Moving to Dubai from New York 2026: tax, property and the catch

Moving to Dubai from New York.

What a high earner from New York keeps after income tax in Dubai, what a home there costs to buy and hold, and what the move does not settle, on 2026 rules.

In short, current to October 2026

On $1M of income, a single filer in New York owes $427,136 in income tax, an effective 43%, on Patrician.ch's 2026 model. In Dubai the UAE levies none, and a US citizen still owes the US federal tax, $320,000.
A non-US national leaving the US keeps $427,136 more a year on $1M, $4,271,360 over 10 years. At the prime price Knight Frank, The Wealth Report 2026 publishes for Dubai, 10 years of that buys about 265 m².
A purchase is registered at 2% of the price from the buyer and 2% from the seller, and the UAE's list of taxes carries no annual property tax.
A home of AED 2M or more, about $544K, opens a 10-year renewable residence permit for the buyer and family.
Figures are current to October 2026, modeled on 2026 headline brackets for a single filer. Not tax, legal or immigration advice.

Official sources: UAE Government Portal, UAE Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, New York State Department of Taxation. Checked against them between 22 October 2026 and 23 October 2026.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated 4 November 2026. Cite as: Patrician.ch, Moving to Dubai from New York 2026: tax, property and the catch, patrician.ch/answers/moving-to-dubai-from-new-york/, October 2026.

Income tax, a year

New York or Dubai, on the same income.

A single filer, income tax only, on Patrician.ch's 2026 model, converted at the board's reference rates. The UAE levies no personal income tax.

Income	New York	Dubai, US citizen	Dubai, non-US national	Non-US national keeps more, a year
$500K	$191,640 (38%)	$138,134 (28%)	$0 (0%)	$191,640
$1M	$427,136 (43%)	$320,000 (32%)	$0 (0%)	$427,136
$3M	$1,465,654 (49%)	$1,060,000 (35%)	$0 (0%)	$1,465,654

See these 2 places for your own income.Dubai and New York, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 30 November.

Compare them on my income →

Sources: the Patrician.ch 2026 model of the US federal scale and New York State and New York City and Dubai's record on the board, UAE Cabinet Decision 85 of 2022 on tax residence. Social contributions and most deductions are not modeled.

The home

What a home in Dubai costs to buy and hold.

At the prime price Knight Frank, The Wealth Report 2026 publishes for Dubai (Q4 2025), a 200 m² home costs about $3.2M and US$1M buys about 62 m². The income tax a New York filer on $1M keeps in Dubai over 10 years buys about 265 m² there.

On the purchase. Dubai Land Department lists a fee of 2% of the price for the buyer and 2% for the seller when a sale is registered, 4% in all. The title deed certificate costs AED 250, with AED 10 each for the knowledge and innovation fees. The registration trustee's service fee is AED 4,000 plus VAT on a sale of AED 500,000 or more, and AED 2,000 plus VAT below that. A mortgage is registered at 0.25% of the loan, plus the same fixed fees as a sale. Sources: Dubai Land Department, Property Sale Registration, checked 4 November 2026, Dubai Land Department, Request for Mortgage Registration, checked 4 November 2026.

A year of holding it. The UAE levies no income tax on individuals, and the government's list of taxes in the UAE carries no annual property tax. Building service charges are approved by RERA and published for every jointly owned building in the Service Charge Index. A tenant pays the Dubai Municipality housing fee of 5% of the yearly rent, added to the electricity and water bill. Sources: UAE Government portal, Taxation and Other taxes, checked 4 November 2026, Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, checked 4 November 2026, UAE Government portal, Leasing a property in the UAE, checked 4 November 2026.

The home as the route in. Property worth at least AED 2M at purchase, owned in the buyer's own name, opens a 10-year renewable residence permit. Several properties may add up to it, a mortgaged home counts with the bank's no-objection letter, and the spouse and children are covered, the parents on a separate permit. AED 2M is about $544K at the board's reference rate. Dubai Land Department lists AED 9,884.75 in fees for the principal 10-year permit, and AED 5,774.50 for each family member's permit. Source: Dubai Land Department, Golden Visa application (Investor), and GDRFA Dubai, checked 4 November 2026.

Every cost, side by side with Miami: what a home costs to buy and hold in Miami and Dubai.

The catch

What the move does not settle.

A US passport keeps its tax. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. In Dubai a US citizen on $1M still owes $320,000, so the part that changes is New York State and New York City's own tax, $107,136.

New York State looks at the move. The New York exit tax sets out the rule for a high earner who keeps ties after leaving.

A green card is not a passport. No exit tax for a non citizen leaving the US, unless a long term green card holder, resident 8 of the last 15 years, gives up the card. A US citizen is taxed worldwide after leaving. The US exit rules in full →

The days count. UAE tax residence takes 183 days in any 12 months, or 90 days for a UAE residence permit holder with a permanent home, a job or a business in the country (Cabinet Decision 85 of 2022).

Dubai in 2026. What the year changed for Dubai is the risk, not the tax, set out on is Dubai still tax free.

Cost and life

New York and Dubai, side by side.

	New York	Dubai
Cost index (Zurich 100)	108	74
Safety	6/10	10/10
Schools	9/10	8/10
Sun hours a year	2,530	3,610

Every Dubai figure: Dubai on the board. The flight from New York is 12h 45m nonstop. New York on the board: New York.

Moving to Dubai from the other cities: Chicago · London · Mumbai · Toronto · Paris · Munich · Johannesburg · Hong Kong · São Paulo.

Questions

The short answers.

How much tax do you pay in Dubai moving from New York?

No UAE income tax. On $1M a non-US national owes $0 in Dubai against $427,136 in New York, $427,136 a year. A US citizen still owes US federal tax, $320,000.

Patrician.ch's 2026 model, income tax only.

What does it cost to buy a home in Dubai?

Dubai Land Department registers a sale at 2% of the price from the buyer and 2% from the seller, plus AED 250 for the title deed and a trustee fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT on a sale of AED 500,000 or more.

Dubai Land Department, Property Sale Registration

Is there a property tax in Dubai?

The UAE government's list of taxes carries no annual property tax. Building service charges are approved by RERA, and a tenant pays the 5% Dubai Municipality housing fee on the yearly rent.

UAE Government portal, Taxation and Other taxes

Does buying a home in Dubai give residence?

Yes, from AED 2M: a 10-year renewable permit for the buyer, the spouse and children, with a mortgaged home counted on the bank's no-objection letter.

Dubai Land Department, Golden Visa application (Investor), and GDRFA Dubai

How many days in Dubai make you tax resident?

183 days in any 12 months, or 90 days for a UAE residence permit holder with a permanent home, a job or a business there.

Cabinet Decision 85 of 2022.

The Dossier: your top 3, on your numbers.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, compared line by line on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 30 November. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.

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Moving to Dubai from New York.