Dubai property market, in registered numbers.
An independent English-language analysis of registered Dubai residential sales, Ejari rental records and off-plan transactions. No listing prices, no developer brochure data. Updated monthly and reusable with attribution.
What does Dubai residential property actually cost?
For 2025-08-01 to 2026-08-01, the median registered residential sale price was 18,698 AED/m², equivalent to approximately €4,414/m² at the stated European Central Bank reference rate.
| Community | Median AED/m² | Approx. EUR/m² | 12-month change | Gross yield | Off-plan share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JVC | 16,166 AED | €3,816 | +8.4% | 6.03% | 66.5% |
| Dubai South (Expo City) | 17,733 AED | €4,186 | +4.5% | 4.70% | 95.0% |
| Business Bay | 28,079 AED | €6,628 | +10.2% | 4.27% | 67.9% |
| DIP | 15,570 AED | €3,675 | -6.1% | 4.84% | 94.0% |
| JVT | 18,207 AED | €4,298 | +8.6% | 5.23% | 92.4% |
| Jebel Ali | 17,759 AED | €4,192 | +28.5% | 4.60% | 88.7% |
| Dubai Islands | 29,232 AED | €6,900 | +19.0% | 4.39% | 100.0% |
| Wadi Al Safa 5 (Villanova) | 15,977 AED | €3,772 | +11.3% | 4.59% | 87.0% |
| Dubailand Residence Complex | 15,444 AED | €3,646 | — | —% | 92.0% |
| DAMAC Hills 2 | 18,783 AED | €4,434 | -5.4% | 4.72% | 73.9% |
Source: Dubai Land Department Open Data; The Key Advisory analysis. Twelve-month medians, filtered residential sales. EUR conversion: 1 EUR = 4.2362 AED, ECB reference date 2026-08-07.
Price differences are substantial
Dubai should not be treated as one uniform property market. Among the most active communities in this dataset, median prices per square metre differ by more than two times. Community supply, building quality, service charges and the buyer pool matter more than a citywide headline.
Momentum is not uniform
The citywide median increased 8.2%, while the community range runs from -6.1% to +28.5%. Registered sales therefore support comparison, not a blanket appreciation claim.
Median apartment prices by bedroom
| Apartment | Median price | Approx. EUR | Registered sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 702,000 AED | €165,715 | 42,828 |
| 1 bedroom | 1,267,000 AED | €299,089 | 63,317 |
| 2 bedrooms | 2,268,000 AED | €535,385 | 33,705 |
| 3 bedrooms | 4,005,000 AED | €945,423 | 7,777 |
Citywide registered apartment sales. Cells are published only when the underlying sample meets the dataset threshold.
Gross yield is the start, not the conclusion.
The citywide gross rental yield is 4.65% before service charges, management, vacancy and maintenance. It combines median annual Ejari rent per square metre with the median registered purchase price per square metre.
Gross rental yield by community
How to interpret it
A gross yield cannot be compared with a net return without adjusting for recurring costs and total acquisition capital. A building with a lower purchase price can still underperform if service charges, vacancy or tenant turnover are high.
For a purchase decision, verify the actual building charge, use registered or closely comparable rents and model an exit without assumed appreciation.
Read the full Dubai rental-yield methodology →Source: DLD/Ejari, The Key Advisory analysis. Rents use current-year registrations; purchase prices use the stated twelve-month period.
Three in four sales are off-plan. The premium still matters.
Off-plan purchases represented 75.1% of registered residential sales. Citywide, the median off-plan price was 28.6% above ready-property transactions. That difference can reflect newer specifications and payment plans, but it also exposes completion, contract, supply and resale risk.
| Community | Off-plan AED/m² | Ready AED/m² | Median premium | Off-plan share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIP | 15,661 AED | 8,292 AED | +88.9% | 94.0% |
| Dubailand Residence Complex | 15,801 AED | 8,812 AED | +79.3% | 92.0% |
| DAMAC Hills 2 | 20,774 AED | 12,379 AED | +67.8% | 73.9% |
| Wadi Al Safa 5 (Villanova) | 16,273 AED | 10,512 AED | +54.8% | 87.0% |
| Dubai South (Expo City) | 17,876 AED | 11,688 AED | +52.9% | 95.0% |
| Business Bay | 29,791 AED | 21,118 AED | +41.1% | 67.9% |
| Jebel Ali | 18,510 AED | 13,714 AED | +35.0% | 88.7% |
| JVT | 18,439 AED | 15,127 AED | +21.9% | 92.4% |
| JVC | 16,983 AED | 14,104 AED | +20.4% | 66.5% |
Premium = median off-plan price versus median ready-property price in the same community and observation period. Product mix can affect the comparison.
From purchase price to net operating return.
A simplified scenario using editable assumptions. It is not a valuation, forecast or investment recommendation.
Dubai property data, in complete sentences.
These answers are written for direct citation. Keep the edition date and source with the number.
What is the median Dubai property price per square metre?
The median registered residential sale price was 18,698 AED/m², approximately €4,414/m², for August 2025 to July 2026. Source: Dubai Land Department Open Data, analysed by The Key Advisory.
How have Dubai property prices changed?
The citywide median increased 8.2% compared with the equivalent prior-year period. Community-level changes ranged from -6.1% to +28.5% among the high-volume communities shown here.
What is the gross rental yield in Dubai?
The citywide gross rental yield was 4.65% before service charges, vacancy, management and maintenance. The estimate uses registered DLD purchase prices and Ejari rents.
Is a 6% to 8% rental yield realistic?
Some communities and individual units can reach that range. In this dataset, JVC recorded a 6.03% median gross yield, while the citywide median was 4.65%. Higher claims often use asking rents or omit recurring costs.
How large is Dubai's off-plan market?
Off-plan transactions accounted for 75.1% of registered residential sales. The citywide median off-plan premium over ready property was 28.6% in the same observation period.
Can foreign investors buy property in Dubai?
Foreign investors can generally acquire registered freehold title in designated areas. The specific unit, seller or developer, contract, payment route and ownership structure should be checked before reservation.
How the dataset is built.
Source and observation period
Dubai Land Department Open Data and Ejari records. Sales run from 2025-08-01 to 2026-08-01 exclusive, covering 158,476 filtered residential transactions. Rentals use registrations from 2026-01-01.
Filters and outliers
Registered sales, residential use, apartments and villas. Prices outside 2,000 to 150,000 AED/m² are excluded. Medians are used instead of averages to reduce sensitivity to extreme transactions.
Rental yield
Median annual registered rent per square metre divided by median registered purchase price per square metre. The result is gross and excludes service charges, management, vacancy, maintenance and finance.
Known limitations
The public 2023 extract is incomplete and is not shown. Rental records cover the current year. Community names are normalised to common market names. This is market information, not a valuation of an individual property.
Built 2026-08-08T06:15:03. This independent work product is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Dubai Land Department or the Government of Dubai.
Reuse the data with clear attribution.
The English datasets are published under CC BY 4.0. Recommended citation: “The Key Advisory, Dubai Property Market Data, August 2026. Source data: Dubai Land Department Open Data.”