Dubai areas

Every district, with the numbers behind it

86 districts with stock on our books right now — 2 989 units. The figures are computed from our own inventory and move as it moves, so this is not an average pulled from a two-year-old article. It is what is actually being offered this week.

Under each district there is a full guide: how the area is built, who buys there and why, what the layouts are like, what the service charge does to your yield, and who the area is genuinely wrong for.

Business Bay

360

The canal district next to Downtown: conceived as offices, built mostly as apartments, now one of the most tenanted parts of the city.

Median price: $746K
Per m²: $8 420
From: $54K

67 ready 101 under construction up to −31%

JVC

260

Jumeirah Village Circle: the highest-volume apartment district in Dubai, and the default answer for yield.

Median price: $372K
Per m²: $6 520
From: $54K

43 ready 65 under construction up to −39%

Palm Jumeirah

246

The palm-shaped island: villas on the fronds, apartments along the trunk, resorts around the crescent.

Median price: $2.60M
Per m²: $12 380
From: $340K

37 ready 45 under construction up to −27%

Downtown Dubai

213

The Burj Khalifa district — the most recognisable address in the emirate and the densest piece of it.

Median price: $1.18M
Per m²: $10 620
From: $354K

34 ready 36 under construction up to −23%

Emaar Beachfront

201

A private peninsula between Marina and the Palm: Emaar towers on their own stretch of beach, inside Dubai Harbour.

Median price: $1.55M
Per m²: $12 660
From: $191K

28 ready 25 under construction up to −24%

Dubai Marina

188

The original high-rise waterfront: a dense forest of towers around a man-made marina, and still the busiest rental market in the city.

Median price: $790K
Per m²: $6 780
From: $136K

47 ready 27 under construction up to −17%

Dubai Hills Estate

106

Emaar’s flagship family masterplan: a golf course, a park, a mall and schools, eleven minutes from Downtown.

Median price: $735K
Per m²: $7 480
From: $359K

33 ready 19 under construction up to −21%

JLT

Jumeirah Lake Towers: the cluster grid across the highway from Marina — cheaper, calmer, and with a metro station at each end.

Median price: $449K
Per m²: $5 960
From: $123K

5 ready 24 under construction up to −20%

Bluewaters Island

A small island off JBR built around Ain Dubai: low unit count, high specification, and a short bridge to the mainland.

Median price: $3.88M
Per m²: $18 360
From: $754K

12 ready 2 under construction up to −7%

Dubailand

Not one district but a vast planned region covering much of inland Dubai — a name that means very little without a sub-community attached.

Median price: $498K
Per m²: $4 280
From: $136K

9 ready 46 under construction up to −32%

Sobha Hartland

A dense, green, well-built enclave beside the Ras Al Khor sanctuary — Sobha’s answer to MBR City.

Median price: $565K
Per m²: $6 880
From: $218K

18 ready 22 under construction up to −9%

Dubai Creek Harbour

Emaar’s waterfront city on Dubai Creek: delivered in phases over decades, with the Downtown skyline across the water.

Median price: $833K
Per m²: $7 720
From: $436K

19 ready 12 under construction up to −14%

JBR

Jumeirah Beach Residence: a wall of towers directly on the beach, with The Walk and The Beach at their base.

Median price: $1.65M
Per m²: $8 550
From: $395K

22 ready 1 under construction up to −45%

Dubai Islands

The reclaimed islands off Deira, formerly Deira Islands: beaches, hotels and new residential on the northern coast.

Median price: $1.42M
Per m²: $6 670
From: $408K

1 ready 23 under construction up to −27%

City Walk

Meraas’s low-rise urban district off Al Wasl Road: shopfronts at street level, apartments above, and pavements people actually use.

Median price: $1.14M
Per m²: $9 460
From: $517K

6 ready 6 under construction up to −14%

Madinat Jumeirah Living

Madinat Jumeirah Living: a low-rise Arabesque community opposite Burj Al Arab, and one of the few genuinely walkable places in Dubai.

Median price: $894K
Per m²: $8 940
From: $558K

4 ready 5 under construction up to −14%

MBR City

Mohammed Bin Rashid City: lagoon communities and villa districts between Downtown and Nad Al Sheba.

Median price: $1.18M
Per m²: $6 930
From: $354K

16 ready 16 under construction up to −16%

Meydan

The racecourse district: low-density, central, and increasingly the default answer for a house within fifteen minutes of Downtown.

Median price: $398K
Per m²: $6 140
From: $101K

23 ready 6 under construction up to −21%

Dubai South

The airport city: Al Maktoum International, Expo City and a vast planned district on the Abu Dhabi side of the emirate.

Median price: $327K
Per m²: $5 170
From: $150K

3 ready 30 under construction up to −14%

Arjan

A dense apartment district beside Dubai Science Park, best known to visitors for Miracle Garden and to investors for its yields.

Median price: $286K
Per m²: $4 940
From: $155K

7 ready 16 under construction up to −13%

Al Furjan

A mid-market district between Discovery Gardens and Jebel Ali with two metro stations — the quiet alternative to JVC.

Median price: $441K
Per m²: $4 040
From: $177K

18 ready 6 under construction up to −6%

Damac Lagoons

Mediterranean-themed clusters around swimmable lagoons, next to Damac Hills — the water-community answer to the golf community.

Median price: $869K
Per m²: $3 820
From: $131K

4 ready 9 under construction up to −8%

JVT

The same idea as JVC, two storeys lower and considerably calmer: a grid of quiet streets where a townhouse costs what an apartment costs closer in.

Median price: $313K
Per m²: $4 320
From: $149K

19 ready 5 under construction up to −21%

Damac Hills 2

Formerly Akoya Oxygen: a very large, very affordable community a long way out, with amenity that surprises people.

Median price: $542K
Per m²: $2 880
From: $185K

8 ready 6 under construction up to −10%

Port de la Mer

A Mediterranean-styled quarter on a Jumeirah peninsula: a marina, a private beach and low-rise buildings fifteen minutes from the centre.

Median price: $7.96M
Per m²: $21 660
From: $722K

4 ready 8 under construction up to −4%

Al Jaddaf

A creekside district between Downtown and the airport: new towers, a healthcare cluster, and a metro station.

Median price: $501K
Per m²: $6 520
From: $191K

6 ready 5 under construction up to −6%

Sobha Hartland 2

Sobha Hartland 2 is Sobha Realty’s second masterplan in Dubai, under construction beside the first Hartland along the Dubai Water Canal: lagoon-side towers, views of Downtown and the Ras Al Khor sanctuary, and a gated villa enclave. It suits off-plan investors and families prepared to wait for handover between 2027 and 2029.

Median price: $538K
Per m²: $6 790
From: $313K

16 under construction up to −15%

Damac Hills

A golf community around the Trump International course, with a large park and a wide range of villa and apartment product.

Median price: $994K
Per m²: $4 630
From: $169K

10 ready 5 under construction up to −9%

Dubai Harbour

The marina, cruise terminal and mixed-use district wrapping Emaar Beachfront — Dubai’s maritime gateway under construction.

Median price: $2.19M
Per m²: $13 410
From: $681K

1 ready 13 under construction up to −12%

Dubai Maritime City

A reclaimed peninsula between Port Rashid and the Drydocks: central waterfront on three sides, with a working marine industry as the neighbour.

Median price: $581K
Per m²: $8 140
From: $337K

12 under construction up to −15%

The Valley

Emaar’s newer community out on the Al Ain road: affordable townhouses with Emaar management, a long way from the centre.

Median price: $1.13M
Per m²: $3 540
From: $694K

2 ready 10 under construction up to −12%

Production City

Dubai Production City, formerly IMPZ: a printing and media zone with lakeside apartment buildings and low prices.

Median price: $263K
Per m²: $5 010
From: $167K

5 ready 7 under construction up to −18%

Reem

Emaar townhouses at the gateway to Dubailand: the case where the price of an apartment in a middling district buys a house in a planned community.

Median price: $1.00M
Per m²: $4 470
From: $585K

7 ready 7 under construction up to −39%

Jumeirah Golf Estates

Jumeirah Golf Estates: two championship courses, large plots, and the quietest premium villa community in the west of the city.

Median price: $6.62M
Per m²: $8 100
From: $599K

5 ready 1 under construction up to −20%

Al Wasl

The old Dubai residential belt between Jumeirah and Downtown: villas, low-rise, and some of the best schools in the city.

Median price: $953K
Per m²: $5 960
From: $408K

4 ready 5 under construction up to −17%

Dubai Sports City

Dubai Sports City: stadiums, an academy cluster and a golf course, surrounded by some of the cheapest new apartments in the city.

Median price: $327K
Per m²: $3 680
From: $163K

3 ready 3 under construction up to −7%

The Greens / Views

The Greens and The Views: low-rise Emaar apartment clusters around landscaped gardens and a lake, between Media City and Emirates Hills.

Median price: $762K
Per m²: $6 200
From: $395K

6 ready up to −6%

Nad Al Sheba

Old-established, low-density and quietly central — villa plots and new gated communities on the Downtown side of the desert edge.

Median price: $3.40M
Per m²: $6 760
From: $776K

1 ready 1 under construction up to −5%

Jumeirah Park

Established Nakheel villas between Marina and Jebel Ali: large plots, mature trees, and a genuinely central-west location.

Median price: $3.81M
Per m²: $7 080
From: $2.42M

3 ready up to −7%

DIFC

The financial free zone: English common law, its own courts, and the densest concentration of offices, art and restaurants in the city.

Median price: $2.01M
Per m²: $15 850
From: $436K

7 ready 4 under construction up to −11%

Mina Rashid

The old Port Rashid, being converted by Emaar into a waterfront district with a superyacht marina and the QE2 in the harbour.

Median price: $671K
Per m²: $5 960
From: $418K

2 ready 9 under construction up to −18%

Arabian Ranches

Emaar’s original villa community: mature, established, and the benchmark every later family district is measured against.

Median price: $2.80M
Per m²: $5 350
From: $830K

4 ready up to −6%

Jumeirah

The original beachfront neighbourhood: low-rise villas, the best schools in the city, and the sea at the end of the road.

Median price: $8.29M
Per m²: $15 370
From: $735K

2 ready 3 under construction up to −4%

Barsha Heights / TECOM

Barsha Heights, still known as TECOM: apartment towers between Media City and Al Barsha, with a metro station and a lot of tenants.

Median price: $762K
Per m²: $7 130
From: $368K

3 ready 3 under construction up to −9%

Motor City

Built around the Autodrome: low-rise, green, and one of the most liveable of the affordable inland districts.

Median price: $387K
Per m²: $4 260
From: $231K

3 ready 8 under construction up to −9%

Dubai Investment Park

Dubai Investment Park: a large mixed industrial, commercial and residential zone in the south, built around local employment.

Median price: $692K
Per m²: $5 240
From: $118K

3 ready 7 under construction up to −9%

The Oasis

Emaar’s luxury water-led masterplan on the far west: large villas and mansions, positioned above Dubai Hills.

Median price: $5.45M
Per m²: $5 160
From: $2.50M

3 under construction up to −6%

Wadi Al Safa

A large transitional zone in Dubailand: part built, part planned, and containing several quite different sub-communities.

Median price: $319K
Per m²: $4 730
From: $147K

1 ready 5 under construction up to −15%

Jebel Ali

Port, free zone and industrial heartland — plus a small residential component serving the enormous local workforce.

Median price: $1.34M
Per m²: $4 910
From: $191K

3 ready 5 under construction up to −9%

Ras Al Khor

Wetland sanctuary on one side, industrial and warehousing on the other — a district defined by what cannot be built on it.

Median price: $419K
Per m²: $7 050
From: $354K

10 under construction up to −3%

Emaar South

Emaar South is Emaar’s golf community inside Dubai South, next to Al Maktoum International Airport: townhouses, villas and low-rise apartment blocks around a golf course.

Median price: $817K
Per m²: $3 440
From: $340K

3 ready 4 under construction up to −14%

Dubai Design District

Dubai Design District — the emirate's creative free zone on the canal, where the residential component came after the offices rather than before them.

Median price: $626K
Per m²: $8 000
From: $485K

9 under construction up to −16%

Dubai Science Park

A life-sciences business park that grew housing around itself: here the tenant works across the road, which is rare in the mid-market.

Median price: $388K
Per m²: $4 430
From: $272K

3 ready 6 under construction up to −19%

Damac Islands

The newest and largest of the Damac water communities: island-themed clusters on the far inland edge, still early in delivery.

Median price: $1.11M
Per m²: $3 690
From: $531K

7 under construction up to −15%

Town Square

Nshama’s large affordable community around a central park: townhouses and apartments, all from one developer.

Median price: $415K
Per m²: $4 350
From: $259K

4 ready 4 under construction up to −9%

Tilal Al Ghaf

Majid Al Futtaim’s lagoon community: lower density, higher specification, and the best-executed of the water-based villa districts.

Median price: $2.86M
Per m²: $7 540
From: $1.84M

4 ready 1 under construction up to −6%

Mudon

A quiet, green Dubai Properties community in Dubailand, built around a long central park and a cycling loop.

Median price: $1.17M
Per m²: $4 500
From: $871K

4 ready 1 under construction up to −4%

Al Barsha

The district around Mall of the Emirates: villas, apartments, hotels and a metro station, all mixed together.

Median price: $417K
Per m²: $4 300
From: $174K

1 ready 4 under construction

Dubai Silicon Oasis

Dubai Silicon Oasis: a self-contained technology free zone with its own housing, schools and retail, on the eastern side of the city.

Median price: $300K
Per m²: $3 800
From: $201K

3 ready 2 under construction up to −6%

Al Satwa

An old low-rise quarter between Jumeirah and Sheikh Zayed Road: the cheapest genuinely central land in the city, and a perpetual candidate for redevelopment.

Median price: $259K
Per m²: $7 210
From: $237K

1 ready 4 under construction up to −23%

Majan

A small, still-filling district on the edge of Dubailand: low prices, new buildings and very little else yet.

Median price: $210K
Per m²: $5 370
From: $166K

2 ready 5 under construction up to −21%

Zabeel

The palace district: parkland, government headquarters and a small amount of very tightly held residential.

Median price: $976K
Per m²: $8 980
From: $515K

2 ready 1 under construction up to −9%

The World Islands

The offshore archipelago shaped like a world map: mostly still sand, with a small number of developed islands.

Median price: $375K
Per m²: $10 060
From: $278K

4 ready 1 under construction up to −11%

Palm Jebel Ali

Nakheel’s second palm: twice the size of the first, dredged in the 2000s, abandoned for fifteen years and relaunched in 2023.

Median price: $4.36M
Per m²: $8 110
From: $150K

3 under construction up to −19%

Villanova

Dubai Properties’ affordable townhouse community in Dubailand: simple, functional, and one of the better value family options.

Median price: $865K
Per m²: $4 370
From: $762K

5 ready up to −4%

Discovery Gardens

Nakheel’s themed low-rise blocks near Jebel Ali: affordable, mature, and now with a metro station.

Median price: $226K
Per m²: $4 170
From: $204K

1 ready 4 under construction

Dubai Studio City

Dubai Studio City: a media-production zone with an affordable residential component and an unusually quiet feel.

Median price: $190K
Per m²: $4 410
From: $162K

2 ready 1 under construction

Jumeira Bay Island

A seahorse-shaped island off Jumeirah: Bulgari, a finite number of plots, and the narrowest market in the city.

Median price: $7.69M
Per m²: $27 480
From: $4.08M

1 ready up to −4%

Dubailand Residence Complex

Dubailand Residence Complex (DLRC) is the affordable apartment and townhouse district on the eastern side of Dubailand, by Emirates Road and the Dubai–Al Ain highway.

Median price: $541K
Per m²: $3 490
From: $368K

3 ready 1 under construction up to −35%

The Meadows

Detached villas half an hour from the Marina: the same Emirates Living as the Springs, but on plots that nobody subdivides that generously any more.

Median price: $3.72M
Per m²: $7 240
From: $2.53M

2 ready up to −5%

Jumeirah Islands

Fifty clusters of villas set on islets among water: the only community in Dubai where, for most houses, the water is not a view but the edge of the plot.

Median price: $7.35M
Per m²: $9 230
From: $5.99M

2 ready up to −6%

Al Safa

A villa district wrapped around Safa Park, with a short line of very tall towers along its Al Wasl Road edge — two entirely different products at one address.

Median price: $755K
From: $422K

4 under construction up to −14%

International City

Country-themed low-rise clusters on the eastern edge: the cheapest freehold property in Dubai, and the highest headline yields.

Median price: $227K
Per m²: $3 640
From: $158K

1 under construction

Al Sufouh

The quiet strip between Media City and Umm Suqeim: beach on one side, business parks on the other, and very little in between.

Median price: $1.40M
Per m²: $6 400
From: $573K

4 under construction up to −4%

Al Habtoor City

Al Habtoor City is a single-developer quarter on the Dubai Water Canal beside Sheikh Zayed Road: three hotels and three residential towers by Al Habtoor Group.

Median price: $1.50M
Per m²: $12 490
From: $931K

3 under construction up to −30%

Damac Riverside

Damac Riverside is a Damac master community in Dubai Investments Park 2: townhouses, villas and apartments around water features, with handovers starting in late 2027.

Median price: $1.01M
Per m²: $3 430
From: $408K

3 under construction up to −22%

The Springs

Dubai's first mass-market townhouse community, now past its twentieth year: grown trees, settled neighbours and rental demand that does not follow fashion.

Median price: $1.51M
Per m²: $6 650
From: $1.09M

2 ready up to −7%

The Acres

Meraas’s villa community in Dubailand: low-rise, heavily landscaped, and built around swimmable lagoons and green corridors.

Median price: $2.18M
Per m²: $4 690
From: $1.82M

Arabian Ranches 3

Arabian Ranches 3 is Emaar’s third Ranches community: new townhouses and villas on separate land a few kilometres from the first two.

Median price: $858K
Per m²: $4 500
From: $844K

2 ready up to −6%

Liwan

A dense, cheap apartment district off Dubai–Al Ain Road: high yields, thin amenity, and a tenant base that is entirely price-driven.

Median price: $3.10M
Per m²: $3 410
From: $313K

1 ready 1 under construction up to −8%

Al Quoz

Warehouses, art galleries and workshops between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail — Dubai’s industrial belt turning creative.

Median price: $1.53M
Per m²: $2 230
From: $1.36M

1 ready

Deira / Bur Dubai

Old Dubai either side of the Creek: the souks, the abras, the trading city that existed before the towers.

Median price: $751K
Per m²: $7 420
From: $585K

1 under construction

Umm Suqeim

The Burj Al Arab neighbourhood: beach, kite surfing, low-rise villas, and Madinat Jumeirah at the far end.

Median price: $11M
Per m²: $11 430
From: $11M

1 ready up to −13%

Al Barari

A botanical garden with villas inside it: more than 60% of the site is planting, density is deliberately low, and new releases are rare.

Median price: $2.31M
Per m²: $5 220
From: $2.31M

1 ready up to −4%

The Lakes

The quietest and most rebuilt corner of Emirates Living: same build years as its neighbours, but a far higher share of houses taken back to the studs.

Median price: $1.99M
Per m²: $7 670
From: $1.99M

Dubai Industrial City

An industrial zone between Jebel Ali Port and Al Maktoum Airport, where housing is not the point of the district but an appendage to the work.

Median price: $354K
Per m²: $5 060
From: $354K

1 ready

Districts with a guide but no stock right now

Nothing on our books in these areas this week. The guides are still worth reading, and if you want something here I will source it off-market.

Emirates Hills Plots for private mansions around a golf course: the one district in Dubai where what is sold is neither an apartment nor a finished villa but land. Pearl Jumeira Meraas’s second island off Jumeirah: Nikki Beach, plots for villas, and a district still filling in. Expo City Dubai Expo City Dubai is the former Expo 2020 site, rebuilt as a district of its own: an exhibition centre, company headquarters and low-rise housing within walking distance, next to Dubai’s future main airport. It suits long-horizon investors and families who want a quiet, green, walkable neighbourhood. Uptown Dubai Uptown Dubai is DMCC’s new business and residential district next to JLT: tall towers rather than clusters around lakes. Sheikh Zayed Road Not a district but an address: the wall of towers along the city's main highway, bought for the view, the metro and ten minutes to everything. Remraam A low-rise budget community deep in Dubailand: four storeys, genuine greenery and one of the lowest entry prices in the city. Living Legends A small, quiet, established community in Dubailand: apartments and villas around a golf course, and almost nobody has heard of it. Bukadra The next piece of the central-inland corridor: former open land between Ras Al Khor and MBR City, now under heavy development. Dubai Festival City The only district in Dubai built around a mall and a golf course on the creek, where everything is walkable and everything has a single owner. Al Warqaa An eastern residential belt of villas and low-rise blocks: pricing closer to the outer districts, with the airport and Deira ten minutes away. Al Khawaneej The city's eastern edge: plots on a scale Dubai no longer subdivides, working farms next door, and half an hour to everything else. Al Muhaisnah A dense eastern district beside the end of the green line: one of the lowest entry prices in the city with a working metro station attached. Mirdif A settled, low-rise family suburb near the airport: villas, City Centre Mirdif, and almost no towers. Al Warsan The budget belt beside International City: one of the lowest entry prices in Dubai and a market that lives entirely on rent.

Where the deals actually happened: July 2026

The cards above are our own stock — that is supply. This is where the money went across the whole emirate over the month. The two lists do not share a single entry, and that is the point worth taking away: ready homes are bought in one set of districts and off-plan in a completely different one. The line under each row is our own conversion of the share into deals — the review publishes percentages only, and the gap between “14.4%” and “roughly five hundred deals a month” matters for a sense of scale.

Ready homes

3 546 deals for the month · 27.2% of the market

Jumeirah Village Circle 14.4% ≈510 deals
Dubai Marina 6% ≈210 deals
Business Bay 5.3% ≈190 deals
Downtown Dubai 4% ≈140 deals
Dubai Hills Estate 3.3% ≈120 deals

Off-plan

9 475 registrations · 72.8% of the market

Azizi Venice 21% ≈1 990 registrations
City of Arabia 7.6% ≈720 registrations
Jebel Ali Industrial Second 5% ≈470 registrations
Dubailand Residence Complex 4.7% ≈450 registrations
Jebel Ali Downtown 4.7% ≈450 registrations

The off-plan column lists projects rather than districts: there the share almost always belongs to one large cluster, and the link goes to the district it stands in. The top row is a fifth of every registration that month from a single project — that is what a market with concentrated, rather than spread, demand looks like. Monthly ValuStrat market review for July 2026, checked 24/08/2026.

How to read these numbers

Median, not average. One villa at AED 285 million distorts an average so badly it stops meaning anything. The median shows the middle of the offering — half the units are cheaper, half are dearer.

Price per square metre is computed only from units with a stated area, so in a thin district it may rest on a handful of properties. These are asking prices from our own stock. Closed-transaction prices for a specific building come from the Dubai Land Department register, and I pull those on request.

Figures are shown in US dollars so the order of magnitude reads immediately. The dirham has been pegged by the UAE Central Bank at 3.6725 to the dollar since 1997, so the conversion is exact and does not depend on the date. Individual listings stay in dirhams — that is the number that goes into the contract.

Questions

Dubai areas: questions and answers

Which Dubai area is best to buy in?

The right question is not “which area is best” but “best for what”. For living by the sea, look at Dubai Marina, JBR and the Palm; for rental return on the dollar, compact apartments in JVC and Business Bay; for resale, districts along future metro lines. The cards above exist for exactly this comparison: median price, entry price and price per square metre in every district are computed from live stock, not copied from articles. Tell me the budget and the goal — I will name two or three districts that fit, and the ones that definitely do not.

What are the cheapest areas in Dubai?

The further from the sea and the metro, the cheaper: International City, Dubai South, Dubailand, the outer clusters of JVC and JVT. The exact entry price for each district sits on its card above — the “from” line is recomputed from our base every night, which makes it more honest than any listicle. Just remember that a cheap entry is not the same as cheap ownership: a district without infrastructure also attracts tenants more slowly — judge the yield and the liquidity, not the price alone.

Where can I buy by the sea in Dubai?

On the water itself: Dubai Marina, JBR, Palm Jumeirah, Emaar Beachfront and Bluewaters, with the reclaimed Dubai Harbour alongside. These are the city’s most liquid locations for both rent and resale — and the most expensive per square foot. The compromise is the second line, ten to fifteen minutes’ drive from the beach, such as Al Furjan or JVC: the sea is close, and the price per foot several times lower. What prices are doing in each is on the cards above and in the district guides.

Can a foreigner buy in any district of Dubai?

Not in every one, but in most that matter. Full foreign ownership applies in freehold zones — Dubai has more than fifty, and the entire catalogue above is built on them. Outside freehold, land stays with local owners and a foreigner can only take a long leasehold of up to 99 years. Individual freehold clusters also appear inside leasehold districts, so the check belongs to the specific project, not the district as a whole.

Which district is best for renting out?

Judge the ratio of rent to entry price, not the district “in general”. For Dubai housing as a whole, figures quoted in late 2025 run at 4–7% gross a year; above the median you usually find compact units in affordable districts with a constant flow of tenants — JVC, Arjan, Dubai Sports City — below it, premium towers where the price per foot grows faster than the rent. Short-term letting shifts the balance towards tourist spots by the sea, but requires a holiday-home licence and an operator.

Where should a family with children live?

Families more often pick a villa or townhouse community than a tower: Arabian Ranches, Damac Hills, Mudon, or the more affordable Town Square. The logic is less about the home than the layout of the district — gated grounds, parks, pools and schools within walking distance. Among apartment districts, Dubai Hills Estate and JLT count as family territory: the towers come with a park and schools attached. Each district guide says outright who the place suits and who it does not.

Is it worth buying in districts still under construction?

It is a bet on growth from a low base: the Dubai 2040 master plan pulls the city south and towards the water, and districts like Dubai South or Dubai Creek Harbour appreciate together with infrastructure that is not yet in the price. The cost of that is time and uncertainty: until a district fills up, rent there is weaker and resale depends on the pace of construction around you. What the master plan, the metro and the new landmarks do to district prices is covered on our Dubai 2040 page.

Where do these numbers come from, and how do they differ from portals?

They are medians from our own stock base, not averages over listings: a median is not skewed by a single nine-figure villa, and the base rebuilds nightly, so the figures reflect this week’s supply — portal “average prices” refresh less often and count everything on display, including long-sold stock. These are asking prices, not closed deals: actual transaction prices for a specific building I pull separately, on request. More in the “How to read these numbers” block above.

How much do the metro and the master plan move district prices?

More than most people assume: walking distance to a metro station is one of the most stable price factors in Dubai, and half the gap between districts is explained not by the districts themselves but by transport and what is being built around it. The Dubai 2040 master plan states outright where the city will grow — south around Al Maktoum airport, the waterfronts, a denser centre. Buying along a future line before it opens is the classic way in ahead of the growth; what has been announced and which districts it touches is in our master-plan breakdown.

Not sure which district is yours?

Tell me the budget and what the property is for — living in, letting out, or reselling. I will tell you which two or three areas fit, and more usefully, which ones definitely do not.

Ask on WhatsApp

Half the gap between districts is not really about the districts: the metro and Burj Khalifa — what they do to prices.

Ask a question

Telegram is the fastest way — I answer personally.

Message on Telegram