Country Review

United Arab Emirates (UAE): Dubai Vs Sharjaa
Created on: Sep 1, 2011
Reviewer is Moroccan
Lived/have been to United Arab Emirates (UAE), : No. Currently in United Arab Emirates (UAE), : No. From United Arab Emirates (UAE), : Yes.
Many people who work in Sharjah prefer to live in Dubai, and commute, as they will be going against traffic.

Life in Sharjah, however is not what I would call perfect compared to Dubai. All international schools are located in Dubai, therefore, if you are an expat, you'd rather live in Dubai.

I think Sharjah is the ugliest city of all with not many amenities, it's however cheaper (usually rent is half than dubai) than other cities... so if you are short on money, sharjah is your way to go.

There are some power issues if you live in the poorer areas, as they tend to diverge power to the richer ones, and the poor ones get screwed. So do make sure you live in a nice area.
Traffic from Sharjah to Dubai is hideous at night, as people tend to go to dubai to socialize. If you are against traffic, it would take you 30 min, but if you are in the same flow as traffic, you should count a good 2 hours.
If you plan to mingle with Arab families, and live your Arab/ Muslim culture to the fullest, Sharjah is great as, again, it's very conservative. But if you are into partying, etc. you will need to go to dubai...