ServiceMarket, the UAE’s largest online marketplace for home services, recently surveyed over 1400 Dubai residents to find out which Dubai neighbourhood has the most satisfied residents in 2016. Residents were asked to rate their home and the neighborhood they live in based on a series of 19 attributes, including; the size and layout of their home, the quality of facilities, the amount of traffic, the sense of community, the availability of public transportation, and value for money.
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What were the highest rated areas?
Motor City was voted the highest with an overall average rating of 4.39, out of a maximum of 5. It scored particularly high in terms of the layout and size of the properties, parking availability and perceived safety levels.
The Greens took second place, with a score of 4.23. The area was rated highly in terms of the perceived safety levels, being pet friendly, the walking possibilities and – perhaps unsurprisingly – the amount of green areas.
According to the results of the survey, the top 10 rated areas in Dubai are:
| Area | Overall Rating |
| Motor City | 4.39 |
| The Greens | 4.23 |
| Emirates Living | 4.15 |
| Oud Metha | 4.11 |
| Jumeirah Lakes Towers | 4.02 |
| Jumeirah/Um Suqeim | 4.02 |
| Discovery Gardens | 4.00 |
| Silicon Oasis | 4.00 |
| Downtown/ Business Bay | 3.99 |
| Dubai Sports City | 3.97 |
How does this compare to 2015 findings?
ServiceMarket ran a similar study in 2015 and, interestingly, Motor City and The Greens were also the top two rated areas in Dubai last year.
What were the lowest rated areas?
Dubailand was the area which was rated the lowest by the respondents. It scored poorly in terms of the availability of public transportation, the proximity to shops and restaurants and the activity and entertainment options – perhaps unsurprising given much of the area is still under construction.
The 10 lowest rated areas in Dubai in descending order are:
| Area | Overall Rating |
| Deira | 3.57 |
| Al Mamzar | 3.56 |
| Jebel Ali | 3.56 |
| JVC/JVT | 3.54 |
| Satwa | 3.48 |
| Al Warqa | 3.46 |
| Al Quoz/Al Khail | 3.45 |
| Al Nahda | 3.44 |
| International City | 3.16 |
| Dubailand | 3.15 |
What were the attributes that the areas were rated on?
The final score awarded to each area was created by taking an average of how respondents rated the areas on 19 different attributes, including:
- The quality of the finishing in their home
- The layout and size of their home
- The availability of parking spaces
- The amount of green areas
- Value for money
- Sense of community
- The walking possibilities
- The availability of public transportation
- The proximity to shops
- The proximity to restaurants
- The activity and entertainment options nearby
- The quality of the facilities (swimming pool, gym, etc.)
- The proximity to schools/kindergartens
- The amount of traffic
- Noise levels
- Pet friendliness
- Child friendliness
- Feeling of safety
- Overall rating of area
Some other interesting findings:
- Satwa was rated the highest in terms of the availability of public transport, followed by the Marina/ JBR area.
- International City was rated the lowest in terms of the quality of facilities (swimming pool, gym, etc.).
- In general, people feel safe in the areas where they live in Dubai. Across all areas the average rating for safety was 4.34 out of 5.
- On the other hand, the amount of green areas, appears to be an issue in many areas in Dubai, with a average rating of 3.15 out of 5.
- Sheikh Zayed Road scored the lowest in terms of being child friendly, while Emirates Living took the top score.
- Sheikh Zayed Road also seems to have some noise issues, with the lowest score of 2.92 out of 5.
- The Greens is considered to be the most pet friendly area, whilst Sheikh Zayed Road is viewed as the least pet friendly area in Dubai.
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