United Arab Emirates real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $4,807 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 4.57%
• 12-month price change (USD): -7.41%
• Net rental yield: 4.57%
• Transaction cost: 6.5%
• Bubble-risk band: moderate
• Price basis: national average

Residential property in United Arab Emirates averages $4,807 per square metre — -7.4% in dollar terms over twelve months, so a dollar buyer pays less than a year ago. That makes it the 84th most expensive of the 264 markets in the set.

What a buyer pays in United Arab Emirates

The $4,807 figure is a national average across all residential property types, which flattens a wide spread — the capital typically runs far above it and small towns far 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 $31,244 on top of the $480,680 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 2–4% depending on the buyer and the property; the rest is notary, registration and agency fees. Inside United Arab Emirates we track 3 local markets separately: Ras Al Khaimah at $6,527 (35.8% above the national figure) down to Dubai at $5,900.

What it earns

A square metre lets for about $18.3 a month. Against a purchase price of $4,807 per square metre that is 4.6% gross, before tax. Both figures come from the same source and the same period, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. It ranks 192nd of 311 markets by gross yield. Rental income is not taxed, so the net yield is the same 4.6% — 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

Today’s level sits 15.8% above the country’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 United Arab Emirates is 46 out of 100 — moderate risk. Of the 65 markets scored, 47 read higher. This is a simplified reading: fewer than three index components are available for this market, so treat it as indicative rather than comparable with fully scored markets.

Who can buy in United Arab Emirates

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 United Arab Emirates is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-08. 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; a figure that fails our checks is suppressed, not guessed.

Sources: dubaichronicle.com · globalpropertyguide.com. Snapshot: 2026-11-08.