Former Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand is relocating to Dubai with his wife Kate and their two school-age children, citing lifestyle, safety, weather, and a better education system as key reasons. Speaking to Emirati newspaper The National, Ferdinand said: 'Lifestyle, safety, weather and just a new life. I wanted a new chapter. We spent time with a couple of Kate's friends who lived there and I just saw a different side to it. I also have a business out there, Football Escapes.'
Ferdinand added that a visit in February to look at schools 'pricked my mind to think about it. That was almost like a big kicker for me because the education system felt different, felt better for my kids.' The move reflects a broader trend, with 30,000 Brits emigrating to Dubai in 2021, 35,000 in 2022, and 40,000 projected for 2023, according to The Telegraph.
However, Dubai is ranked the 15th most expensive place to live worldwide, according to Mercer's annual Cost of Living Ranking, while London is eighth. Some Brits who moved to Dubai have since returned to the UK, citing soaring living costs and poor work-life balance. Natalie Goodall, 32, who moved to Dubai at 18 to coach golf, described working 80-hour weeks and said the city's 'business model' made no allowance for work-life balance.
'I never saw myself leaving Dubai,' Goodall said. 'But the business model out there – there is no work-life balance. I was coming home to my partner after 12-hour days, at 9pm, and I could barely hold a conversation because I'd be so tired.' She eventually returned to the UK, noting that while Dubai is glamorous, 'everywhere has its downfalls.'
