Buying Property in Dubai
Find the right Dubai property for your budget and buy with confidence: a licensed, professional team with you from advice and selection to title transfer and residency.
Reviewed by Dr. Sina Ghaderi, AKT founder, RERA ORN 15673 · Updated: 27 July 2026
Newest Off-Plan Projects in Dubai
New launches with ~10% down payment and installments beyond handover
Skyhills Residences 3
HRE Development
Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)
The Lifestyle Collection
DAMAC Properties
DAMAC Hills, Lagoons & Riverside
The Yards
Beyond Developments
City of Arabia, Dubailand
Barari Palace
ARY & MAZ Developments
Majan (Al Barari)
Buying in Dubai: key facts for foreign buyers
Buy your dream Dubai home with no commission to pay
Dubai property price list (starting price by area)
The table shows approximate starting prices by area in AED and USD. The exact price of any property depends on size, developer and location.
Conversion basis: about AED 3.67 per USD (approximate).
Prices updated: July 2026
The Dubai property market in numbers, June 2026
These are median transacted prices, not asking prices. A median is not an entry price: the entry price shows the cheapest unit in an area, the median shows the midpoint of every deal that month. Both are correct and they answer different questions.
74.9%
Off-plan share of Dubai residential sales
25.1%
Ready and secondary share
10 of 12
Areas that softened month on month
Ten of twelve areas softened this month, and Dubai Sports City led the gainers at 2.25%.
One month is not a trend: what matters for a purchase decision is the multi-month direction and the quality of the specific project.
Three quarters of Dubai residential deals are off-plan, which is why the payment-plan table below matters as much as the price table above.
Price per square foot across Dubai communities
A headline price is tied to floor area, so comparing two communities on total price tells you very little when the sizes differ.
Price per square foot fixes that.
Villas and townhouses
Apartments
The figure that stands out in these tables is that an apartment can cost more per square foot than a villa: Jumeirah Bay Island runs AED 9,606 per sqft on apartments and AED 4,625 on villas, because a villa carries land and floor area, and part of its price is space rather than location.
If you are buying to let, a lower price per square foot usually reaches a better yield, because rent responds more to location and building quality than to raw floor area.
Which communities trade the most
Transaction volume is what decides how easily the property sells later.
A community registering hundreds of deals a month has buyers waiting, while one registering a handful may hold an excellent property and still leave you sitting behind a listing for months.
Dubai South led the month with 2,689 apartment sales, almost all through Oqood registration, meaning off-plan. Jumeirah Village Circle was the most active ready market with 331 title-deed transfers.
The difference between those two numbers matters.
Oqood registers an off-plan contract and a title deed transfers a completed property, so a community where nearly every deal is Oqood does not yet have a resale market — you find out its real price on handover day, not today.
Biggest price and rent movers last month
These tables show the communities that moved most in a single month, in both sale price and rent.
A one-month gain is a weak signal and no reason to buy on its own, but when the same community repeats across several months it says something about real demand that a city average hides.
Largest sale-price gains
Largest rent gains
Rent moves more slowly than price, which makes it the more reliable of the two: a rent rise means real occupier demand has grown, whereas a price rise sometimes just reflects one expensive new launch in the same community.
Average annual rent by Dubai community
If you are buying to let, the number that decides the outcome is what the community actually rents for.
How gross yield is calculated
Gross yield is one year of rent divided by the price of the property. It can only be calculated where price and rent cover the same property type; pairing an all-types median with an apartment rent produces a figure that looks authoritative and is not.
Net yield sits below these figures, because annual service charges and vacancy come out of them.
A more expensive community does not automatically yield better: Palm Jumeirah returns close to 9% on apartments and close to 3% on Garden Homes villas.
Annual property tax and rental income tax are zero for individuals, so these figures are the same before and after tax.
Off-plan or ready: which one fits
Most first-time Dubai buyers find this the hardest single choice, because both options have their own logic and neither is right for every buyer.
Off-plan asks for less money up front and makes you wait until handover.
A ready property earns rent from the first week and costs its full price today.
If you want rental income in the short term, a ready property answers that. If the budget is tight and you can wait two or three years, off-plan instalments are the route that makes you an owner without a bank loan.
Annual service charges and running costs
The service charge is the one cost that repeats every year after the purchase, and it is the figure most often left out of a yield calculation.
It is set from your unit’s square footage and the building’s annual budget, so two identically sized units in neighbouring towers can carry very different charges.
Towers with a pool, a gym, a large lobby and 24-hour security cost more to run, and those same services are what lift their rents — so a high service charge is not automatically bad news, provided you know the number before you buy.
The Dubai Land Department publishes a service charge index, and the approved rate for any building can be checked there. Get the figure before signing and subtract it from the annual rent to see the real yield.
Selling and exiting the investment
Buying is half the decision; the other half is that one day you will want to sell.
Selling is as open to a foreign owner as buying: there is no nationality restriction, capital gains tax is zero for individuals, and sale proceeds can be moved out of the UAE.
Selling costs are typically the 2% agency commission plus VAT and the NOC fee, and where the property carries a mortgage it is settled before the title transfers.
What sets the speed of a sale is the community, not the property.
Where hundreds of deals register monthly there is always a next buyer. In a community that has only just been built and has no resale market yet, it can take months, and you may have to price below the market to close at all.
Letting the property after you buy
Most overseas buyers are not buying to live in the property full time, so the question that comes straight after the title transfer is how a tenancy is run from abroad.
The short answer is that you do not need to be in Dubai.
A Dubai tenancy contract has to be registered on Ejari, and without that registration a tenant cannot put the utilities in their own name; registering it is normally handled by the owner or the managing agent.
Rent is agreed annually and paid by cheque, usually one to four cheques for the year. The fewer the cheques, the lower the rent tends to be agreed, because the owner receives the money sooner.
Property management companies take on the whole cycle: finding the tenant, registering Ejari, handing over the unit, handling repairs and banking the cheques. Their fee is normally a percentage of the annual rent, and for an owner living outside the UAE it almost always works out better than self-managing.
The split of costs between owner and tenant is clearly defined, and the table below summarises it.
A rent increase on renewal is not open-ended: the ceiling is set by the RERA rental index, and the owner must give the tenant at least 90 days’ written notice before the contract ends of any change to the terms.
That rule is what makes the Dubai rental market predictable for an owner. You know the ceiling you can raise to next year, and the tenant knows what to expect.
Key terms in a Dubai property purchase
Contracts and correspondence are full of terms that appear in their original form throughout the paperwork.
The table below covers the ones that show up in every buyer’s file.
Which property type suits which buyer
Property type is chosen before community, because that single decision shapes both your budget and your future resale market.
A studio is the cheapest way in and usually holds a higher rental yield than larger units, because its rent-to-price ratio is greater. The trade-off is that the next buyer of a studio is almost always an investor rather than a family, which narrows the resale pool.
An apartment is the common balance between entry price and market depth.
A townhouse suits a family that wants a garden without a villa budget, while villas and penthouses have a narrower market and a longer time to sell — in exchange they are scarce, and they climb further than the rest during growth periods.
What can your budget buy in Dubai?
- Budget homes: from about USD 109,000 (International City, Arjan).
- Economy homes: about USD 150,000–163,000 (JVC, Silicon Oasis, Sports City).
- Luxury homes: from about USD 231,000 up to USD 899,000+ (Business Bay, Downtown, Palm Jumeirah).
Figures are approximate and exclude the annual service charge; ask an AKT advisor for the exact price of any property.
What affects property prices in Dubai?
A property’s price in Dubai depends on a few key factors:
- Area and location: proximity to the sea, metro, malls and attractions raises the price.
- Developer and build quality: established brands like Emaar hold their value better.
- Project stage: off-plan usually has a lower entry price than ready property.
- Size, floor and view: units with open views and higher floors cost more.
- Community amenities: pool, gym, security and management services affect the price.
- Current supply and demand in each area.
With recent developments, can foreigners still buy in Dubai and get residency?
Foreign nationals can obtain UAE residency by buying property in Dubai, with no restriction on buying or getting residency. In freehold areas the title is in your name and you own 100%. The detail most sites miss: under the DLD’s April 2026 rule, a property from around AED 400,000 qualifies you for the renewable 2-year residency; on joint purchases each share must be at least AED 400,000, and from AED 2M you qualify for the 10-year Golden Visa.
To get Dubai residency and the Golden Visa through property, leave your details
A renewable 2-year Dubai residency from around AED 400,000
From April 2026 the Dubai Land Department eased the old AED 750,000 requirement: a property from around AED 400,000 qualifies you for the renewable 2-year residency. On a joint purchase each co-owner’s share counts — an AED 800,000 property qualifies two buyers and their families. AKT, a licensed agency, confirms each case’s eligibility for free.
↗ Source: Dubai Land Department, investor visa service (Taskeen)
Full Legal Ownership
In freehold areas the title deed is in your name — no residency or local partner required.
Residency Through Property
A renewable 2-year residency from around AED 400,000, and the 10-year Golden Visa from AED 2M.
0% Tax
No annual property tax, income tax or capital gains tax for individuals.
Installment Plans
Start with about 10% and pay monthly, on some projects even beyond handover, from 1% per month.
Can foreigners buy property in Dubai?
Yes. You do not need to be a UAE resident and you do not need a local partner. Foreign nationals have full ownership rights in designated "freehold" areas — the title is registered in your name with full rights to sell, lease or transfer it. An AKT advisor confirms a property’s freehold status before you buy.
Most of Dubai’s popular areas are freehold:
Dubai property market forecast for 2026
Dubai’s market has grown steadily in recent years, with a positive outlook for 2026. Keep these in mind:
- Demand from foreign buyers, especially across the Middle East and Asia, keeps rising.
- New Emaar, DAMAC and Sobha launches widen supply, with more installment plans available.
- Dubai’s population and tourism growth keep rental demand high in key areas.
- Exact price-growth figures cannot be guaranteed; decide on current data and your own goal. AKT shares an up-to-date area analysis for free.
Source: Official transaction data from the Dubai Land Department (DLD)
Buy your ideal Dubai home on monthly installments
Dubai property law updates in 2026
A few current points worth knowing:
- The residency-through-property path remains open and legal for foreign nationals.
- From April 2026 the DLD eased the old AED 750,000 requirement; the 2-year residency path opens from a property around AED 400,000.
- On joint purchases, each co-owner’s share must be at least AED 400,000 to qualify.
- Since February 2026 the 10-year Golden Visa no longer requires AED 1M paid upfront; the title deed or Oqood value is what counts.
- Dependents of a property-residency holder can now work in the UAE under new rules.
- All transactions are still registered with the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and handled through escrow.
- Exact case conditions can change; an AKT advisor checks the latest status for free.
Key considerations before buying in Dubai
For a sound decision, it helps to know these too:
- Budget for the closing costs (about 5% on off-plan and 7–8% on a ready property) and the annual service charge.
- For off-plan, check the developer’s track record and handover date before signing.
- Rental yield depends on the area and how the property is managed; it is not a fixed number.
- For a safe transfer, work through the official Dubai Land Department (DLD) and escrow.
- Before buying, confirm the freehold status and title with a RERA-licensed advisor.
AKT reviews all of this with you transparently before you buy, so you can decide with confidence.
Property types to buy in Dubai
Apartment
The most in-demand option for investment and rental; from studios to multi-bed.
Villa
Ideal for family living in quiet communities with full amenities.
Townhouse
Attached homes with private yard and entrance; balance of price and space.
Penthouse
A luxury option with open views and large floor area for premium buyers.
Studio
Low-cost entry to the market with high rental demand and good yield.
How to buy property in Dubai, step by step
Set a budget & choose
Define your budget and goal (living or investment); your AKT advisor shortlists suitable options.
Agree & contract
Agree the price and sign the contract form (MOU / Form F).
Pay the deposit
Typically a 10% deposit is paid.
No Objection Certificate (NOC)
Obtained from the developer or building management.
Title transfer
At the Dubai Land Department (DLD) or a trustee office the title is registered in your name.
For ready properties this usually takes 2–4 weeks, and 30–60 days with a mortgage or off-plan. AKT manages all the paperwork for you.
How long buying property in Dubai takes
Timing depends on the property type and how you pay, not on the buyer’s nationality.
Every foreign buyer follows the same route, with the same documents and the same deadlines.
What actually takes the longest is arranging and moving the funds rather than the paperwork, and if the transfer route is settled before you start, the rest runs inside the windows in the table.
For expert advice on buying property in Dubai, leave your details
Closing costs of buying property in Dubai
On off-plan — which is most of our purchases — the main side cost is only about 5%: the developer pays our commission, so the buyer pays none. On a ready property with a 2% commission the total comes to about 7–8%:
In Dubai there is no annual property tax, income tax or capital gains tax for individuals. What your property earns stays yours.
Installments & off-plan
You don’t need the full amount up front. On off-plan projects, typically:
- about 10% on reservation,
- the balance during construction in installments — as low as 1% per month on some projects,
- and a portion on handover.
This way you own the property without a bank loan. If you want a ready property to live in or rent immediately, "ready" options are also available.
Common off-plan payment structures
Every developer sets its own schedule, but most Dubai off-plan projects sit on one of four patterns:
The booking deposit is usually 10–20% and counts towards the construction-stage share.
A post-handover plan suits a buyer who wants the rent to cover part of the instalments.
We send you the exact schedule for a specific project before anything is signed.
Ways to invest through property
Off-plan
Lower entry price, flexible payment plan and capital-growth potential by completion. Best for maximizing returns.
Ready property
Immediate ownership and income, viewing before purchase, and lower delay risk.
Secondary (resale)
Immediate handover, market-based pricing, and a chance to inspect the property before buying.
Dubai residency through property (Golden Visa)
Under the Dubai Land Department’s April 2026 rules:
It is renewable and can cover your spouse and children. For example, if two buyers purchase an AED 800,000 property together, each share is AED 400,000 and both of them, with their families, can qualify. For mortgaged or installment properties a bank/developer NOC is required, and on completed properties at least half the price or AED 375,000 must be paid. AKT, a licensed agency, confirms your case’s exact eligibility for free.
Types of property ownership in Dubai
Freehold
Full, permanent ownership for foreigners; can be sold, leased and inherited. All AKT-recommended projects are freehold.
Leasehold
Time-bound ownership (up to 99 years); the underlying land stays with the freeholder.
Local
Reserved for UAE and GCC citizens; not available to foreign nationals.
Free consultation to buy property in Dubai
Documents required to buy property in Dubai
- Buyer’s passport (original and copy)
- Proof of funds and bank statements
- Forms A and B in the Dubai REST app
- NOC arranged via the developer
- Signed sale contract between seller and buyer
- Three passport-size photos
Best areas to buy in Dubai (with indicative yield)
Downtown Dubai
ROI 5–7%Near Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall; strong value.
Dubai Marina
ROI 5–7%Waterfront living, strong rental demand.
JVC
ROI 6–9%Affordable homes with good yield.
Business Bay
ROI 6–8%Near business hubs, steady growth.
Palm Jumeirah
ROI 5–8%Luxury beachfront villas and apartments.
Dubai Hills
ROI 4–7%Villas and family living, green spaces.
Yield figures are estimates dependent on the property and market, not guarantees.
Can foreigners get a mortgage in Dubai?
Yes, under certain conditions. Typically an active company with cash flow, or a monthly salary above AED 10,000, enables a mortgage. Exact terms depend on your finances and the bank’s policy; an AKT advisor reviews the options with you.
Choose the right property with an Emaar Top-15 team
AKT Real Estate Awards & Recognitions
Al Habtoor Developer Award
Amaal Developer Award
Danube Developer Award (Diamondz)
Danube Developer Award (Shahrukhz)
Emaar Developer Award 2022
Emaar Developer Award 2025
Mira Developer Award
Samana Developer Award
Sobha Developer Award
Trusted Dubai developers
AKT works with Dubai’s most reputable developers. AKT’s founder, Dr. Sina Ghaderi, was an Emaar Top-15 Seller in 2025.
Emaar
Builder of Burj Khalifa and Downtown; one of the world’s most valuable developers.
DAMAC
Over 20 years in luxury projects across Dubai and globally.
Nakheel
Builder of Palm Jumeirah and landmark waterfront projects.
Meraas
Urban and lifestyle projects in key Dubai areas.
Binghatti
Modern, high-volume projects with on-time delivery.
Danube
Over 30 years of experience and flexible payment plans.
Buying a home in Dubai, made easy and secure with AKT
- Full support from the first call to the title deed and your residency file
- A property matched to your budget and goal, with clear prices in USD and AED
- A free price and yield report for your chosen area, before you decide
- In-person or online viewings, plus legal and contract work in your language
- Step-by-step handling of your 2-year residency and Golden Visa file
- An introduction to rental management after purchase, so you can earn income
- RERA-licensed (ORN 15673); founded by Dr. Sina Ghaderi, an Emaar Top-15 Seller in 2025
- Transparent dealing overseen by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and through escrow, with an office in Bay Square, Business Bay
Your consultation and case review are free and you decide at your own pace; we recommend the property that is genuinely right for you and stay with you until you reach the right choice.
Our Team
AKT licensed advisors, ready to guide you at every step
Talk to an AKT expert advisor now
The mistakes buyers repeat most often
These come from our own files rather than a generic checklist.
- Trusting the asking priceA listing is the seller’s asking price, and the median of registered transactions usually sits below it. Look at what the same tower actually sold for before you make an offer.
- Forgetting the annual service chargeIn premium communities it is charged per square foot and can absorb a visible share of a year’s rent, so get the figure from building management before you buy.
- Choosing a developer from the renderA render says nothing about the handover date. The same developer’s delivery record on previous projects does.
- Buying where there is no resale marketWhen nearly every deal in a community is off-plan, selling to the next buyer before handover is not straightforward.
- Leaving transaction costs out of the budgetThe 4% DLD registration and the trustee fees land on the final figure and move your real ceiling.
- Signing without reading the payment scheduleTwo projects at the same price can carry completely different schedules, and that difference is what sets your cash-flow pressure for the next three years.
Frequently asked questions about buying property in Dubai
Can foreign nationals buy property in Dubai and get residency?+
What is the minimum cost to buy in Dubai?+
Do I need residency to buy property in Dubai?+
What property value do I need for residency?+
How much are the closing costs?+
Is 100% ownership in the buyer’s name?+
Off-plan or ready property — which is better?+
Is renting out property in Dubai a good income?+
Can foreigners get a mortgage?+
How do I make sure the transaction is safe?+
Can I buy from abroad?+
Can the property be inherited?+
Does property residency allow working?+
What is the price of a house in Dubai in US dollars?+
What does an average home in Dubai cost?+
How much are Dubai’s most expensive homes?+
How much have Dubai property prices risen recently?+
What is the DUBAI REST app?+
Is there an age limit to buy property in Dubai?+
Do I need a lawyer to buy property in Dubai?+
What is Dubai’s new 2026 property residency rule?+
Can joint buyers get residency through one property?+
Can the Golden Visa cover my family?+
What is the annual service charge in Dubai and who pays it?+
How do I calculate rental yield?+
How long does selling a property in Dubai take, and what does it cost?+
What does price per square foot mean and why does it matter?+
Official sources
Every figure on this page that rests on a rule or an official fee comes from these sources. Each one is labelled with the claim it verifies.
- Dubai Land Department (DLD) — investor visa service (Taskeen): the 2-year residency and the AED 400,000 joint-ownership share rule
- Dubai Land Department — investor Golden Visa: the AED 2M threshold and mortgaged-property acceptance with a bank letter
- UAE Government portal (u.ae) — 10-year Golden Visa conditions and family sponsorship
- Dubai Land Department — property sale registration and the official registration/transfer fee
- Dubai Land Department open data — registered transactions, the basis for the price and yield figures here
The prices and costs on this page come from transactions the AKT team has itself registered at the Dubai Land Department, alongside the DLD’s own open data. Where a figure is an estimate (rental yield, for example) it is labelled as one on the spot.
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