Sales transactions for apartments in Dubai

Over the past 12 months, Dubai Land Department transactions show apartment prices down by 3%. Price per sqft is up by 1.7% over the past 12 months, which shows how prices are moving once flat size is taken out. The biggest moves were in Dubai Internet City (up by 129.9%), Barsha Heights (Tecom) (down by 58.5%), and Jumeirah (up by 44.7%), so check the community you’re considering rather than the citywide figure.

Apartments in Dubai sold for an average of AED 1,830,000 over the past 12 months, across 134,206 sales registered with the Dubai Land Department. Prices ranged from AED 200,100 to AED 550,000,000. The cheapest sales were concentrated in International City and Al Qusais, the most expensive in Jumeirah.

Apartments in Dubai averaged AED 1,910 per sqft over the past 12 months, ranging from AED 598 to AED 6,117 per sqft across communities. There’s no single “good” figure, because a high rate in a waterfront tower can be fair value while a low one in an older building may not be. Compare within the same building and bedroom count.

Apartments in Dubai are producing a gross yield of around 6.1%, based on recent sales and registered rents over the past 12 months. The yield shown is a gross figure, so service charges, management fees, and vacant periods all reduce what you actually keep. Yields vary by building and community, so compare a flat’s likely rent with its asking price before you buy.

Dubai South (Dubai World Central) recorded the most apartment sales in Dubai over the past 12 months, with flats averaging AED 996,000. In Jumeirah Village Circle, the average flat cost was AED 1,080,000, and in Dubai Land Residence Complex it was AED 928,800. The average across Dubai was AED 1,830,000, so you can see how the most popular areas compare with the city as a whole.

Service charges are the yearly fees apartment owners pay to run and maintain their building and its shared spaces. Most flats fall roughly between AED 10 and AED 30 per square foot a year. Some older or budget buildings come in a little lower, and branded or ultra-luxury towers can reach AED 40 to AED 60 or more. Your bill depends on two things: the size of your unit and the rate approved for your building.

What they cover

• Day-to-day running of shared areas, including cleaning, security, landscaping, and lifts, pools, and gyms.
• Maintenance and repairs to the building itself and the power, water, and cooling used in common areas.
• Building insurance and the management company’s fee.
• A reserve fund, also called a sinking fund, set aside for big future jobs such as replacing lifts or repairing the façade.

Average apartment service charges by community:

• International City: AED 7–9
• Discovery Gardens: AED 12–13
• Dubai Sports City: AED 10–14
• Al Furjan: AED 13–14
• Jumeirah Lake Towers: AED 13–17
• Business Bay: AED 13–21
• Jumeirah Village Circle: AED 13–22
• Dubai Hills Estate: AED 18–20
• Palm Jumeirah: AED 18–25
• Dubai Marina: AED 14–28
• Downtown Dubai: AED 20–30 or more, rising to around AED 65–68 in Burj Khalifa

Two buildings in the same community can have very different rates, so always check the specific building rather than the area average.