Dubai Added 5,184 Branded Residence Units in Six Months While Sales Value Halved

Dubai held 64,744 branded residence units at the end of June 2026. First-half branded transactions fell 21% and their combined value dropped 47%.

Dubai's branded residence market moved in two directions in the first half of 2026: inventory grew 8.7% in six months while the value of what actually sold fell 47%. Research by Morgan's International Realty counts 64,744 branded units across 183 developments as of 30 June, up from 59,560 units in 175 developments at the end of 2025.

5,184 new units against 4,648 sales

Developers added 5,184 branded units during the half, marginally more than the 4,648 branded transactions recorded over the same period. Those transactions were 21% fewer than in the first half of 2025, while their combined value of Dh22.21 billion was 47% lower — a gap that says the decline was concentrated at the top of the price range rather than spread evenly across it. Off-plan deals made up 3,790 of the 4,648, or 82%. Of the total stock, 42,826 units (66%) are still under construction and 21,918 (34%) are complete.

The premium held even as volume fell

Branded stock traded at an average of $997 per square foot against $641 for comparable non-branded product, a premium of 56%. That sits well above the 30–35% premium usually cited as the global norm for branded residences, and it did not compress as volumes dropped. The largest deals of the half were Dh422 million and Dh356 million, both at Aman Residences Dubai, followed by a Dh350 million sale at Jumeirah Asora Bay Ocean Mansions.

Where the deals actually happened

Meydan led on volume with 1,378 transactions worth Dh3.03 billion. Downtown Dubai recorded far fewer deals — 405 — but a higher total of Dh3.41 billion, which is the clearest illustration in the data of how differently the two areas are priced. Dubai Creek Harbour logged 355 transactions worth Dh1.04 billion. One project, Mercedes-Benz Places–Binghatti City, accounted for 1,216 transactions on its own, or 26% of all branded activity in the half.

Reading it alongside the wider market

The branded slowdown is not isolated. Cavendish Maxwell put Dubai's overall residential price at Dh1,636 per square foot in August, down 1.7% on the year and the first annual fall since February 2021. Glopra's mid-August Dubai snapshot shows a city average of $7,244 per square metre and a gross rental yield of 5.53%. A 56% acquisition premium has to be earned back through either rent or resale, and neither the current direction of prices nor the halving of branded transaction value makes that easier in the near term. The concentration is worth noting too: with a single project supplying 26% of transactions, half-year comparisons for this segment swing hard on the launch calendar alone.

Sources: Khaleej Times (Morgan's International Realty research), 6 Sep 2026 https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/dubais-branded-residences-market-cools-on-volume-but-pricing-power-stays-strong; Khaleej Times (Cavendish Maxwell data), 7 Sep 2026 https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/property/dubai-real-estate-home-house-prices-fall-first-time-in-over-5-years

Market data: Abu Dhabi · Ras Al Khaimah · United Arab Emirates · Dubai