🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates or 🇵🇭 Philippines
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Which one, honestly
United Arab Emirates leads on cities, getting around and food. Philippines leads on nature, value for money and the sea.
A normal day costs about $180 in United Arab Emirates and $85 in Philippines.
Side by side
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates🇵🇭 Philippines
- Nov to MarBest monthsDec to Apr
- $180A normal day$85
- 7h to DubaiNonstop from London14h to Manila
- GoodBeaches and seaExceptional
- Very goodCities and cultureNot the draw
- Very goodFoodGood
- Not the drawNature and hikingExceptional
- Not the drawValue for moneyExceptional
- Very goodEasy to get aroundNot the draw
- Metro in Dubai, taxis everywhere else, a car for the mountainsGetting aroundDomestic flights and ferries, cheap but often delayed, leave slack
- June to September, when outdoors stops being an optionWhen to avoidThe typhoon months, roughly August to October
Pick by what you want
🇦🇪 Choose United Arab Emirates if
you want guaranteed winter sun, very short flights from Europe and Asia, and a city that works like clockwork.
🇵🇭 Choose Philippines if
you want water and islands above everything else, on a small budget, and you can handle slow travel days.
Full United Arab Emirates guide →Full Philippines guide →
Compare something else
Written and checked by hand. Nothing here about visas or entry rules: those change often and depend on your passport, so check an official source.