Abu Dhabi, Dubai among world's 5 best cities for holiday homes

Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been ranked among the world’s five best cities to buy a holiday home, according to a new study released by comparethemarket.com.au.

The report covers average property prices, the monthly cost of living for a family of four, crime score, restaurants per 10,000 people, average temperature and average rainfall among world’s top 50 cities.

Abu Dhabi was ranked third best place to purchase a holiday home while Dubai came fourth. Similar to Abu Dhabi, Dubai is a perfect destination for sunbathers.

“Abu Dhabi has grown rapidly in recent decades, with modern skyscrapers and shopping malls gracing the city’s skylines, as well as reminders of the area’s cultural heritage through the likes of the vast Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,” the study said.

The average holiday home property price per square metre in Abu Dhabi costs $2,836 and $2,877 in Dubai, lower than popular cities for holiday homes such as Venice (Italy), Jerusalem (Israel), Los Angeles (USA), San Francisco (USA), New York City (USA), Marbella (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Galway (Ireland) and Rome (Italy).

Both the cities of the UAE offer the best safety, the world’s best quality of life as well as world-class amenities and infrastructure to residents.

Abu Dhabi was rated the safest city in crime index score among 50 cities studied in the report.

Earlier, the Global Finance magazine had rated the UAE as the world’s second safest country.

-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com