Dubai Property Price Per Square Foot, Area by Area
Price per square foot is the only number that lets you compare a studio in Jumeirah Village Circle with a two-bedroom on the Palm. It is also the number most easily used to mislead you.
Here is what each area actually costs in 2026, what the figure includes, and the three ways a quoted rate can be technically true and still wrong.
Key Takeaways
- The city median sits around AED 1,720-1,770 per sq ft, up from about AED 1,600 in 2025.
- Downtown runs about AED 3,011 and Palm Jumeirah about AED 3,750 — roughly twice the city average.
- JVC at AED 1,350-1,550 is the mainstream value benchmark; Dubai South is near AED 1,550.
- Ultra-prime is a different market: an Alba Residences unit on the Palm reached AED 11,227 per sq ft in H1 2026.
- Off-plan prices per sq ft look lower because you are paying over three years and earning nothing in the meantime.
- A rate is only comparable if the area basis, the floor and the service charge are comparable too.
What each area costs
| Area | Average price (AED per sq ft) | Typical gross yield | Service charge (AED per sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Jumeirah | About 3,750 | 4-6% | 50-70 |
| Downtown Dubai | About 3,011 | 5-6% | 50-70 |
| Business Bay | About 2,547 | 6-8% | 13-18 |
| Dubai Marina | About 2,058 | 6-6.8% | 18-25 |
| Jumeirah Lake Towers | About 1,960-2,643 | 7-9% | 13-18 |
| Dubai Hills Estate (apartments) | 1,400-2,500 | About 6.3% | 13-18 |
| Dubai South | About 1,550 | 7-8% | 10-13 |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 1,350-1,550 | 7-9% | 10-13 |
| Dubai, all areas | 1,720-1,770 | 6-8% | Varies |
Sources differ on JLT by a wide margin — one set of data puts it near AED 2,643 and another closer to AED 1,960 — because the district mixes 2006 towers with new launches. Where a range that wide appears, price the specific building, not the community.
What the rate is telling you
Multiply and the picture changes fast. A 900 sq ft two-bedroom costs about AED 1.26 million in JVC, AED 2.29 million in Business Bay and AED 2.71 million in Downtown. Same home, three different addresses, and only the last one has a Burj view.
Turn it around and the same AED 2 million buys:
- roughly 1,350 sq ft in JVC
- about 1,290 sq ft in Dubai South
- about 785 sq ft in Business Bay
- about 665 sq ft in Downtown
- about 530 sq ft on the Palm
That is the trade in one line: floor area against address. Which is right depends on whether you want rent, resale or a view — which is what our area guide is for.
Three ways a quoted rate misleads
1. The area basis. Dubai quotes on saleable or built-up area, which includes internal walls and often a share of the balcony. Two listings for the "same" 800 sq ft can differ by 60 sq ft of usable floor. Ask which basis the figure uses, and check the DLD area on the title deed.
2. Floor, view and stack. Within one tower, a low-floor unit facing a car park and a high-floor unit facing the water can differ by 25-30% per sq ft. A "building average" hides that entirely.
3. Off-plan against ready. Off-plan looks cheaper per sq ft, and it is — but you wait two to three years, earn no rent, and take construction risk. A ready unit at AED 2,000 per sq ft earning 7% today is often the better arithmetic than an off-plan one at AED 1,700 handing over in 2028. Our off-plan guide sets out the payment plan and escrow mechanics.
Price per sq ft is only half the calculation
The other half is the service charge, which is also quoted per square foot — and which is deducted every single year while the purchase price is paid once.
Take two 1,000 sq ft apartments:
| JVC | Downtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Price at the area rate | AED 1,450,000 | AED 3,011,000 |
| Gross rent | 7.5% = AED 108,750 | 5.5% = AED 165,605 |
| Service charge | AED 12,000 | AED 55,000 |
| Net before voids | AED 96,750 | AED 110,605 |
| Net yield | 6.7% | 3.7% |
The Downtown unit costs 2.1 times as much and produces 1.14 times the net income. That is not an argument against Downtown — it is an argument for knowing which of the two things you are buying.
Where the ultra-prime numbers come from
Headlines about Dubai rates usually quote the top of the market. In the first half of 2026, Alba Residences on Palm Jumeirah reached AED 11,227 per sq ft, a Palm home sold for AED 225.965 million, and the year's largest sale was an Aman Residences apartment at AED 422 million.
Those are real transactions in a market of a few hundred buyers worldwide. They tell you nothing about what a two-bedroom in Business Bay is worth, and they should never be used as evidence that "Dubai is at AED 11,000 a foot".
Run it on your own numbers. Set the price, the rent and the service charge and the calculator gives you the fees, the cash you need on day one and what the rent leaves after costs — in your own currency.
Dubai property calculator — costs, cash needed and net rent
Works from any country: pick your currency, or type your own rate. Fees follow the DLD schedule; rent figures are yours to set.
| Charge | AED | Your currency |
|---|
Fee basis: DLD transfer 4% of price, plus a DLD admin fee of AED 580 on a ready unit and AED 40 at Oqood on an off-plan one; registration trustee AED 4,000 below AED 500,000 and AED 4,200 above, plus 5% VAT; title deed and map about AED 500; agency 2% plus 5% VAT where used; mortgage registration 0.25% of the loan plus AED 290. Rates shown are indicative, read on 9 September 2026, and the pegged ones (USD and the GCC currencies) do not move — edit the rate box for anything else. This is an estimate to plan with, not a quotation, and it does not cover tax in your own country.
How to use the rate when you are actually buying
- Pull the last six months of transactions in that exact building, not the community average.
- Adjust for floor and view before comparing two units.
- Confirm the area basis and the DLD-registered size.
- Get the service charge per sq ft from the RERA index and subtract it from your yield.
- Check what is completing nearby — new supply resets the rate for a district faster than anything else.
Prices across the market are broadly steady in 2026 while rents soften, so the rate you are quoted today deserves more scrutiny than it did two years ago. The wider picture is in where the Dubai market stands now, and current project pricing is on our Dubai project list.
How the rate has moved, and what that implies
The city average went from about AED 1,600 per sq ft in 2025 to roughly AED 1,770 in 2026 — a rise of around 10% in a year, on top of a run that took prices up about 60% between 2022 and early 2025.
That is the context for every rate you are quoted today. Three consequences follow:
- The seller's anchor is last year's peak. Asking prices adjust more slowly than the market does, so the gap between asking and achieved is wider now than it was in 2024. Ask what the last unit in that building actually sold for.
- Rent has stopped following price. Rents fell 6.2% between the first and second quarters of 2026, so a rate that produced 7% two years ago may produce closer to 6% on today's rent at the same price.
- Newer stock carries a premium you may not want. A 2026 handover in a value community can be quoted 15-20% above a five-year-old building on the same road, for the same size and a similar service charge. Sometimes the finish justifies it. Often the difference is simply that one is new.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average price per square foot in Dubai?
Around AED 1,720-1,770 across all areas in 2026, up from about AED 1,600 in 2025. Downtown averages about AED 3,011, Palm Jumeirah about AED 3,750, and JVC AED 1,350-1,550.
Which is the most expensive area in Dubai per square foot?
Palm Jumeirah at roughly AED 3,750 leads the mainstream prime market, with Downtown next at about AED 3,011. Individual ultra-prime buildings go far higher — Alba Residences on the Palm reached AED 11,227 per sq ft in H1 2026.
Why do two apartments the same size have different prices per sq ft?
Floor, view and orientation within the same tower can move the rate 25-30%. The area basis also differs: saleable and built-up areas include walls and part of the balcony, so two "800 sq ft" units may not have the same usable floor.
Is off-plan cheaper per square foot?
Usually, yes, and the payment is staged. But you earn no rent until handover and carry construction risk, so a ready unit at a higher rate can produce more over the same period.
Does a high price per sq ft mean a better investment?
No. Prime areas cost more per foot and yield less: 4-6% gross on the Palm against 7-9% in JVC, with service charges of AED 50-70 per sq ft against AED 10-13. Higher rates buy resale depth and prestige, not income.
Send us the building and the size you are looking at, and we will tell you what that rate looks like against the last six months of sales in the same tower.
