Nakheel masterplan
Jumeirah Village Circle
The most searched community in Dubai and the highest gross yield of the areas I track.
AED 1,489Per sq ft
~7.4%Gross yield
Home/Areas
Area guides
Dubai areas to invest in
Where the money actually goes, area by area.
Most people start by asking me which developer to buy from. The better question is which area, because the area sets the rent, the service charge, the tenant you get and how easy the home is to sell again. The developer only decides how well the building is put together.
These are the ten communities I track most closely for investors. Each guide gives the current price per square foot, the gross yield, the service charge, what is actually built versus still on a drawing, the honest downsides, and every project on this site inside that area. Figures are checked in October 2026 and dated on each page.
Area guides
The areas I track
Emaar waterfront district
Dubai Marina
The most searched and most rented apartment district in Dubai, with metro, tram and a 20 year track record.
AED 1,874Achieved per sq ft
~5.5%Gross yield
Emaar, around the Burj Khalifa
Downtown Dubai
The most recognisable address in Dubai, and on valuation data the weakest apartment market in the city right now.
AED 2,515Achieved per sq ft
~5.2%Gross yield
Central canal district
Business Bay
Central, on the canal, and the only area I track with an operational metro station.
AED 2,517Per sq ft
~6.6%Gross yield
Nakheel island
Palm Jumeirah
The address everyone knows. Buy it to use or to hold, not for the rent: apartments yield under 4 per cent gross.
~3.9%Gross yield
AED 2,714Achieved per sq ft
Emaar and Meraas joint venture
Dubai Hills Estate
Golf course, mall, hospital, parks and three schools, all built and open. The most complete area I track.
~4.4%Gross yield
19 of 28Built out
Nakheel island masterplan
Dubai Islands
Five islands off Deira, 4,138 sales in a year and the fastest rising price per square foot of the areas I track. Almost nothing is handed over.
AED 3,500Per sq ft
4,138Sales, 12 months
Emaar waterfront masterplan
Dubai Creek Harbour
Creek Beach and the marina are delivered. The tower and the mall that justify the prices are not.
AED 2,619Per sq ft
~5.9%Gross yield
Emaar, beside Al Maktoum airport
Emaar South
The cheapest Emaar entry point, built around a golf course 12 minutes from the new airport.
£257,000Entry price
~4.8%Gross yield
Inside Mohammed Bin Rashid City
Sobha Hartland 2
Eight million square feet, half of it green, seven to ten minutes from the Burj Khalifa.
~6.4%Gross yield
7 to 10 minTo Downtown