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Market Data
Dubai property prices, October 2026
Nick HylandUpdated 22 October 2026
The short answer
The average Dubai home sold for about AED 1,636 per square foot in August 2026 on the Cavendish Maxwell index, roughly £336 per square foot or £3,620 per square metre. That is 1.7 per cent below a year earlier, the first annual fall since early 2021, after four years in which prices rose by well over half. By area it runs from about AED 1,465 per square foot in Emaar South to AED 3,500 on Dubai Islands. A one bedroom apartment from a major developer starts at roughly £180,000 to £260,000; a three bedroom villa from about £600,000.
In this article
The headline number
Dubai has no single official house price index, so the figure you see depends on who is counting. The two most cited are Cavendish Maxwell, which uses Dubai Land Department sales, and ValuStrat, which values a fixed basket of homes each month. In August 2026 Cavendish Maxwell put the average sale at AED 1,636 per square foot, down 1.7 per cent on August 2025 and 1.3 per cent over three months. ValuStrat had its index 3.1 per cent below a year earlier. Both agree on the direction: after the strongest run in the city's history, prices stopped rising in the spring of 2026 and have eased since.
That citywide average hides a wide spread. Prime beachfront and villa communities trade at two to four times the price per square foot of the mid market apartment districts that make up most of the transactions, and the average moves with the mix of what sold that month as much as with underlying values. Treat it as a barometer, then look at the area you are actually buying in.
What that means in pounds
At the October 2026 rate of about 4.86 dirhams to the pound, AED 1,636 per square foot is £336 per square foot, or about £3,620 per square metre. For comparison, that is under a quarter of prime central London and below the typical new build apartment price in Manchester or Birmingham, for a home in a city with no income tax, no capital gains tax and no annual property tax.
Every project on this site is priced in pounds as well as dirhams at the same rate, so you can compare like with like. The dirham is pegged to the US dollar, so buyers outside the dollar carry their own currency against the dollar on the way in and the way out; dollar buyers carry none.
Prices by area
These are the areas I track closely, with the asking price per square foot for apartments from Bayut and Property Finder in September and October 2026 and the gross yield each area is producing. Each one links to a full area guide with service charges, what is built, and the downsides.
| Area | Per sq ft | In pounds | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emaar South | AED 1,465 | £301 | 4.8% |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | AED 1,489 | £306 | 7.4% |
| Business Bay | AED 2,517 | £518 | 6.6% |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | AED 2,619 | £539 | 5.9% |
| Dubai Hills Estate (apartments) | AED 2,731 | £562 | 4.4% |
| Dubai Islands | AED 3,500 | £720 | ~7% |
The pattern is consistent across the city. The cheaper the square foot, the higher the gross yield: Jumeirah Village Circle at AED 1,489 returns about 7.4 per cent gross, Dubai Hills Estate at AED 2,731 about 4.4 per cent. Dubai Islands is the exception, a new beachfront district where prices have risen 15.7 per cent in a year and short let demand is holding yields near 7 per cent gross for now. My where to buy guide compares the main districts side by side.
Apartments, townhouses and villas
Apartments make up around four in five sales and set the citywide average. Villas and townhouses are scarcer, cost more per square foot in the established communities, and yield less: Cavendish Maxwell put gross yields in the first quarter of 2026 at 7.2 per cent for apartments and 5.0 per cent for villas and townhouses. Villa prices rose faster than apartments from 2021 to 2025 and have given back less in 2026, which is why I keep both on the site.
- Apartments for sale: studios from about £120,000 in Dubai South and JVC, one bedrooms from £180,000 to £260,000 with Emaar, Sobha and Binghatti, two bedrooms from about £300,000.
- Villas and townhouses for sale: three bedroom townhouses from about £450,000 in Dubai South and Dubailand, four bedroom villas from roughly £600,000, and prime waterfront villas from £1.5 million upwards.
What your budget buys from a major developer
| Budget | What it buys in October 2026 |
|---|---|
| £150,000 to £200,000 | A studio or small one bedroom off plan in Dubai South, JVC, Dubailand or Emaar South, on a 60/40 or 70/30 payment plan. |
| £200,000 to £300,000 | A one bedroom with Emaar, Sobha or Binghatti in a masterplan with a metro station planned, or a two bedroom in the outer districts. |
| £300,000 to £450,000 | A two bedroom in Dubai Creek Harbour, Business Bay or Sobha Hartland, clearing the AED 2 million Golden Visa line at the top of the range. |
| £450,000 to £700,000 | A three or four bedroom townhouse or villa in Dubai Hills, Emaar South, The Valley or Damac Islands, or a large two bedroom with a Downtown view. |
| £700,000 and above | Waterfront villas on Dubai Islands or Palm Jebel Ali, penthouses in Downtown and Creek Harbour, and branded residences. |
How prices got here
Dubai prices fell for six years from 2014 to 2020, bottoming during the pandemic at a little over AED 900 per square foot on the annual averages. From 2021 the market turned sharply: the main indices recorded growth of roughly 20 per cent in 2022, 14 per cent in 2023, 12 per cent in 2024 and close to 20 per cent in 2025, taking the citywide average up by well over half in four years. Sales volumes rose faster still, from about 84,000 residential transactions in 2021 to a record of more than 200,000 in 2025, with off plan taking a growing share each year.
Two things drove it. The first was people: the population passed 3.9 million in 2025, pulled in by residency reforms including the Golden Visa and by the city's position as the regional base for finance, trade and technology. The second was money, with cash buyers from Europe, India, Russia and China treating Dubai as a store of value in a decade of inflation and war elsewhere.
What is happening in 2026
The run ended in the spring. ValuStrat recorded its first monthly fall in March 2026, and by August Cavendish Maxwell had the first year on year decline since February 2021. Industry estimates reported by S&P Global put the drop from the end of 2025 to September 2026 at between 5 and 15 per cent depending on segment, with mid market apartments softer than villas. Emaar's chairman Mohamed Alabbar said in September that he expects a 5 to 10 per cent adjustment across the sector. S&P expects a gradual correction rather than a sharp one.
The causes are the ones you would expect after four record years: a large supply pipeline, with about 55,600 completions due in 2026 and more than 60,000 in 2027, a pause from some overseas buyers during regional tension in the summer, and the simple fact that prices had doubled in the districts most investors buy in. My market update goes through the transaction numbers, rents and supply in detail.
For a buyer this is the first negotiating window since 2020. Launch prices are flat or lower than a year ago, resale sellers are accepting offers, and payment plans have stretched. It is not a reason to rush, and it is not a reason to wait for a bottom that nobody can call. Buy the right building in the right district at a price per square foot that makes sense against the area's rents, and the cycle takes care of itself.
Launch prices against resale
Developers price new launches at a premium to resale in the same district, typically 10 to 20 per cent, in exchange for a payment plan, a new building and a handover two to four years out. In a rising market that premium disappears before you complete. In a flat one it does not, which is why the launch price per square foot matters more now than it did in 2023. Every project page on this site shows the launch price in pounds and dirhams, the area's resale price per square foot where I have it, and the payment plan, so you can see the premium you are paying before you reserve.
Projects on the featured list now
Business Bay
One by Binghatti
A Business Bay tower with Burj Khalifa and canal views, and one of the shortest waits for handover on this site.
£529,000Prices from
£106kDeposit from
Q1 2027Completion
Sobha Sanctuary
The Woods Abode
One and two bedroom apartments in Sobha's woodland enclave. The lowest priced way onto a Sobha address.
£214,000Prices from
£43kDeposit from
Q4 2029Completion
Haven by Aldar
Forest at Haven
Aldar's cheapest Dubai entry, from the strongest rated developer selling in the city.
£204,000Prices from
£20kDeposit from
Q2 2028Completion
Dubai Maritime City
Chelsea Residences
Sea view apartments branded with Chelsea Football Club, with 5% to secure. A name international buyers and tenants recognise.
£525,000Prices from
£26kDeposit from
Q2 2030Completion
Dubai Islands
Meriva Gardens
Boutique beachfront residences by Ellington on Dubai Islands, for buyers who want design and a waterfront address.
£618,000Prices from
£124kDeposit from
Q2 2030Completion
Common questions
What is the average price per square foot in Dubai?
About AED 1,636, or £336, in August 2026 on the Cavendish Maxwell index of Land Department sales. Mid market apartment districts such as JVC and Dubai South trade around AED 1,450 to 1,500; prime districts such as Downtown, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Islands trade at AED 2,500 to 4,000 and above.
Are Dubai property prices falling in 2026?
Slightly. Cavendish Maxwell recorded the first annual decline since 2021 in August 2026, at 1.7 per cent, and ValuStrat has its index about 3 per cent below a year earlier. Industry estimates range up to 15 per cent in the softest mid market apartment segments. Villas have held up better.
How much is a one bedroom apartment in Dubai?
From about £180,000 to £260,000 off plan with a major developer in a masterplan district, and from £120,000 for a studio in Dubai South or JVC. In Downtown or on the Palm a one bedroom is £400,000 and up.
How much is a villa in Dubai?
Three bedroom townhouses start at about £450,000 in Dubai South, The Valley and Dubailand. Four bedroom villas in Dubai Hills, Emaar South or Damac Islands run from roughly £600,000, and waterfront villas on Dubai Islands or Palm Jebel Ali from £1.5 million.
Is Dubai property cheaper than London?
Per square foot, yes, by a wide margin. The Dubai average of about £336 per square foot compares with well over £1,000 in prime central London, and the Dubai figure buys a new building with pool, gym and parking included and no stamp duty, council tax or capital gains tax.
Do prices on this site include fees?
No. Launch prices are the developer's price. Add the 4 per cent Land Department transfer fee, about AED 5,000 in registration and trustee fees, and the developer's administration charge. My costs, fees and tax guide itemises every line.
Sources: Cavendish Maxwell, Dubai residential market reports, Q1 to Q3 2026; ValuStrat, Dubai price index, March and August 2026; W Capital and Harbor, Q3 2026 transaction reports from Dubai Land Department data; Cushman and Wakefield Core, supply outlook 2026; S&P Global Ratings, UAE real estate, September 2026; Projectory Research, September 2026 DLD summary; Bayut and Property Finder area indices, September and October 2026; Reuters, 21 September 2026 (Mohamed Alabbar). Exchange rate AED 4.863 to the pound. Updated 22 October 2026.
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