The net number,not the headline one.
Real yield after service charges. Real cash needed at signing. Real handover dates. Every figure sourced and dated, including the ones that argue against buying.
- Best published net · after service charges
- 6.2–6.7%
Indicative, not measured. Dubai Sports City at 8.23% gross, less a 1.5–2.0 point bridge. 2 of 6 communities publish no service charge at all.
- Top gross yield
- 8.53%
- DLD transfer fee
- 4.00%
- Communities published
- 6
Most Dubai property sites quote the record year.
These are the same market, measured three ways.
What it costs once it's itemised
The DLD transfer fee, trustee fee, commission with its VAT and mortgage registration, itemised against your own figures.
What you keep, not what's quoted
Gross yield is the brochure number; service charges, management and voids come out of it first.
Payment plans, compared honestly
Sixty-forty, eighty-twenty and post-handover schedules, set against each other in cash terms.
Handover dates as they stand
The date in the contract, the date the project is tracking to, and the holding cost of the gap between them.
The residency threshold
Where a purchase sits against the property investment thresholds, under the current rules.
Building, then community
Published service charges run from AED 3–6 per square foot a year in JVC to AED 25–40 in DIFC.
Source: luxhabitat.ae and egsh.ae, secondary compilations 2025/2026
The market, measured
The same market, measured three ways
- Transactions
- −29%
Dubai residential transactions, Q2 2026 vs Q2 2025
Source: CBRE
- Rents
- −6.2%
Dubai rents, quarter on quarter, Q2 2026
Source: CBRE
- Off-plan share
- 73.8%
of H1 2026 residential volume was off-plan
Source: DLD
Work the numbers yourself
Two calculators that show their working.
- 84,200 AEDWhat it actually costs to buy off-plan
On AED 2,000,000 paid in cash, no developer waiver: the 4% DLD fee, trustee fee and VAT.
- 6.15–6.45%Gross yield versus what you keep
Dubai Sports City at AED 1,332 per sqft and 8.23% gross, across the published AED 10–14 charge band, with 5% management and 4 weeks vacant.
The journal
One question, answered from the source.
- Why do two Dubai apartments in one community return different net yields?
- Does buying property in Dubai qualify you for the Golden Visa, and at what threshold?
- What is the net rental yield in JVC once service charges come out of the gross?
- What is Oqood registration, and when must an off-plan purchase be registered?
- What does buying property in Dubai cost beyond the headline price?
The questions that come first.
Every figure in an answer carries its source and the quarter it describes.
What does buying property in Dubai cost beyond the price?
The Dubai Land Department registration fee is 4% of the price. On top of it sit trustee office fees, agency commission, and mortgage registration at 0.25% of the loan plus AED 270. VAT at 5% applies to those services, not to the residential property itself. The off-plan calculator itemises all of them against your own figures.Source: DLD fee schedule; UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017
Is the Dubai property market still rising in 2026?
No. Dubai residential transactions fell 29% in Q2 2026 against Q2 2025, and rents fell 6.2% quarter on quarter. Most property sites still quote the record year instead. Every figure on this site carries its source and the quarter it describes, so you can see for yourself how current it is.Source: CBRE, Q2 2026
What is the difference between gross yield and what I keep?
Gross yield is the rent divided by the price. Net yield is what survives service charges, management fees, void periods, and, on short lets, VAT once turnover passes AED 375,000. Service charges alone run from roughly 3 AED per square foot in JVC to 25 and above in branded towers, which is most of the gap.Source: UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 (VAT registration threshold)
Why are so many Dubai purchases off-plan?
Off-plan was 73.8% of residential transaction volume in the first half of 2026. Payment plans spread the cost across construction rather than demanding it at handover. Those plans are not comparable across developers, which is why the calculator sets 60/40, 80/20 and post-handover schedules against each other in cash terms.Source: Dubai Land Department, H1 2026
Does buying property in Dubai get you a residency visa?
The Land Department publishes a threshold of AED 2,000,000 for the property investor Golden Visa, and a mortgaged property can qualify with a bank no-objection letter. Its page does not address off-plan purchases either way, so anyone buying off-plan should get that answer in writing from the immigration authority rather than inferring it.Source: Dubai Land Department, Golden Visa investor service page, retrieved 2026-08-26
Why are there no property listings on this site?
Every property advertisement in Dubai needs a Trakheesi permit number and a scannable Madmoun QR code, and permits are issued to licensed companies rather than to individuals. Until that is in place this site publishes market figures and cost models and no adverts at all. The gate is in the code, not the copy.Source: DLD Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide
Ask me something specific.
A budget and a timeline are enough to come back with real figures.