Dubai expats among top 20 highest paid in world; Mumbai ranks first

Expatriates in Dubai earn more money than many of their peers in other labour markets, while those based in Mumbai are the biggest earners in the world, according to a new survey.

Companies in the emirate offer some of the most generous compensation packages for expatriates, with foreigners who have moved to the city reporting that they earn  $138,177 (Dh507,524) per year, higher than the global average of $99,903 (Dh366,943).

The figure is based on the feedback gathered by HSBC from the respondents who participated in its Expat Explorer survey.

HSBC's data also suggest that expat workers in Dubai earn more than their counterparts in Singapore, New Zealand, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Doha, Tokyo and Sydney, among other popular expatriate destinations.

The figure is lower than the annual salary of expatriates in Mumbai, India, which get to bring home a whopping $217,165 a year, the highest in the world.

The data supplied by HSBC were based on the feedback gathered from a total of 27,587 expatriates around the world.

Top 20 cities with highest expat salaries (US$/ annual):

1. Mumbai, India: 217,165
2. San Francisco, US: 207,227
3. Zurich, Switzerland: 206,875
4. Shanghai, China: 202,211
5. Geneva, Switzerland: 184,942
6. New York, US: 182,240
7. Los Angeles, US: 161,126
8. Jakarta, Indonesia: 152,589
9. Hong Kong, China: 148,410
10. Paris, France: 139,602
11. Dubai, UAE: 138,177
12. Moscow, Russia: 135,909
13. Sydney, Australia: 134,368
14. Tokyo, Japan: 132,508
15. Doha, Qatar: 131,408
16. Abu Dhabi, UAE: 127,456
17. Kuwait: 123,041
18. Bangkok, Thailand: 119,601
19. Nairobi, Kenya: 119,182
20. Singapore: 117,904