MAG 5 Boulevard Dubai South

MAG 5 Boulevard is a finished mid-rise community in the Dubai South Residential District, built by MAG Property Development and handed over from September 2018, with the last phase delivered by Q2 2019. It is sold as numbered buildings - MAG 510, 520, 525, 530 and 550 among them - holding studios and one, two and three-bedroom apartments over ground-floor retail.

Studios of about 430 sq ft ask from AED 449,000 (about Rs 1.16 crore), against an average studio ask near AED 679,900, and published figures put the community's gross rental yield at about 7.7%. Nothing here is a promise: the buildings are standing, tenanted and inspectable. Every UAE project we track sits in the Dubai section, and the area itself is covered on our Dubai South page.

At a glance

Price and unit pricing

This is the part of the page worth slowing down for, because the published numbers do not agree with each other - not by a little, but by more than 70% on the rate.

Run the arithmetic and the readings collide. A 430 sq ft studio at AED 641 per sq ft is AED 275,630; at AED 762 it is AED 327,660; at AED 1,100 it is AED 473,000. Only the last is anywhere near the asking prices actually listed. Our read is that the low per-sq-ft readings are pulled down by older transacted sales and larger units, while the asks reflect what sellers want today for small, lettable studios - and the true clearing price for a sound vacant studio sits in the mid-AED 500,000s. Do not accept any of these as the price. Pull the last three transacted sales in the specific building and price against those.

Payment plan and total cost

There is no developer plan here, which is the point of buying a finished building: you pay in full at transfer, or fund part of it with a UAE mortgage. Non-residents are usually offered around half the value, and the bank's valuation rather than the asking price sets the loan. Our guide to the cost of buying property in Dubai sets out the full fee stack.

The AED 40 Oqood entry applies to off-plan registrations and does not apply here. Service charges in Dubai South run about AED 10 to 15 per sq ft a year, so roughly AED 4,300 to 6,450 on a 430 sq ft studio. At this ticket size that is not a rounding error: against roughly AED 35,000 of annual rent it takes a sixth of the income before a single repair. Ask the owners' association for the budget, the last two years of actual charges and confirmation that the seller is not in arrears, because unpaid service charges follow the unit and not the owner who ran them up.

Location and connectivity

Dubai South is the city's aviation and logistics district, and MAG 5 Boulevard sits in its residential quarter, roughly seven to ten minutes from Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC). That airport is the subject of an AED 128 billion expansion, which is the long-term case for owning anything here. Expo City Dubai is the neighbouring district and has a Red Line metro station; the community itself is served by road rather than rail.

Emirates Road (E611) and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) connect you outwards: Dubai Parks and Resorts about 15 minutes, Dubai Marina and JBR about 30 to 40, Downtown Dubai and Business Bay about 40 to 45. The tenant pool reflects that geography - aviation, logistics and Jebel Ali staff, rather than a cross-section of the city - which is worth knowing before you underwrite a rent. Two other Dubai South projects we cover are South Living and, for an off-plan contrast at a higher ticket, Azizi Venice.

Amenities and specifications

Mid-rise blocks around shared podium amenities: a swimming pool, a gym, a children's club and play area, courtyards, cafes, restaurants and convenience retail at street level. Apartments are quoted with efficient layouts, private balconies, extended kitchen counters with a seating ledge, built-in wardrobes and a parking bay each.

The specification that actually decides your purchase is the condition of the individual apartment. These buildings have been lived in since 2018, mostly as rentals, and a seven-year-old air-conditioning system, kitchen and bathroom are not what a listing photograph shows. Inspect the unit, ask whether it is sold vacant, furnished or with a sitting tenant, and price any refurbishment into your offer. Our note on buying resale property in Dubai covers the paperwork side.

About the developer

MAG Property Development, now trading as MAG Lifestyle Development, is the real estate arm of MAG Group and has built in the UAE since 2003. It counts 19 completed projects; published unit totals range from about 2,500 to more than 5,000 depending on which source you read. Its best-known finished buildings are MAG 218 Tower in Dubai Marina - 66 floors, 534 homes, completed in 2010 - and Emirates Financial Towers in DIFC, a twin commercial development completed in 2011.

For a buyer here, the developer question is already settled. MAG 5 Boulevard was the group's volume play in Dubai South and it was delivered seven years ago. You are judging finished, tenanted buildings rather than a track record, which is the single biggest difference between this page and every off-plan page on the site.

For Indian buyers

Dubai South is freehold, so an Indian citizen owns here outright with a title deed from the Dubai Land Department, and the UAE levies no annual property tax. Under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme each resident Indian may remit USD 250,000 per financial year. The whole purchase at the entry price, fees included, is about USD 128,000 - it fits inside one person's allowance with room left over, which is unusual for a Dubai freehold purchase and is the practical reason this community sells to Indian investors.

What it will not do is get you residency. The Golden Visa needs AED 2 million of property, and a studio here is a quarter of that; properties in one name can be added together, so it would take several units. Treat this as an income asset. Rent you earn is taxable in India in your hands with the standard 30% deduction on the annual value, and the India-UAE treaty governs any credit. Our rental yield by area note puts the community's roughly 7.7% gross in context against the rest of the city - and the number to test is not the yield but the rent, building by building.

Pros

• The lowest freehold entry into Dubai ownership this site tracks - under Rs 1.25 crore all in
• Finished and tenanted, so income starts with the first tenant and there is no build to track
• About 7.7% gross on quoted figures, at the higher end for Dubai
• Seven to ten minutes from Al Maktoum International, which carries an AED 128 billion expansion
• Fits inside a single LRS allowance, fees included
• Seven years of sales history and live listings across several buildings gives you comparables and negotiating room

Cons

• The published rates disagree by more than 70% - AED 641, AED 762 and about AED 1,100 per sq ft are all quoted for the same community
• A seven-year-old rental unit carries wear the asking price does not mention
• Service charges take roughly a sixth of the rent at this ticket size
• No payment plan and limited mortgage leverage for non-residents, so this is a cash purchase in practice
• Far below the AED 2 million Golden Visa line, so no residency benefit from a single unit
• A narrow tenant pool tied to one employment base, and a 30 to 45 minute drive to central Dubai

Who this is for

Yield-first investors who want a finished, tenanted apartment at the cheapest freehold price in Dubai; Indian buyers who need the whole purchase inside one LRS allowance; and people working in Dubai South, Expo City or Jebel Ali who would rather own than rent near work.

Who should look elsewhere

Golden Visa buyers, anyone who wants a new building with a developer warranty and a payment plan, and investors who need a central address for resale liquidity.

Our verdict

This is a plain income purchase and it should be treated as one. The building risk disappeared in 2018; what replaced it is pricing risk, and the numbers here are unusually noisy - three published rates that differ by more than 70%, and studio asks AED 200,000 apart for the same box. Work from the last three transacted sales in the exact building, inspect the apartment, get the service-charge account and any sitting tenancy in writing, and treat 7.7% as a claim to be tested against real signed rents. Do that and this is a sound, cheap, cash-generating freehold asset next to an airport Dubai is spending AED 128 billion to rebuild. Skip the diligence and you will overpay by a hundred thousand dirhams for a unit that needs a new air-conditioning system.

Run this project's numbers yourself. The calculator opens on the price and unit size above; change the currency, the rent or the mortgage and it recalculates the fees, the cash you need on day one and the net rent.

FAQs

What does an apartment at MAG 5 Boulevard cost?

Studios start at about AED 449,000 (about Rs 1.16 crore), with most listings between AED 470,000 and AED 650,000 and an average studio ask near AED 679,900. One source shows ready units from as low as AED 345,000 and another puts entry stock at AED 470,000 to 500,000. Price the specific apartment, not the community.

Is MAG 5 Boulevard finished?

Yes. It was completed from September 2018 with the final phase by Q2 2019, and the buildings have been tenanted since. You can inspect the apartment before buying and let it the same month you take the title deed.

Is there a payment plan for MAG 5 Boulevard Dubai South?

No. This is a completed resale: full payment at transfer, or a UAE mortgage for part of it. Non-residents are usually offered around half the value, and the bank's valuation sets the loan.

What does MAG 5 Boulevard Dubai South cost on top of the price?

The DLD transfer fee is 4%, or AED 17,960 on a AED 449,000 studio, plus about AED 4,200 in trustee fees with VAT and about AED 500 for the title deed and map - roughly AED 471,660 all in, about Rs 1.21 crore. With a broker at 2% plus VAT it is about AED 481,089. There is no VAT on a residential sale and no annual property tax.

What is the rental yield?

Published figures put the community at about 7.7% gross, which comes from the low entry price rather than strong rents. On a AED 449,000 studio that implies roughly AED 34,500 a year. Take AED 4,300 to 6,450 of service charge out before calling it a return, and check what units in that specific building are letting for.

What are the service charges at MAG 5 Boulevard Dubai South?

About AED 10 to 15 per sq ft a year for Dubai South apartments, so roughly AED 4,300 to 6,450 on a 430 sq ft studio, set per building by the owners' association. Ask for the budget, the last two years of actual charges and confirmation the seller is not in arrears - unpaid charges follow the unit.

Is the project registered with the Dubai Land Department?

It is registered, though the project number and the original escrow bank are not printed by any source we could read. Neither matters much now: the escrow is closed and the buildings are complete. What matters is the title deed for your unit - verify it on the Dubai REST app and transfer at a DLD registration trustee office.

Does a unit here qualify for the Golden Visa?

Not on its own. The ten-year visa needs AED 2 million of property and a studio here is a fraction of that. Units held in one name can be added together, so several could reach the line, but as a single purchase this is an income buy.

Can an Indian citizen buy here, and how does the money move?

Yes. Dubai South is freehold for all nationalities. Under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme each resident Indian may remit USD 250,000 a financial year; the whole purchase with fees is about USD 128,000, so it fits inside one allowance. Rent is taxable in India with the standard 30% deduction.

Talk to Realty Hunting if you want the live listings in a specific MAG building, its service-charge history and a plan for viewing the units.

Compare with other Dubai projects

Also in Dubai South: Lincoln Star Residence 2 (from AED 486,000, handover 2027), Coventry 66 (from AED 525,000, handover 2027), Samana Hills South 2 (from AED 599,000, handover 2028) and Samana South Haven (from AED 599,000, handover 2029). See every Dubai South project with prices and handover dates.

More by MAG: MAG 777 (from AED 777,000, off-plan), MAG 330 (City of Arabia) (from AED 850,000, off-plan) and MBL Residence (from AED 935,000, ready).

A similar budget elsewhere in Dubai: Nakheel Dragon Towers (from AED 449,000, ready), Petalz By Danube (from AED 450,000, handover 2026) and Vista by Prestige One (from AED 440,000, ready).

Read next: Property for Sale in Dubai South: Prices, Yields and Risk · Dubai Rental Yields by Area, Gross and Net · Resale Property in Dubai: Costs, Checks and When It Beats Off-Plan · Property in Dubai Under AED 1 Million: What It Buys. Every Dubai project we track is listed on the Dubai section.