Average prices by Dubai district: AED 1 301 a foot in JVC to 2 433 in Downtown
Five districts generate more than 60% of all location searches in the emirate. Their average price per square foot, and the single most useful thing to do with the table: test a developer’s price against the established market.
Search statistics by Dubai district are a rare case of data showing what people are looking for rather than what is being sold. Five districts account for more than 60% of all location-related searches in the emirate. Here is what a square foot costs in each.
| District | AED per ft² |
|---|---|
| JVC | 1 301 |
| Dubai Marina | 1 845 |
| Business Bay | 1 871 |
| Dubai Hills Estate | 2 313 |
| Downtown Dubai | 2 433 |
How to use this table
Its most useful application is testing a developer's price list. Take the price per foot of the off-plan scheme you are looking at and put it next to the average for its district. In a great many cases the new-build turns out to be more expensive than the established market — sometimes considerably.
That is not a verdict. Above average can be entirely justified. But the question has to be asked directly: what exactly is the difference buying?
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- Position inside the district. First row on the canal and the second street back from Al Khail Road are the same district and different assets.
- The developer's name. Sometimes a demonstrated delivery record, sometimes only marketing.
- The product. Layout efficiency, ceiling height, the specification you actually receive, and the amenity package you will be funding through the service charge.
- The payment plan. Money paid in year four is cheaper than money paid today, and a back-loaded schedule is worth a premium on the sticker.
What the table does not tell you
An average across a district conceals a spread that is frequently twofold inside it. In Business Bay a canal-facing floor in a new tower and a low floor in a fifteen-year-old building sit in the same average and in different markets. Use the figure as a sanity check on the order of magnitude, and comparable transactions for anything more precise.
The second limitation: these are asking-price averages by district, not registered transactions. In a slower market the gap between the two widens, and it widens most in exactly the districts with the most new supply.
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