01
WHAT YOUR BUDGET BUYS · OCTOBER 2026
Three budgets, real homes.
Nobody thinks in price per square foot. Here is what each budget gets you today — from our own listings first, then what the asking prices across Dubai suggest.
AED 1.5M
Ours: The Stars, Al Zahya, Ajman — 3–4 bed townhouses from AED 1.5M, ready, built by Globex
Ours: 7 Park Central, JVC — brand-new 1-bed, AED 900,000 (on Bayut)
Ours: Sobha One Tower B, Sobha Hartland — high-floor 1-bed, AED 1.45M (on Bayut)
The market: at AED 1,470 per sq ft a 750 sq ft 1-bed in JVC is about AED 1.1M; in Business Bay (AED 2,124 per sq ft) AED 1.5M buys roughly 700 sq ft — a studio or a compact 1-bed
AED 3M
Ours: The Residences at District One, MBR City — furnished 2-bed, AED 2.6M, vacant (view)
Ours: Binghatti Aquarise, Business Bay — 1-bed, AED 2.6M (on Bayut)
Ours: The Stars, Al Zahya — 7-bed villas, AED 1.8M cash or AED 2M on a 12-month plan (view)
The market: a 1,300 sq ft 2-bed in Business Bay is about AED 2.8M at asking prices; a 1,900 sq ft 3-bed townhouse in Dubailand about AED 3.1M
AED 5M
Ours: Safa Two by de GRISOGONO, Business Bay — 3-bed, 2,000 sq ft, AED 4.3M, off-plan resale (view)
Ours: Mudon Al Ranim 8 — 4-bed end-unit townhouse, G+2, AED 4.9M (on Bayut)
Ours: Villanova La Rosa — 4-bed villas, AED 3.75M–3.9M, rented, investor deals (view)
The market: a 1,400 sq ft 2-bed in Downtown is about AED 4.5M at asking prices; a 2,300 sq ft 4-bed townhouse in Arabian Ranches about AED 5M
'The market' lines are rough: Bayut H1 2026 asking prices per sq ft multiplied by typical unit sizes. Our listings are live on Bayut as of 1 October 2026; prices and availability change — ask us for today's position.
02
BUY OR KEEP RENTING?
Put your own numbers in. Two minutes.
Illustrative only. Bank rates, fees and your eligibility vary; a mortgage adviser will confirm. Not investment advice.
GROSS YIELD
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your rent ÷ the price
YEARS OF RENT = THE PRICE
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at today's rent
MONTHLY MORTGAGE
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vs {{ calcRentMonth }} rent per month
CASH ON DAY ONE
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20% down + DLD 4% + agency 2% + fees
If the monthly mortgage is close to the rent you already pay, the mortgage is buying you the asset instead of your landlord's. If it is far above, renting is the cheaper month — and buying is a decision about the asset, not the monthly cost.
03
READY OR OFF-PLAN?
Same city, two different purchases.
| Ready | Off-plan | |
|---|---|---|
| WHAT YOU PAY | The full price at transfer, in cash or with a mortgage. September's average ready deal: AED 4.05M. | A booking amount, then instalments on a plan — typically 10–20% to start and the rest in stages to handover, sometimes beyond it. September's average off-plan deal: AED 1.82M. |
| WHEN YOU GET THE KEYS | Weeks — as soon as the transfer is registered at the Land Department. | At handover, usually two to four years after launch. Delays happen; the contract states the date and the remedy. |
| MORTGAGE | Up to 80% of the price for a resident's first home under AED 5M (85% for UAE nationals), under Central Bank rules. | Capped at 50% of the price during construction; the rest is the developer's plan. |
| WHAT YOU SEE | The actual home. You inspect it, you negotiate on it — and with ready prices down 5% on the year for apartments, there is room to negotiate. | Renders, a show unit and the developer's record. Launch prices are fixed by the developer; a resale market exists once Oqood is registered. |
| PROTECTION | Title deed in your name at transfer. DLD registration, RERA-licensed brokers. | Payments go into a RERA-supervised escrow account released by construction stage; the sale is registered as Oqood with DLD. |
| WHO IT SUITS | Anyone who needs to live in it now, rental investors who want income from month one, buyers who want to see before they sign. | Buyers with time, investors spreading payments, anyone wanting the newest stock at an entry price below the ready equivalent. |
RIGHT NOW
Prices are 10.2% below the February peak and ready apartments are 5.3% cheaper than a year ago, while off-plan still takes two of every three deals. In plain terms: ready buyers have more negotiating room than they have had since 2021; off-plan buyers are paying for choice and payment terms, not for a discount.
04
THE REAL COST OF BUYING
A AED 2M ready apartment — everything on top of the price.
| FEE | CASH BUYER | WITH AN 80% MORTGAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Land Department transfer fee 4% of the price · paid at transfer | AED 80,000 | AED 80,000 |
| DLD admin fee apartments and offices · AED 430 for land | AED 580 | AED 580 |
| Registration trustee fee AED 4,000 + VAT for homes above AED 500,000 | AED 4,200 | AED 4,200 |
| Agency commission 2% + 5% VAT | AED 42,000 | AED 42,000 |
| Developer NOC resale in a community · set by the developer | AED 500 – 5,000 | AED 500 – 5,000 |
| Mortgage registration 0.25% of the AED 1.6M loan + AED 290 | — | AED 4,290 |
| Bank arrangement fee typically up to 1% of the loan · varies by bank | — | about AED 16,000 |
| Property valuation charged by the bank | — | AED 2,500 – 3,500 |
| Total on top of the price roughly 6.5% cash · 7.5% with a mortgage | about AED 130,000 | about AED 153,000 |
| Cash you need on the day price + fees · or 20% down payment + fees | AED 2.13M | about AED 553,000 |
Typical Dubai fees as of October 2026, for guidance. Off-plan purchases pay the same 4% DLD fee (registered as Oqood, admin fee AED 40); some developers pay it for you as a launch offer — ask. Service charges, moving and furnishing are extra. We confirm the exact figures for any home before you commit.
Market figures on this page are from the Dubai Land Department, ValuStrat and Bayut as listed on the market page. Fees are typical Dubai fees as of October 2026; mortgage limits are the UAE Central Bank's. Listings and prices are as advertised on 1 October 2026 and change. This page is information, not investment advice.
