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Initially posted by one of our esteemed members

Hey, as a person who has spent 1 and a half years in Dubai and now nearly 2 years in Abu Dhabi, lemme see if I can help..

General Living:
- Abu Dhabi is smaller than Dubai, which means less time to get from one end to another. Also means your office location need not define where you live. As cabs are plentiful and dirt cheap, not driving too is not an issue.
- Rents are slightly lower than Dubai, but seems to be going up at almost the same rate. Owners are also not bound by any laws on rent caps, and so can raise them at will.
- Cost of other things are the same across the UAE.

Entertainment/Social Life:
- Almost all the kinds of activities in Dubai are available in Abu Dhabi, just that the scale is much smaller. For eg., For every 5 or maybe even 10 pubs in Dubai, you have one in Abu Dhabi. But you will find something for every mood/occasion/preference.
- Malls are less numerous, with AD Mall and Marina Mall being the majors. Al Raha mall is about to open, on Al Raha Beach on the DXB road, and the Khalidiya mall should be open in a year or less.
- Parks/Children's activities are plenty, and parks are well maintained, both in terms of greenery and facilities (games, water etc). You also have options like the Cultural Foundation, which is I guess the equivalent of the town hall. Nice library, Internet access, frequent concerts, plays, shows, art exhibitions, book fairs, and movies (dirt cheap)
- Cinemas are the same brands as in Dubai, and considering the lower number of people who would turn up to watch English movies, tickets are never a problem. Since moving here in 2004, the Da Vinci Code is the first movie that I heard was sold out.

The City:
- Yes, you will see a larger percentage of UAE nationals when compared to expats, and different places will have more of different nationalities.
- The layout of the city is very different from Dubai, in that you have more high-rise buildings concentrated in downtown Abu Dhabi. (Unconfirmed rumours call it 'the Manhattan of the East'.) Typically, the city improves in status as you move towards the Corniche. Villas are in a different section of the city altogether, which means that apartment dwellers and villa dwellers need not cross paths at all.
- Traffic in the city is considered to be more chaotic than Dubai, but only because of driver mentalities. The cars here can actually move, unlike Dubai, and so accidents are plenty. When driving in Abu Dhabi, do not assume that you will not be cut off. When parking, do not assume that someone will not park behind you. And if you have an accident, especially with a UAE national, even if he is at fault, prepare to be blamed.
- Racism will be seen in places like night clubs, but not much more than Dubai.
- AD has actually more of a 'town' mentality than a 'city' one, and is quite proud of its Arab heritage in all that it does. Until now it used to result in garishness, but now, like in the case of the Emirates Palace Hotel, they seem to have found a good balance. Of course, the colours on the top of the hotel can still make you cringe, but the interiors are real classy.
- AD the city is a little island, and normal life happens on it. If you wanna do some repairs to your car, drive off the island to Musaffah, and even the airport is on mainland UAE.
- The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is HUGE! Driving down to the Saudi border one weekend is a good exercise in diversity, and an eye opener for all us city-slickers. Another nice drive is down to Al Ain, a greener city and sleepier.

I actually recommend a move to Abu Dhabi, but not all of you! Dubai is close enough for a weekend trip, and I do come there on weekdays sometimes. If I leave AD by 4pm, I'm at Dubai Marina by 5pm, and then near Wafi by 6! On the highway to Dubai, until you reach the Emirate of Dubai, the speed limit is 160kmph. If you want to go slower, be very careful when venturing into the fast lane. AD drivers believe that 160kmph is a general indication of where your speedo needle should hover, and u can see cars doing 180-200.

Working here is quite different, as you can expect a more traditional/conservative approach to almost anything. Still, its a difference seen almost everywhere in the world. In India, you see the same difference between Delhi, the capital, and Mumbai, the capital of everything else!

I guess its up to you, whether you want an action-packed life that never lets up, or a life that lets you sit back and relax at least every now and then.

Hope this helps. Cheers, and all the best.

Liban wrote:Initially posted by one of our esteemed members

Hey, as a person who has spent 1 and a half years in Dubai and now nearly 2 years in Abu Dhabi, lemme see if I can help..

General Living:
- Abu Dhabi is smaller than Dubai, which means less time to get from one end to another. Also means your office location need not define where you live. As cabs are plentiful and dirt cheap, not driving too is not an issue.

liban i dnt know wher did u get this info but no offenc Abu Dhabi is larger than Dubai if u compare between their sizes .but if u ment the constracted area Dubai is bigger ..just wanted to make it clear ..peace

naruto wrote:

Liban wrote:Initially posted by one of our esteemed members

Hey, as a person who has spent 1 and a half years in Dubai and now nearly 2 years in Abu Dhabi, lemme see if I can help..

General Living:
- Abu Dhabi is smaller than Dubai, which means less time to get from one end to another. Also means your office location need not define where you live. As cabs are plentiful and dirt cheap, not driving too is not an issue.

liban i dnt know wher did u get this info but no offenc Abu Dhabi is larger than Dubai if u compare between their sizes .but if u ment the constracted area Dubai is bigger ..just wanted to make it clear ..peace

yeah AD is larger ....but the city is dead so it looks small

The CITY of Dubai has exceeded in terms of SIZE (not population) the CITY of Abu Dhabi.

The EMIRATE of AD is much bigger, of course, than the EMIRATE of Dubai.

Peace!

wow that was a lot of useful info Liban, thanks.

hmm 160kmph speed "limit" eh??? oh boy that sure sounds... faaaaast

Abu Dhabi all the way....but hey, i am bias and i admit it lol

Liban wrote: AD drivers believe that 160kmph is a general indication of where your speedo needle should hover, and u can see cars doing 180-200.

U might wanna add another 20km to that estimated speed.

Its like a 6 km sprint between camera's, 200-220 between them, and slow to 160 when you get to them, then speed up again.

Thanks for the useful info Liban. I am about to move to Abu Dhabi soon, so I could definitely use this information.

PS: What's a good place to meet nice ladies in AD

been to AD a couple of times for work.....

dunno....find that its not as fun as DXB....thats just my 2 cents i guess... not as many expats....not as good of a mix of different nationalities.

and really not that much to do..... thats just my 2 fils though...prolly i dun get to go around too much...

I think you would have to give it a little more time, whilst AD is certainly different to Dubai, it does have plenty to do, but as always you have to take a little time before making a judgement.

Hi !

Can you please tell more aboute this:

- Racism will be seen in places like night clubs, but not much more than Dubai.

Great post. Any update after more than 1 year since your posting?

I lived in Abu Dhabi for 4 months Now been in Dubai for 4 months

I SOOOO glad i moved to Dubai it's a western city Modern

Abu Dhabi is the middle east ...

Abu Dhabi Negatives
RENT IS FAR MORE THEN DUBAI Now and you get no pools, gyms, spa etc or parking !!!

parking in Abu dhabi is just insane completely unplanned and a MAJOR issue You CAN NOT go out after 5pm or you could spent 45 min or more trying to find a parking spot.................................

Abu dhabi is a run down city, terrible foot paths ( you trip on bolts and other things all the time walking around )

the traffic lights are just DUMB,.. timed light in all directions ?? silly when you have main road connecting to minor roads ??

I"m a western and well I don't like being staired at all the time ( who does ?? )

shopping is all local knowleage stuff there are blocks of shops all selling the same thing .. cool maybe But really painfull if you need a connect to a laptop or Phone or whatever.. NO Internet websites

the shopping centers just have normall things average..

traffic well is not too bad On a scale of 1 being good and 10 being bad Abu Dhabi is a 8


Dubai

Traffic it's a 11 in peak times good on the weekend tho
it's the drives not the road everyone wants to be infront no one lets you in.

mid contruction everywhere .. you have a feeling is will be done soon then you see another development !!!!


other then that Dubai is much better in all areas

the only plus side to Abu dhabi is the speed limit
everything it's all Dubai..

If you look at www.visit-dubai.co.uk ,you can read a piece on Abu Dhabi City as well as Dubai.
There is no doubt that the whole conurbation of Dubai, measured from Palm Jebel Ali to Dubai Creek, then on to the eastern end of Deira ,is considerably larger than the city of Abu Dhabi.
I calculate that the distance is 52.8 kiliometres .That is about 31.8 miles .Mind you, the distance from Palm Jebel Ali to Palm Jumeirah is 23km or 13.8 miles. Dubai is now quite a sprawl .
Abu Dhabi City is about 23 km long ,or 13.8 miles. So AD measures the equivalent distance as that from Palm Jumeirah to Palm Jebel Ali. Being that Abu Dhabi is on a narrow peninsula and islands, it restricts the width of the city in places, whereas Dubai can expand more easily into the large desert area inland.
I must say that Abu Dhabi is a very clean, smart city , but lacks the entertainment , the "fun" and social facilities of Dubai.
As has already been said , Dubai is more western in its structure and ambience.
Dubai is more crowded and frenetic as well, with more of a traffic problem.
However, there are big expansion plans on Sadiyat Island; Lulu Island and Al Reem Island , just off Abu Dhabi city, as described on www.visit-dubai.co.uk .
AD has got more money than Dubai, so it is more likely to build everything that is planned.
. It will also be more cultural , especially on Sadiyat Island, according to the web-site. Several museums are planned there..

Pete T,
When I said Abu Dhabi was clean, I was talking about the area near the city centre and Marina Mall. I have not seen the whole city. Similarly, I have not driven there , so I don't know about parking. I used taxis. Be careful with their prices. Establish a fare before getting in. They can vary a great deal!!!

Hope to see AD in the next few days too

Dubai also very different from my previous visit 5 years ago

Lots of the old character lost

I like Abu Dhabi a lot more than Dubai. I feel AD is working to make life easier for the working class, by providing the public transportation services and having generally lower prices than those in Dubai.

i like AD but its too quite for my taste

Anyone who says that Abu Dhabi is smaller than Dubai is fooling themselves. Abu Dhabi city is not just the island; and if you count in ALL the suburbs such as Raha Beach, Khalifa A, Khalifa B, Musaffah, Mohammed Bin Zayed, Rahba, Shahama, Yas Island, Bani Yas, Al Wathba, and Al Mafraq; you will see that Abu Dhabi is MUCH bigger than Dubai.

Furthermore, to the person who said that they did not like Abu Dhabi because its not western..err.. you moved out to the MIDDLE EAST to live in a place identical to a western country? What kind of logic is that? Yes, Abu Dhabi is more arabic than Dubai and thats how it should be, explain to me why that is a bad thing?

Born and raised here, I can say that i have never seen a bolt in the middle of the pathway. I can also say that Abu Dhabi is not under construction 24/7. I can also say that the city is planned much more efficiently than Dubai; who the heck builds a zillion towers BEFORE building a highway interchange and finishing the inside feeder streets?? Abu Dhabi's roads have been 3-4 lanes wide for over 20 years, and only in the past year or two has traffic numbers really picked up: it was UNHEARD OF to stay past one red light on any of the streets here but now its different (and things will only improve now that people are finally moving out of the downtown core and into Khalifa A, B and other regions)

abu dhabi may be the way it is right now as you mentioned, and you may not be used to it when compared to Dubai, but the reality is that development, wealth and jobs are moving to abu dhabi. it is a much stronger place fundamentally. expect it to overtake dubai in the coming years. it will be much bigger, wealthier and better and it will actually be sustainable unlike dubai's promises..

Dubai has successfully marketed itself, compared to Abu Dhabi, which is why we have heard so little about Abu Dhabi compared to Dubai. Dubai is well established in terms of overseas investment interests and the property market, but Abu Dhabi is getting more appeal than Dubai in terms of long-term investment plans. Experts predict that Abu Dhabi real estate prices are growing and expanding.

I've been wondering about this for quite some time.

Which city is more known as a global city? AD or Dubai?

Thank you guys...one cool thread, got the site address. Bookmarked it, thanks very much now i'll start monitoring my consumption.

priya