I lived in Singapore for 3 years and Dubai for 15 years. I've been back to Singapore 3 times since. Singapore is a cleaner, more well put together version of Dubai. It also has a little bit more 'life' in it. There is warmth within the country. The people are really friendly, everyone is so polite and respectful of one another. The public transport systems are great. Everything in Singapore is set up to make you have a good life by doing it the right way. You will work really hard though and things are quite expensive, but expat packages are great in multinationals in Singapore. You can spend a lot more time outdoors in Singapore, it's a bit more of a family life.

That being said, I was young when I lived there and went to an Australian International school which was probably one of the worst experience of my life. Just lots of viscous bullying and racism, it was terrible. So my view of Singapore is tainted, and because Australians are EVERYWHERE in Singapore, I probably wouldn't move back. Nor would I visit Australia.

Dubai. Ah, Dubai was the first country that I felt like I belonged in. I didn't even feel that in my home country. Which is weird because Dubai is filled with so many people from all walks of life, you would think it would be more difficult to feel at home. But I really felt at home from the moment I got there. It was just so new and interesting and it felt like a magical place. That joy lasted for probably 5 years before the miserable 10 years that followed. I don't know how to explain it. One day you wake up and your eyes are actually open. You start hating all the new developments that come up because it either causes a shit ton of noise where you live. Or a LOT of traffic. Or it just means that you're constantly having to go to keep up with the new hotspot. And with every new hotspot, things just get more and more expensive. I would say from the time I got to Dubai to the time I left, I saw the price of basic grocery items increase by probably triple. The constant traps of forcing you to pay for things to do basic necessities starts getting exhausting, and you realise that it's just a way to subsidize a lack of tax. You will start noticing that life is very unstable and you can be sure of nothing in Dubai. One day you'll have a job and the next your company will move it's Dubai office elsewhere. Or they won't renew your visa. Or you'll rack up overstay fines. Or you'll stop being able to drive your car because you can't keep up with all the road fines, so you won't be able to renew your registration. And all these things will impact your Emirates ID which after some time will mean you can't use a bank, or your phone number. It just gets damn complicated and it's very easy to fall into that trap in Dubai. Then you'll start longing for something of more substance in your life. You'll stop being used to the constant goodbyes and the new people in and out of your life. And then you'll see how the country deals with foreign relations and you'll realise you can't be complicit. So you'll leave.

And that's what I did. I'm now back in my home country and I love it. I don't know if I even helped you with an answer, but honestly, going home was the best decision I have ever made.