They feel Dubai is a city that actually wants them \u2013 a world away from Britain with more tax hikes expected in the Autumn Budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n Expats say their families can enjoy a safer more affluent lifestyle.\u00a0<\/p>\n It also doesn\u2019t hurt that residents of the city aren\u2019t charged income tax, meaning workers keep more of their hard-earned cash.<\/p>\n More than 240,000 UK expats are estimated to be living in Dubai and the number surged by 420 per cent in the five years to 2024, according to removals firm John Mason International Movers.<\/p>\n Tax relief: Expats say their families can enjoy a safer and more affluent lifestyle in Dubai, at a similar or lower cost than they could in Britain<\/p>\n Here, Money Mail speaks to two Britons living there to find out what it is really like to live and work in the desert, and how the costs stack up compared with British cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n They both want to raise families there, and don\u2019t plan to return any time soon.\u00a0\u00a0We also get the lowdown from relocation experts on how easy it is to make the move.<\/p>\n Escaping taxes on British business\u00a0<\/p>\n Joe Makinson, 25, moved to Dubai with his girlfriend, Sophia Mohammed, also 25, in March.<\/p>\n He previously worked for recruitment companies in his hometown of Manchester. However, he wanted to build his own firm hiring people for roles in aviation \u2013 an industry for which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) acts as a global hub.<\/p>\n \u2018I wanted to start up my own business and the appeal of doing that in the UK felt quite small,\u2019 he says. \u2018The biggest reason for that was tax.\u2019<\/p>\n Relocated: Joe Makinson, moved to Dubai with his girlfriend, Sophia Mohammed, to start a business<\/p>\n Labour has hammered businesses like Joe\u2019s with a swathe of tax hikes in recent years \u2013 as well as taking more from the pay of ordinary workers.<\/p>\n Increases to the national minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions have hit small business owners, while frozen tax thresholds have left many employees feeling poorer.<\/p>\n Labour has also launched attacks on wealth, increasing the rate of capital gains tax<\/a> and bringing pensions into inheritance tax<\/a> from 2027. There are now rumours of stamp duty<\/a> hikes and a \u2018mansion tax\u2019 in the Autumn Budget.<\/p>\n Ed Jennings, 34, runs a law firm that started in London, but is now shifting part of its business to Dubai. The main reason is to escape Labour\u2019s punitive business taxes.<\/p>\n Ed has relocated permanently and is based in his company\u2019s Dubai office which employs around 30 people.<\/p>\n \u2018A third of our clients are based outside of the UK, and with changes to taxes under the current Government we didn\u2019t feel it was a good place to own a business,\u2019 Ed says. \u2018With corporation tax, it didn\u2019t make sense to keep putting a third of our revenue through a UK entity any more.\u2019<\/p>\n The main rate of corporation tax jumped from 19\u00a0per cent to 25\u00a0per cent in April 2023, which applies if a business makes profits of more than \u00a3250,000.<\/p>\n In contrast, Dubai has a 9\u00a0per cent rate of corporation tax and generous exemptions for businesses turning over less than about \u00a3600,000 per year.<\/p>\n Keeping more of your salary<\/p>\n As Britain drives its bright business sparks away, Dubai is keener than ever to snap them up.<\/p>\n Adalberto Pucca, head of sales and business development at relocation expert Global Citizen Solutions, which helps expats move to Dubai, says: \u2018We get a lot of exposure to influencers, which can lead people to think they are exclusively the kind of people who relocate to Dubai.<\/p>\n \u2018But the reality is you don\u2019t need to earn a fortune, and the lifestyle can appeal to many different types of people.\u2019<\/p>\n Pali Banwait, founder and chief executive of relocation company Strive, which advised Joe and Ed on their moves and helped them secure visas, says in his experience the average expat earns about 25,000 UAE dirham a month, which is roughly \u00a35,000.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the equivalent of a \u00a360,000 salary, but equates to about \u00a385,000 before tax in Britain because there is no income tax or national insurance in Dubai.<\/p>\n He says entrepreneurs make up a large proportion of Britons moving to Dubai, as well as software engineers, estate agents and marketing professionals.<\/p>\n There is also a big demand for British-educated teachers to work in Dubai\u2019s many international schools.<\/p>\n \u2018Most moves are financially driven \u2013you can\u2019t hide from that,\u2019 he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Private school for \u00a315,000 a year<\/p>\n The lack of income tax is not the only reason those leaving Britain for Dubai feel wealthier.<\/p>\n Ed shares a stepdaughter Eva, ten, with his partner, Dasha Sakhno, 35, and the family want to send her to a fee-paying school.<\/p>\n \u2018We can send her to private school in Dubai because the cost here is much cheaper than the UK,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018We will pay \u00a315,000 per year to send her to an outstanding school.\u2019<\/p>\n Savings: Ed Jennings and his partner, Dasha Sakhno want to send 12-year-old Eva\u00a0to a fee-paying school<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s top independent schools can charge more than double that, with many upping their costs this year after Rachel Reeves announced that independent school fees in Britain would be subject to 20\u00a0per cent VAT.<\/p>\n \u2018When we heard Rachel Reeves would be charging the 20 per cent VAT rates, that made our decision easier,\u2019 Jennings says.<\/p>\n \u2018The school system in Dubai is phenomenal and there are lots of British schools.\u2019<\/p>\n Ultimately, he just feels richer \u2013 and for this reason, he plans to stay in Dubai for the long term.<\/p>\n \u2018In Dubai, I can keep more of my income and invest in my family\u2019s future,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018Buying a home is significantly cheaper than in the UK, we can put our child in private school, and I can reinvest to secure the future of our business.\u2019<\/p>\n Joe feels the same. \u2018We\u2019ll be looking to have a family in the near future, and Dubai is definitely the place we would want to do that,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n Expats like Ed also feel that the UAE is a safer place to bring up children. Dubai has one of the world\u2019s lowest crime rates, though this is largely due to its harsh justice system, which metes out punishments such as jail sentences and deportation for even minor crimes and still, in rare cases, uses the death penalty.<\/p>\n \u2018I just felt the UK was no longer for me, on a business or personal level,\u2019 Ed explains.<\/p>\n Is it cheaper to live there?<\/p>\n The city wants to double its population by 2040, and recently started a scheme for first-time property buyers, offering \u2018preferential prices\u2019 and cheaper mortgage rates<\/a> in a bid to attract people priced out of cities such as London.<\/p>\n Whether or not you will find rent and house prices cheap in Dubai depends on where you are from in Britain, with Londoners often feeling they are getting a bargain but Northerners finding it on the pricier side.<\/p>\n You are also out of luck if you want a period property, as virtually everything has been built in the past two decades.<\/p>\n \u2018Everything depends on where you are buying,\u2019 says Pucca.<\/p>\n \u2018You can get a two-bed for significantly cheaper in the centre of Dubai than central London.\u2019<\/p>\n![\"Tax](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101570701-0-image-a-1_1756240680920.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Relocated:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101570707-15036917-image-m-5_1756240769823.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Savings:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101570753-15036917-image-m-8_1756240842333.jpg\")
<\/p>\n