Dubai Apartment Market Report — August 2026

Executive summary

Dubai's apartment market is trading near AED 1,735/sqft — up 4.4% over the past year and 69.4% across five years. Off-plan is 77% of activity, secondary 23%. Volume in 2026 Q2 ran down 21.6% year-on-year.

Pricing & appreciation

Citywide median pricing sits at AED 1,735 per square foot as of 2026-08-05. Appreciation is measured on nominal median price per square foot across all recorded apartment sale transactions, not a repeat-sale index.

Market activity

Transaction mix remains the clearest read on demand: off-plan at 77% of deals against 23% secondary, with volume down 21.6% year-on-year in 2026 Q2.

Where prices are moving

Three-year compound growth by community identifies where capital appreciation has been strongest. Smaller communities can post outsized figures on thin transaction counts — read alongside volume.

Best rental yields

Gross rental yield is annualised Ejari rent divided by median sale price for the same community.

Methodology & sources

Figures are computed from Dubai Land Department transaction data (Dubai Pulse) and Ejari rental contracts. Gifts, bulk sales and related-party transfers are excluded. All figures are nominal and not adjusted for inflation or service charges. This report is research, not financial advice.

Sources

• Five-year price change: 69.4% — Dubai Land Department (Dubai Pulse)dld
• Median price per square foot: AED 1,735 — Dubai Land Department (Dubai Pulse)dld
• Off-plan share of transactions: 77% — Dubai Land Department (Dubai Pulse)dld
• Three-year price change: 16.4% — Dubai Land Department (Dubai Pulse)dld
• Transaction volume year-on-year: -21.6% — Dubai Land Department (Dubai Pulse)dld
• Year-on-year price change: 4.4% — Dubai Land Department (Dubai Pulse)dld