How do residents choose to live in the country after retiring?
There is an observed pattern of how retirees spend their time in the country as more people relocate to the UAE after retirement.
Some retirees adopt a transnational retirement pattern whereby they frequently travel between their home country and the UAE, while others relocate to smaller and more affordable emirates.
Dr İdil Akıncı, a social policy lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, explains that there is internal relocation within the country and new visa policies that retirees utilize, which form the common patterns of social policy mobilities in the country.
"Her words explained how the possibility for adult children residing in the UAE to sponsor their retired parents has helped some retirees to extend their stay. Furthermore, the introduction of long term residency options such as Golden Visa also has been instrumental. Another method is through financial reorganization by intra country relocation. Some families are deciding to relocate to other Emirates such as Abu Dhabi which is relatively less expensive than Dubai improving financial management in expenses and savings in retirement.”
Her remarks highlight Dr. Idil’s participation with the AlSerkal Arts Foundation where she poses the ethnographical question about growing old in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE, and the country region wide. Since 2013 studying families in the UAE, Dr. Idil noticed how home and retirement are reimagined within the sociology of a place.
Real Estate Options
Wail Abualhamail, ASICO’s Director of Real Estate, states that there is an increasing trend in retirees opting to buy a property in Dubai. He commented, “Retirees are naturally drawn to places like Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, and Jumeirah Village Circle.” “These areas offer the right mix of luxury, convenience, and affordability. What really matters to them is proximity to good healthcare, parks, shopping, and that community feel. Many also love the concept of smart home features and eco-friendly living, which simplifies and makes life more sustainable.”
He added that in order to “stretch their budgets,” many retirees are selecting off-plan properties with flexible payment plans. “It is a very practical way to get more value,” he said. “Some retirees also enjoy investing in rental properties which create passive income, enhancing financial comfort.” “Areas like Al Furjan and Dubai South are especially attractive because they offer good-quality homes at lower prices.”
Retirement living is community oriented and regarded as a preference by real estate agent Shabna Ibrahim. “I just had two people in their 60s reach out to me in the last month searching for property to buy in the UAE,” she said.
As she noted, “Many people prefer moving to Ras Al Khaimah or Sharjah where the cost of living is slightly lower.” She added, “They also prefer to go for communities where they can take walks regularly and have major amenities nearby.”
Challenges
According to Geriatric Medicine practitioner Dr. Rahul Unnikrishnan, one of the most significant obstacles pertaining to retirees is focused around their more specialized healthcare requirements.
Dr. Rahul referred to a patient who relocated for retirement, saying, “What concerned me was the fact that he lived in a region where sohn's advanced healthcare facilities were easily accessible.”
Dr. Rahul expressed his relief that the patient, “who is in his 80s, I’m glad to say, has been coping for the past year.”
He stated the most prominent issue is the cost of health insurance. “They are costly, and even with high premiums, they only cover the basics,” he mentioned. “It would be ideal if there exists a framework where health cards could be provided to long-term residents at approximately Dh10-15,000 a year, which would cover treatment at public hospitals in Dubai.”
He further explained that there is an opportunity for the country to join an initiative geared toward making cities elder-friendly with the number of people retiring in the UAE.
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