Hi Richard & Newexpat,
we are in Dubai and are moving to Singapore in two months, having lived in Dubai for 4 years. Both places have pro's & cons. the biggest con in Dubai is;

CONS
1. the constant building work everywhere
2. Traffic - an absolute nightmare and incompetent drivers
3. Rent - if company is paying then not a problem.
4. Summer heat - 40-45C high humidity
5. Government inane procedures
6. Not really that much to do except shop and eat out

PROS
1. Cheap fuel
2. Cheap cars
3. Cheap alcohol and cigarettes
4. Dining out is wonderful

we have friends in Singapore and went last year for 2 weeks. cannot comment on living there yet, but we immediately saw the difference between what an expat lifestyle we were living and what we wanted. Singapore was wonderfully, green, clean and finished. it was great not to see roadworks everywhere and thousands of unfinished projects.

it sounds as though you have a great package on offer Richard and in both places you would live like a king.

average cost of things in Dubai would be something like the following;

4 bed villa in 'good' area - AED300,000 - 400,000 pa - paid up front
Toyota Prado 4L - AED135,000
Fuel - AED7 a gallon
Laptop - AED3,000 - 8,000
meal for four in classy restaurant (no booze) - AED500 - 2,000
Bottle of wine in restaurant - AED125 - 600
School Fees - AED15,000 per term per child (3 terms per year)


we are hoping we are choosing wisely in going to Singapore and i believe the cost of living is roughly equal although Singapore is No.14 and Dubai 32 in the world's most expensive cities.
obviously cars and rent is a premium in Singapore.
we like all things Asian such as food and the people so moving to Singapore is a great centre for further exploring the region for us.
we had BUPA for 3 years but the yearly increases of 14% & 28% made us give this policy up as it was getting outrageously expensive. we had the top policy at a cost of about $3,000 per year per person

hope this helps and be happy to exchange further ideas and advice in the future.
Kev