Photos: Dubai by Aleksandar Pasaric, Pexels License; West Palm Beach by Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
Dubai or West Palm Beach?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Dubai for
- nightlife
- food and drink
- shopping
What lies behind each score is written up on Dubai’s own page.
Choose West Palm Beach for
- nature and the outdoors
- day trips
- live music and the arts
What lies behind each score is written up on West Palm Beach’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Dubai and West Palm Beach.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on nightlife and food and drink with your weighting.
Wins on nature and the outdoors and day trips with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Dubai in July
West Palm Beach in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Dubai: 1991-2020 normals, Dubai International Airport (3.3 km from centre). West Palm Beach: 1991-2020 normals, Palm Beach International (5.8 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Dubai | West Palm Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Arabic | - |
| Currency | UAE Dirham (AED) | US Dollar (USD) |
| Sockets | CG220 V, 50 Hz | AB120 V, 60 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC+4 | UTC-5, UTC-4 in summer |
| Emergency number | 112 | 911 |
| Elevation | 0 m | 6 m |
| Main airport | Dubai International Airport (DXB)7 km from centre294 non-stop destinations | President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT)6 km from centre42 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | - | 11 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Dubai | West Palm Beach |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 3,944,751 | 117,415 |
| People per km² | - | 786 |
| Museums within 10 km | 14 | 4 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 0 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 12 months | 12 months |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Dubai or West Palm Beach somewhere new.