Living in: Abu Dhabi

Considered Dubai’s less-brash sister, a growing cluster of international museums and high-rise apartments make this city an increasingly attractive place to live.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a modern miracle on the
shore of the Arabian Sea. Considered Dubai’s less-brash
sister city, Abu Dhabi now has its own skyline of starchitect-designed bridges
and buildings, as well as a growing cluster of international museums and
high-rise apartment blocks rising from the desert, making it an increasingly
attractive place to live for both expats and Emiratis.

What is it known for?

Located just 130km south from splashy Dubai, coastal Abu Dhabi has
traditionally been known as the staid seat of the federal government, home to
the ruling Abu Dhabi Emiri Family. The emirate owns 95% of the UAE’s oil
production and 90% of the population is made up of expats. “Abu Dhabi provides a wealth of opportunity and allows people to live tax
free,” said Lizzie Johnstone, a Brit who has lived with her family in Abu Dhabi
for five years. “The
expat and local community are welcoming, the schools are good and at the
weekend you can go to the beach.”

Abu Dhabi is the largest of the UAE’s seven constituent emirates, and
the city centre is on Abu Dhabi island, connected to the mainland by three
bridges and surrounded by a number of smaller islands, many of which are being
developed by luxury resorts, shopping malls and real estate companies. Over the
last decade the city has concentrated on developing its tourism, education,
financial and cultural sectors to diversify its economy, which until recently relied
almost exclusively on oil production. On Saadiyat Island (less than a kilometre
off the shore of Abu Dhabi’s city centre), alongside luxury developments and
golf courses, architect Jean Nouvel’s floating Louvre Abu Dhabi will open in December 2015, part of a cultural
district that will also include the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (designed by Frank Gehry, due to open 2016) and the Zayed National Museum (designed by Foster + Partners, possibly opening 2017). A second
campus for New York University Abu Dhabi is being planned for the island’s Marina
district. Suburbs like the futuristic
Masdar City are also part of the emirate’s master plan.

While the snazzy luxury resorts bring a bit of Dubai-like glitz, the
city is also making efforts to preserve its natural resources, such as mangroves
and turtle nesting spots along the turquoise waters. “If
you are prepared to work hard, embrace the desert and respect the culture, you
will have a very nice life,” Johnstone said.

Where do you want to live?

The Corniche on Abu Dhabi island stretches along the waterfront and is home to many
mixed-use developments, hotels and malls, making it a very desirable place to
live. Also sought-after are the modern luxury developments found on other
islands such as Al Reem, or on the mainland in suburbs such as Khalifa City along
the Abu Dhabi-Dubai Road. “People are spread out all over, but it will never
take you more than half an hour ­– traffic permitting – to get anywhere,” Johnstone
said.

Saadiyat Island is currently being developed with villas and high-end
apartment blocks, and will be home to about 160,000 residents. Another popular
island located close to the city centre, Al Reem, has experienced a few setbacks.
“The master planning on Al Reem didn’t quite take off, so some of the projects
have stalled,” said William Neill, director and head of Cluttons Abu Dhabi real
estate and property consultant agency. Al Raha Beach, an area of Khalifa City, has
a range of medium to high-end apartments, plus access to private beaches. North
of the Abu Dhabi International
Airport, along the E11 motorway to Dubai, the Al Reef
development has villas that are popular with families.

Side trips

Dubai is about a 90-minute drive north, depending on traffic, and people go back
and forth frequently; a passenger rail link between the two cities is in the
planning stages, with the first expected service in 2018. Oman’s Musandam Peninsula is a popular
weekend destination for diving and dolphin watching, and the northern emirate
Fujairah is popular for trekking through the wadis (valleys) and hills. Muscat,
the capital of Oman, is around 435km to the east, a four-hour drive or a short
flight away.

Abu Dhabi International Airport has flights to many European
and Asian destinations. Mumbai is about a three-hour flight, while the Maldives
are just more than four hours away. Paris and London are each about a six or
seven hour flight.

Practical information

Prices in Abu Dhabi used to be much higher than Dubai, so people would often
live in Dubai and commute to Abu Dhabi. But post recession, the scenario has
flipped. “In addition, the government put in place a rule that if you work for
a government agency or ministry, you have to live in Abu Dhabi and that helped
feed demand,” Neill said. Now prices in the older buildings on Abu Dhabi Island
are falling as people leave for newer communities. In modern developments and
luxury buildings, there is a high demand in both rentals and sales. “Sale value
tends to be going up because there is a low supply on the market,” Neill explained.

Most expats rent while living in Abu Dhabi. A two-bedroom flat in a high
end building on the Corniche, Saadiyat Island or in Al Raha Beach rents for between
140,000 to 200,000 dirhams a year (it is typical for rents to be paid yearly in
Abu Dhabi). On Al Reem, a similar property rents for 110,000 to 130,000 dirhams
a year. In these prime areas, apartments currently cost 14,200 dirhams per square
metre.

Further information

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