What actually drives the cost of repainting a villa exterior in Dubai — where does the money go?

Exterior repaint quotes diverge mostly on things you can't see in the headline number. The real drivers are: the surface area and the height/access (scaffolding or access equipment for a two-storey villa is a real line item), the condition of the existing surface (cracks to fill, chalking to deal with, old failed coatings to strip all add prep hours), the grade of the paint SYSTEM (a UV-stable, often elastomeric exterior system costs more than basic paint but lasts far longer in our sun), and crucially how much genuine PREPARATION is included. That last one is where a cheap quote quietly wins, less prep, lower grade paint, fewer coats, then it chalks and cracks within a year. So compare quotes on the same scope: same prep, same product, same number of coats. Cost per square metre means nothing without those. Planning it properly with Al Ghubaiba on a like-for-like specification is what lets you tell a real job from a recoat, ask each quote to itemise prep, product and coats.