I was actually reading the result of a study conducted last week about the best countries for expats to relocate to. The United Arab Emirates ranked second, after Singapore! I think that the results of the study speaks for itself. Just in case you are interested, USA ranked third. I live in London at the mo and I personally feel that the UAE has a number of advantages over London. Sure London has loads of museums and is a 24-hr city but it also comes with a lot of problems associated with modern cities such as increasing crime levels, rampant drug dealing and the likes. Whilst the UAE is not crime-free, I think in regards to safety, it is certainly doing a lot better than a lot of cities. In the end though, it all comes down to personal preference and what you are looking for.