Dubai areas

Every district, with the numbers behind it

67 districts with stock on our books right now — 4,054 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.

Downtown Dubai

353

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

Median price: $1.18M
Per sq ft: $897
From: $60K

217 ready 48 under construction up to −33%

Palm Jumeirah

329

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

Median price: $2.45M
Per sq ft: $1,156
From: $177K

140 ready 73 under construction up to −42%

Business Bay

314

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: $878K
Per sq ft: $771
From: $54K

110 ready 134 under construction up to −28%

Dubai Marina

232

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: $1.01M
Per sq ft: $670
From: $75K

130 ready 37 under construction up to −54%

Bluewaters Island

150

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

Median price: $3.02M
Per sq ft: $1,738
From: $490K

18 ready 8 under construction up to −17%

Emaar Beachfront

149

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

Median price: $1.55M
Per sq ft: $1,252
From: $517K

19 ready 30 under construction up to −25%

JVC

144

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

Median price: $411K
Per sq ft: $434
From: $133K

60 ready 63 under construction up to −40%

Dubai Hills Estate

140

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

Median price: $1.08M
Per sq ft: $741
From: $359K

69 ready 27 under construction up to −29%

MBR City

133

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

Median price: $1.28M
Per sq ft: $563
From: $354K

85 ready 45 under construction up to −36%

Dubai South

127

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

Median price: $1.17M
Per sq ft: $407
From: $170K

21 ready 104 under construction up to −27%

Dubai Creek Harbour

122

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

Median price: $1.01M
Per sq ft: $753
From: $463K

82 ready 31 under construction up to −17%

Dubai Harbour

108

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

Median price: $1.54M
Per sq ft: $1,109
From: $596K

52 ready 56 under construction up to −36%

Sobha Hartland

107

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

Median price: $810K
Per sq ft: $604
From: $340K

42 ready 51 under construction up to −22%

Arabian Ranches

105

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

Median price: $1.58M
Per sq ft: $483
From: $790K

93 ready 5 under construction up to −25%

JBR

100

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

Median price: $1.23M
Per sq ft: $591
From: $395K

77 ready 1 under construction up to −45%

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: $1.14M
Per sq ft: $356
From: $790K

24 ready 62 under construction up to −15%

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: $1.18M
Per sq ft: $827
From: $408K

56 ready 32 under construction up to −34%

Damac Lagoons

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

Median price: $953K
Per sq ft: $384
From: $327K

40 ready 37 under construction up to −20%

Dubai Islands

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

Median price: $1.33M
Per sq ft: $659
From: $408K

3 ready 62 under construction up to −48%

Al Furjan

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

Median price: $1.19M
Per sq ft: $437
From: $177K

63 ready 7 under construction up to −18%

JLT

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

Median price: $798K
Per sq ft: $524
From: $87K

31 ready 29 under construction up to −23%

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: $1.20M
Per sq ft: $491
From: $169K

57 ready 6 under construction up to −18%

Jebel Ali

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

Median price: $2.18M
Per sq ft: $436
From: $150K

24 ready 33 under construction up to −26%

Villanova

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

Median price: $953K
Per sq ft: $436
From: $790K

32 ready 16 under construction up to −14%

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: $2.91M
Per sq ft: $635
From: $980K

22 ready 13 under construction up to −19%

Meydan

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

Median price: $967K
Per sq ft: $656
From: $196K

21 ready 13 under construction up to −21%

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: $978K
Per sq ft: $889
From: $572K

1 ready 4 under construction

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: $371K
Per sq ft: $410
From: $136K

4 ready 28 under construction up to −32%

Zabeel

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

Median price: $1.29M
Per sq ft: $864
From: $599K

21 ready 12 under construction up to −28%

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: $3.17M
Per sq ft: $601
From: $1.25M

19 ready 13 under construction up to −18%

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: $980K
Per sq ft: $361
From: $572K

35 under construction up to −18%

Arjan

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

Median price: $327K
Per sq ft: $476
From: $172K

6 ready 14 under construction up to −7%

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: $4.48M
Per sq ft: $598
From: $599K

13 ready 11 under construction up to −19%

Jumeirah Park

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

Median price: $3.47M
Per sq ft: $570
From: $1.63M

21 ready up to −18%

Damac Hills 2

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

Median price: $848K
Per sq ft: $320
From: $185K

20 ready 10 under construction up to −25%

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: $994K
Per sq ft: $691
From: $517K

17 ready 12 under construction up to −25%

Umm Suqeim

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

Median price: $1.17M
Per sq ft: $843
From: $613K

19 ready 6 under construction up to −22%

Al Jaddaf

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

Median price: $762K
Per sq ft: $581
From: $191K

10 ready 11 under construction up to −18%

Mudon

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

Median price: $1.17M
Per sq ft: $408
From: $844K

10 ready 12 under construction up to −11%

The Acres

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

Median price: $2.23M
Per sq ft: $457
From: $1.50M

24 under construction up to −13%

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: $1.77M
Per sq ft: $1,144
From: $765K

13 ready 8 under construction up to −22%

Dubai Investment Park

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

Median price: $980K
Per sq ft: $422
From: $118K

20 under construction up to −26%

The Oasis

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

Median price: $4.57M
Per sq ft: $447
From: $2.83M

19 under construction up to −13%

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: $11M
Per sq ft: $2,245
From: $803K

5 ready 8 under construction up to −19%

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: $1.46M
Per sq ft: $902
From: $776K

11 under construction up to −20%

Town Square

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

Median price: $817K
Per sq ft: $394
From: $316K

12 ready 5 under construction up to −14%

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: $1.06M
Per sq ft: $364
From: $163K

12 ready 2 under construction up to −57%

Deira / Bur Dubai

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

Median price: $917K
Per sq ft: $608
From: $694K

9 ready 6 under construction up to −18%

Motor City

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

Median price: $1.04M
Per sq ft: $487
From: $231K

10 ready 4 under construction up to −12%

Al Barsha

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

Median price: $912K
Per sq ft: $383
From: $174K

7 ready 4 under construction up to −19%

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: $3.78M
Per sq ft: $750
From: $368K

10 ready 2 under construction up to −14%

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: $1.42M
Per sq ft: $741
From: $858K

9 ready up to −10%

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: $422K
Per sq ft: $667
From: $321K

9 under construction up to −12%

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: $901K
Per sq ft: $294
From: $300K

2 ready 5 under construction up to −24%

Majan

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

Median price: $285K
Per sq ft: $252
From: $215K

2 ready 4 under construction up to −27%

Production City

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

Median price: $262K
Per sq ft: $433
From: $200K

1 ready 4 under construction up to −18%

Wadi Al Safa

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

Median price: $309K
Per sq ft: $391
From: $163K

6 under construction up to −11%

Discovery Gardens

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

Median price: $289K
Per sq ft: $596
From: $185K

2 ready 3 under construction up to −11%

The World Islands

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

Median price: $381K
Per sq ft: $1,893
From: $278K

3 ready 2 under construction up to −16%

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: $4.90M
Per sq ft: $189
From: $2.31M

4 ready up to −44%

International City

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

Median price: $381K
Per sq ft: $274
From: $158K

2 ready 1 under construction up to −18%

Bukadra

The next piece of the central-inland corridor: former open land between Ras Al Khor and MBR City, now under heavy development.

Median price: $647K
Per sq ft: $634
From: $422K

4 under construction up to −16%

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: $1.38M
Per sq ft: $714
From: $790K

3 under construction up to −8%

Living Legends

A small, quiet, established community in Dubailand: apartments and villas around a golf course, and almost nobody has heard of it.

Median price: $946K
Per sq ft: $354
From: $531K

2 ready up to −16%

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 sq ft: $207
From: $1.36M

1 ready

Mirdif

A settled, low-rise family suburb near the airport: villas, City Centre Mirdif, and almost no towers.

Median price: $803K
Per sq ft: $257
From: $762K

2 ready up to −15%

Dubai Studio City

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

Median price: $163K
Per sq ft: $408
From: $163K

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 foot 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.

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.

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