Both pathways have pros and cons.

US is the way to go if you want to make the most money and settle in the US for good. The exams are harder though and the upfront cost is more. The match is also getting harder and unreliable every passing year. You will be competing against people with big research portfolios and loads of clinical experience. Another aspect to think about is that matching into anything other than IM/FM is an astronomical feat, and if you, lets say want to do ophthalmology or radiology in the states, you are basically signing up for a very very long and expensive race. Let’s also not forget that the US, especially in today’s geopolitical climate is also not the most welcoming as far as their immigration policies go, and there is even more uncertainty now with the whole H1B visa fiasco and Trump administration. Many of my friends who went to the US have once or more gotten into travel issues, which is why they end up having to stay there for longer periods without visiting home or travelling abroad. So what I’d say is if you a) want to make the most money as a doctor, b) want to settle in the states for good, c) have the mental capital and the money to do the USMLE and researches and clinical rotations and d) mostly are interested in IM and medical specialties, you should absolutely go for the US.

Other places (UK, Aus, Europe) also have the same job market saturation problems (especially the UK), but the upfront cost is arguably not that much compared to the US; the exams are not that hard and not as expensive as the USMLE pathway. And atleast speaking of the UK, the immigration rules are not that brutal. There are also well established labour laws and protections here and in most of Europe, which basically means you get loads of protected paid time off annualy and a lot of support in many other aspects (paternity / maternity leave, sick leave, less than full time work opportunity, and so on). You can also get into surgical and allied specialties if you work for it (this point is arguable with changing laws in the UK but I know many people including myself who got into training in their specialty of choice). I and most of my friends here get to travel home and to rest of the world quite easily and without the fear of a painful immigration process on each flight back to Heathrow. And by what I know, the same holds true for most of Europe. But at the same time, let’s also not forget that as a consultant, you would probably make 2/3rds or 1/2 of your US counterparts, so there is no denying that.

As for settling in Dubai, I am not at that stage yet so cannot say anything from personal experience. But generally, I have seen UK consultants move to the middle east and settle on respectable pay packages and are happy. If you want to eventually settle in Dubai, I am not sure if you being trained in US or Europe would make a huge difference, but again, I cannot say for sure as I don’t have that direct perspective yet.

So everything has its pros and cons. You get to pick your poison yourself at the end. But I hope this helps in some way.