The best areas to invest in Dubai, measured on the data.
Every Dubai area ranked by gross yield, with the median price and the number of registered sales alongside: from real Dubai Land Department data, not estimates. Sort the table however you like, and open any district for the detail.
Which area of Dubai is best to invest in?
There is no single best area for everyone, which is why you get the whole ranking here rather than one name. Between the top of the ranking and the bottom, the gross yield more than doubles: the highest values sit where the price per square metre is lowest, and a high yield almost always comes with a less liquid market, meaning a slower resale. Read the yield together with the price and the number of sales: the three columns together say far more than the first one alone.
How to read this table
This ranking neither promotes nor writes off any area. It measures one thing, precisely: what the rent yields today against today's price. That is solid data, but it is a photograph, not a forecast.
A high yield is not automatically a good deal
The top of the ranking is almost always occupied by the areas with the lowest price per square metre. The arithmetic holds, but those markets often see fewer sales, and fewer sales means longer to resell. Always read the transactions column next to the yield.
A low yield today may only be low for now
An area still being built yields little while it is a building site. But if that district has a metro station, an international school, a hospital, a university or a major attraction planned, rental demand arrives when those open. And those opening dates almost always fall within the construction years: whoever comes in earlier pays the earlier price.
The number tells you where to look, not what to do
No table knows your horizon, how much capital you are tying up, whether you want income now or value in seven years. And no table knows what has been approved in an area but not yet built. That is where someone who follows the market from the inside matters, and it is not a figure of speech: it is the difference between reading a number and understanding it.
| Area | Median price | Yield ↓ | Sales 30d | off-plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MBR City – Sobha Hartland | AED 1,920/sqft≈ $5,640/m² | 7.0% | 180 | 14% | Area data |
| Dubai Investments Park | AED 946/sqft≈ $2,770/m² | 7.0% | 147 | 92% | Area data |
| Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) | AED 1,420/sqft≈ $4,170/m² | 6.5% | 754 | 51% | Area data |
| JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence) | AED 1,520/sqft≈ $4,460/m² | 6.1% | 38 | 0% | Area data |
| Damac Hills | AED 2,010/sqft≈ $5,900/m² | 5.6% | 168 | 43% | Area data |
| Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT) | AED 1,620/sqft≈ $4,740/m² | 5.4% | 174 | 70% | Area data |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | AED 2,590/sqft≈ $7,580/m² | 5.2% | 302 | 77% | Area data |
| Downtown Dubai | AED 2,820/sqft≈ $8,260/m² | 5.2% | 157 | 20% | Area data |
| Arjan | AED 1,560/sqft≈ $4,560/m² | 5.0% | 217 | 57% | Area data |
| Business Bay | AED 2,220/sqft≈ $6,510/m² | 4.8% | 465 | 37% | Area data |
| Dubai South | AED 1,730/sqft≈ $5,070/m² | 4.7% | 1,705 | 97% | Area data |
| Al Furjan / Jebel Ali | AED 1,630/sqft≈ $4,770/m² | 4.7% | 458 | 63% | Area data |
| Dubai Marina | AED 2,340/sqft≈ $6,860/m² | 4.7% | 246 | 7% | Area data |
| Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) | AED 1,970/sqft≈ $5,770/m² | 4.6% | 213 | 43% | Area data |
| Palm Jumeirah | AED 2,510/sqft≈ $7,370/m² | 4.4% | 60 | 18% | Area data |
| Al Jaddaf | AED 1,960/sqft≈ $5,740/m² | 4.0% | 186 | 74% | Area data |
| Dubailand (Wadi Al Safa 3) | AED 1,640/sqft≈ $4,810/m² | 3.4% | 624 | 89% | Area data |
| Dubai Production City | AED 1,410/sqft≈ $4,140/m² | — | 235 | 64% | Area data |
| Dubai Islands | AED 2,470/sqft≈ $7,240/m² | — | 136 | 99% | Area data |
MBR City – Sobha Hartland
Dubai Investments Park
Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)
JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence)
Damac Hills
Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT)
Dubai Creek Harbour
Downtown Dubai
Arjan
Business Bay
Dubai South
Al Furjan / Jebel Ali
Dubai Marina
Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT)
Palm Jumeirah
Al Jaddaf
Dubailand (Wadi Al Safa 3)
Dubai Production City
Dubai Islands
The table opens sorted by yield: tap the headers to re-sort by sales, price or name. Median price in AED/sqft on the area's prevalent property type, registered in the last 30 days; switch currency from the selector above for the €/m² or $/sqft equivalent. Source: Dubai Land Department via Dubai Pulse.
From the percentage to the rent: what it takes for an income
A yield in percentage terms says little until you translate it into what you actually care about: how much arrives each month, and how much capital it takes to get there. The maths is one division and you can redo it yourself: capital times yield, divided by twelve.
| Capital invested | At 5% gross | At 6% gross | At 7% gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| $290k | $1,209/mo | $1,450/mo | $1,691/mo |
| $580k | $2,416/mo | $2,900/mo | $3,384/mo |
| $870k | $3,625/mo | $4,350/mo | $5,075/mo |
| $1.2M | $4,834/mo | $5,800/mo | $6,766/mo |
Gross monthly figures, before service charges, maintenance and the months the property sits empty: those three items are what separates gross from net, and they vary building by building. They give the order of magnitude, not a quote. The yield you will actually use is the one for the area you choose, in the table above.
The number investors look for
Yields on the launch price, project by project
The ranking above is the yield on today's prices. There is a second one, harder to obtain: what those who bought off-plan at launch are earning now, project by project, on already-delivered developments. Leave your email and I'll send it to you.
Frequently asked
Which Dubai areas yield the most?
The full ranking is in the table above, sorted by gross yield and updated nightly on Dubai Land Department data. At the top sit the areas with the lowest price per square metre; at the bottom the prime areas, which yield less but resell faster. The yield is gross: service charges are not deducted.
How is the yield on the launch price calculated?
It's the current rent divided by the off-plan launch price of already-delivered projects in the area. Computed on the entry price rather than today's, it is higher than the market yield. These are real historical figures, not promises.
What is the average price per square metre in Dubai?
It varies widely by area: the table shows the median price registered in the last 30 days for each district, on the prevalent property type. Source: Dubai Land Department.
These numbers change every night
The ranking you just read recalculates nightly on the DLD registry. On Thursdays I bring it to your inbox, with what changed and why.