As part of our new series of articles titled ‘Pros & Cons’, we will be offering you the two sides of everything that concerns residents of Dubai. We will start by comparing the pros and cons of living in one of Dubai’s affordable residential areas.

After the drastic increase in rental prices, Dubai has witnessed an exodus of residents towards more affordable cities like Sharjah and Ajman. This led the Dubai government to focus more on developing more affordable residential communities – such as International City, Discovery Gardens, Silicon Oasis, IMPZ – to maintain the real estate business, we compare the pros and cons of living in these areas.

Pros:

• The price

New residential communities are known for offering affordable housing to expatriates. The rent rates range from 36,000 AED to above depending on the area. This gives newcomers to Dubai to find affordable apartments and houses, especially if they’re relocating with their families.

Studios for rent in Dubai: starting from 36,000AED

1 BHK for rent in Dubai: starting from 48,000AED

2 BHK for rent in Dubai: starting from 65,000AED

• The quiet

Most of these residential communities are located on the outskirts of Dubai, and therefore are a great place for people looking to escape the noise and buzz of the city. In addition, most of these communities are focused on greenery, therefore they offer residents fresher air away from pollution.

• The traffic

The traffic is light. Since most of these residential areas don’t have as many residents as other areas in the heart of Dubai, they enjoy relatively light traffic. However, this depends on the area you choose to live in and whether or not it has multiple entrances and exists.

• The pet comfort

Unless you’re comfortable with walking your dog in crowded streets, and getting the poor animal scared and nervous, you would appreciate the serenity of these residential areas. The communities we mentioned are ideal for dog owners.

• The parking

This is due to two main reasons; the relatively low number of residents and the fact that many of the developing areas have sand parking.

What did you say?

“I prefer living away from the city. I’d rather save some money and enjoy some quiet after spending the day surrounded by skyscrapers and highways.”

– Salina Atrash, 25, Syria

Cons:

• The distance from landmarks

Some might see this as a pro, and some see it as a con. Depending on what kind of a lifestyle you prefer to lead, you might find the distance from the city’s main landmarks rather limiting. Additionally, families living in these communities might find it challenging to find schools for their children.

• The lack of transport

Most of these residential communities are relatively far from metro stations (such as Silicon Oasis, International City and IMPZ). Even though there are plenty of bus routes connecting these areas to the heart of Dubai, finding a cab might be a hassle, unless you order one.

• The slow development 

This really depends on which community you choose. Some – like Silicon Oasis and Discovery Gardens – are fully developed communities with hundreds of services offered to residences. However, the likes of IMPZ, Dubailand, and Queue Point are still under development.

• The parking

It all depends on your perspective on the matter. If you’re an optimist, you’d see that developing areas offer you infinite options or parking. However, if you’re a pessimist, you would get irritated with having to park in the middle of the desert.

What did you say?

“I’d rather pay some extra money than to live in a remote area with limited access to various services. What if I can’t find a hospital close by when I need to? It’s things like that which make me appreciate living in the heart of Dubai.”

– Mohammad Amin, 29, Canada