Think twice.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Dubai at 84/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than United Arab Emirates's national picture overall (54/100 vs 54/100).
City page · part of United Arab Emirates
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Dubai report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside United Arab Emirates's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
16.2
Safety Index
83.8
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as United Arab Emirates's national page, with crime swapped for Dubai's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Dubai, specifically
- • Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world with regard to street crime.
- • Traffic: Driving and pedestrian safety has also been an issue given the different nationalities that share the road.
- • Rude hand gestures (the "finger", etc.) and profanity can lead to fines and jail times if reported, so keep your cool if you are cut off or are behind an erratic driver.
- • Islamic laws: The United Arab Emirates might seem to have more relaxed laws than their other Arab counterparts, but the laws are still very different from most Western countries, and their laws are strictly enforced.
- • Dubai strictly follows Islamic laws which should be respected by all visitors. Islam is the official religion, therefore do not publicly criticize or distribute material against it.…
Legal status (national law)
Illegal Penalty: Maximum: Capital punishment Minimum: Lashings, imprisonment and fines
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
G · 230V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 999 / ambulance: 998 / fire: 997
SIM / Data
There are two providers who have their own cellular network: e& (etisalat) and du. The coverage of both throughout the country is about the same. 4 GB for 28 days costs 49 dirham (Jan 2026) at both providers with the SIM card for free. The eSIM provider Airhub offers 1 GB for 1 week for US$1.89 (Jan 2026).
Cash vs. Card
The currency is the United Arab Emirates dirham denoted by the symbol " د.إ" or "dh" (ISO code: AED). It is pegged to the US dollar at 3.67 dirham for $1. Two sets of notes are in circulation in the United Arab Emirates, the paper and polymer series and are issued in denonimations of 5 (paper and polymer), 10 (paper and polymer), 20 (paper), 50 (paper and polymer), 100 (paper and polymer), 200 (pa
How this compares to United Arab Emirates
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Dubai at 84/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than United Arab Emirates's national picture overall (54/100 vs 54/100).
See the full United Arab Emirates page and all receipts →