The Julius Baer Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report 2026 has reaffirmed Dubai’s growing status as a leading regional and international destination for wealth, highlighting the emirate’s ability to combine luxury living, entrepreneurship and innovation-driven growth.
According to the report, Dubai’s luxury real estate market remains one of its biggest draws, offering strong value compared with record-high property prices in many major cities across Asia and Europe. This competitive pricing continues to attract high-net-worth individuals and support the steady inflow of global wealth.
The report also found that Dubai offers one of the most competitive environments for spending on luxury goods and premium services, providing better value for affluent consumers than many other cities included in the global index.
This advantage is reinforced by the UAE dirham’s peg to the US dollar, which helps maintain relatively favourable living costs for internationally mobile wealthy individuals and global families. In contrast, cities whose currencies have appreciated against the dollar, including those using the euro and the Swiss franc, have experienced sharper increases in luxury goods prices.
On a global level, the report said the cost of maintaining a luxury lifestyle rose by an average of 10.2% in US dollar terms over the past year. It noted that macroeconomic developments continue to reshape the spending patterns and cost of living for wealthy individuals, even as financial markets have shown resilience.
The report attributed these shifts to a combination of geopolitical uncertainty, evolving global trade dynamics and continued volatility in foreign exchange markets, all of which are influencing wealth management and lifestyle costs worldwide.
