Dubai property: what the figures say
This page sets out what can currently be evidenced about the Dubai property market, and names where evidence is missing. We update it quarterly.
Data as of July 2026 for the agency figures. The Dubai Land Department tables below state their own period and retrieval date.
Headline figures
| Measure | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Average, whole market | AED 1,916/sq ft ≈ 20,600 AED/m² | June 2026 |
| Apartments | AED 1,969/sq ft ≈ 21,200 AED/m² | June 2026 |
| New-build apartments | ≈ 22,000 AED/m² | 2026 |
| Resale apartments | ≈ 18,400 AED/m² | 2026 |
| Typical apartment price | AED 1.3m ≈ £280,000 | 2026 |
| Change year on year | +10 to 12% | 2026 |
By area, in AED per m² (agency averages from Engel & Völkers, converted from price per sq ft, apartment communities, 2026 year to date). They are not comparable with the Dubai Land Department medians in the table below: different source, a different measure (average against median) and a different period.
| Area | AED/m² | vs market |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Dubai | 32,400 | +57% |
| Business Bay | 27,400 | +33% |
| Dubai Marina | 22,200 | +8% |
| Market average | 20,600 | — |
| Area | Purchase AED/m² | Rent AED/m²/yr | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) | 13,038 | 958 | 7.3% |
| Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) | 14,866 | 1,073 | 7.2% |
| Business Bay | 18,920 | 1,229 | 6.5% |
| Dubai Marina | 20,258 | 1,092 | 5.4% |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | 24,062 | 1,304 | 5.4% |
| Palm Jumeirah | 25,108 | 1,334 | 5.3% |
| Downtown Dubai | 25,329 | 1,341 | 5.3% |
Medians for Q3 2026, residential resale only. Yield before service charges, vacancy and management.
Source: Dubai Land Department, retrieved 4 November 2026. Datasets: Real Estate Transactions, Rent Contracts
The calculator below draws on the same Dubai Land Department records, but it uses the medians of the last four quarters, whereas the table above shows the latest quarter. For the same area the two can therefore give different yields.
Gross yield
Medians of the last four quarters, calculated across all four together and within the size range that sales and rentals share. They can therefore differ from the quarterly medians in the tables. Selecting an area fills in the median for that area; every field can be overwritten. Changing the size recalculates price and rent from the median per m².
Gross is not what reaches your account. Service charges, vacancy, re-letting and maintenance come off it, and how much depends on the individual building rather than the area. We quote no figure for that, because an honest one exists only per property.
Source: Dubai Land Department, retrieved 4 November 2026. Datasets: Real Estate Transactions, Rent Contracts
How to read those numbers
The 10 to 12 per cent rise is the most quoted figure about this market and the most misread. Three qualifications:
It averages a highly varied market. Individual areas and property types diverged considerably. An area average describes no specific property.
It looks backwards. Projecting it forward is an assumption, not a forecast. We do not make it.
The market runs cycles. Dubai has been through pronounced upswings and downswings. A short holding period carries timing risk regardless of how the past year turned out.
New-build and resale diverge
The gap between new-build and resale runs near 20 per cent. That is not a quality verdict but the price of two different products: new-build comes with a payment plan across construction, resale with a unit usable now.
For market watching the gap itself is informative. Widening suggests heavy new supply; narrowing suggests scarcity in the existing stock.
What we cannot state responsibly
Named explicitly, for honesty’s sake:
On vacancy. We hold no reliable current vacancy rate for the whole market from a verified source, so we quote none. Figures in circulation frequently come from individual analyses without a stated method.
On the coming months. Forecasts exist in abundance. They are assumptions, and we do not present them as market data.
On a “crash” or a “bubble”. Both terms are searched and therefore supplied readily. On the data available to us there is no evidence for either. Just as there is none for guaranteed continued growth.
Which sources hold up
A ranking that applies equally to your own research:
1. Registered transactions at the Dubai Land Department. The only genuinely binding source. It shows what was actually paid, not what is asked.
2. Market reports from established consultancies. Usually methodologically transparent, but published with a lag.
3. Analyses from agencies. Useful for magnitude. Bear in mind the publisher has an interest in how the market is portrayed.
4. Portal averages. These show asking prices, not completions. Unsuitable for a purchase decision.
The headline figures and the area averages at the top of this page come predominantly from category 3. That is disclosed, and traceable in the sources below. The yield table and the calculator are different: they rest on category 1, registered transactions and rent contracts at the Dubai Land Department, with period and retrieval date stated beneath each. For actual purchase decisions we use category 1.
What this means for a decision
Market figures answer the question “how does the market stand?” They do not answer “is this property worth its price?” For that, what counts is registered sales in the same building and period, the service charge history and the letting record of the unit.
A market can rise 11 per cent while an individual tower loses value. Both at once is entirely normal.
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Frequently asked questions
How have Dubai property prices moved?
Residential prices have most recently run some 10 to 12 per cent above the previous year. That is a backward-looking average across a varied market and says nothing about what comes next.
Is there a property bubble in Dubai?
Not answerable with a straight yes or no. What is demonstrable: heavy construction activity, sustained international demand, and pronounced cycles historically. Deriving a forecast from that is an assumption.
What is the vacancy rate in Dubai?
We hold no reliable current figure from a verified source, so we quote none. For a specific building the letting history is more informative than a market-wide rate anyway.
Is the Dubai property market going to crash?
We do not know, and neither does anyone quoting a figure at you. The data shows cycles in both directions, but a forecast drawn from it is an assumption, not data, which is why this page carries none. If a short holding period would be ruined by a downturn, that is an argument about your horizon rather than about a prediction.
Where do I find official market data?
At the Dubai Land Department, which records registered transactions. It is the only source reflecting prices actually paid.
When is this page updated?
Quarterly. The date is at the top and in the update stamp. If you are preparing a decision, speak to us and we will pull current comparable sales for your specific property.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department — Real Estate Transactions — accessed
- Dubai Land Department — Rent Contracts — accessed
- Engel & Völkers — Average price per square foot by area (Dubai) — accessed
- Sands of Wealth — Dubai apartment prices, new-build vs resale — accessed
- Driven Properties — Average house prices in Dubai 2026 — accessed