Dubai real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $5,900 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 5.81%
• 12-month price change (USD): 1.24%
• Net rental yield: 5.81%
• Transaction cost: 6.5%
• Bubble-risk band: high
• Price basis: local-market average

Residential property in Dubai averages $5,900 per square metre. In dollar terms the market has barely moved over the last twelve months (+1.2%). That makes it the 52nd most expensive of the 264 markets in the set.

What a buyer pays in Dubai

The $5,900 figure is a local-market average across all residential property types: a flat in a prime district sits well above it, an older unit on the edge of the market well below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 6.5% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $38,350 on top of the $590,000 purchase price. That is below the 9.5% median across the set, which shortens the time it takes for a purchase to break even. Of that, the transfer tax alone is 4%; the rest is notary, registration and agency fees. Against the United Arab Emirates national average of $4,807, Dubai carries a 22.7% premium — the gap between this market and the country as a whole. Among the other United Arab Emirates markets we track, Abu Dhabi at $6,475 is 8.9% dearer, and Ras Al Khaimah at $6,527 is 9.6% dearer.

What it earns

A square metre lets for about $28.6 a month. Against a purchase price of $5,900 per square metre that is 5.8% gross, before tax. Both figures come from the same source and the same period, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. It ranks 98th of 311 markets by gross yield. Rental income is not taxed, so the net yield is the same 5.8% — a rarity in this set, and a large part of why the market draws foreign money. On the way out there is a third tax: a non-resident seller pays 0% on the gain.

How the tax works. 0%: the UAE has no personal income tax, and under Cabinet Decision 49/2023 an individual's real-estate investment, including long-term letting, sits outside corporate tax as long as it needs no licence — a standard 12-month Ejari-registered lease needs none. Dubai's 5% municipal housing fee is paid by the tenant through the DEWA bill, not by the landlord. Short-term or holiday-home letting requires a licence and falls outside this exemption. Source: tax.gov.ae.

Where the price sits against its own history

Prices are +94.2% over five years and +62.9% over ten in local terms. Today’s level sits 41.4% above the city’s own long-run trend. A gap that size does not have to close, but it is the number to watch. Glopra’s bubble-risk score for Dubai is 81 out of 100 — high risk. Of the 65 markets scored, 5 read higher. It combines the deviation from trend, price-to-income and the pace of recent growth — a warning light, not a forecast.

Dubai house price index, 2016–2026 (2016 = 100)

Rebased to 100 in 2016, the index stands at 162.9 in 2026.

Who can buy in Dubai

Freehold in designated zones only; usufruct elsewhere. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.

How this figure is built

The price figure for Dubai is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-12. We rate our confidence in this market’s data medium: the series is usable, but thinner or less current than our best-covered markets. We recompute every market the same way, which is what lets Dubai be compared with a country average or another city.

Sources: dubaichronicle.com · globalpropertyguide.com · numbeo.com. Snapshot: 2026-11-12.