Dubai is cheaper and a far nicer place to live than AD in my opinion. However, you may find more pressure there to live a certain type of lifestyle. Going out here is certainly not cheap, however it can be done on a budget (you see hordes of teachers drinking out on ladies nights for instance when drinks are free for ladies). So I think you could survive but make sure you factor everything into your calculations such as food, clothes, entertainment and transport and be prepared not to be able to save any money at all.