Clementine Martini in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where she recently bought an apartment after years of living in rentals. The French-born expat had about $850,000 to spend. Katarina Premfors for The New York Times

When Clementine Martini arrived in Dubai six years ago for a new job, she was elated to find that the United Arab Emirates’ biggest city was more than a manufactured metropolis of glass and steel towers.