shift in how wealth is managed. Rather than maintaining large in-house teams, many families are moving towards leaner core structures, relying on external providers to manage day-to-day operations across multiple locations.
At the same time, corporations are adopting similar models, with concierge-style services increasingly used to support senior executives operating across borders — reinforcing the rise of a multi-location lifestyle as a standard feature of global wealth.
Associate Editor Somshankar Bandyopadhyay brings more than three decades of experience to the KT newsroom. Currently, he manages the news production of the business section, ensuring that the top economic and business news of the day reaches its readers.