Dubai property prices in 2026

Dubai property prices 2026: the short version

Dubai property prices entered 2026 after a record year and then moved into a slower, more selective market. The figures below each come from a named source and date. They measure different things (transaction value, sales volume, price indices), so compare figures only within the same source.

• 2025, a record year. The Dubai Land Department recorded over 270,000 real estate transactions worth AED 917 billion, up 20% on 2024 (Government of Dubai Media Office, 12 January 2026).
• Q1 2026, still growing. DLD recorded 60,303 transactions worth AED 252 billion, up 31% in value year on year (Government of Dubai Media Office, 9 April 2026).
• Q2 2026, cooling. CBRE reported fewer than 37,000 residential sales, down 29% year on year, with transaction value of AED 88 billion against nearly AED 154 billion a year earlier. Its residential sales price measure was still 1.9% higher year on year (CBRE UAE Q2 2026 market review).

Press coverage of the Q2 reports (Khaleej Times, 29 July 2026) linked the slowdown to the regional conflict in 2026. We do not forecast where prices go next.

Price indices: what CBRE and ValuStrat show

Price indices track how values change, which is more useful than average transaction size because the mix of homes sold shifts from quarter to quarter.

• ValuStrat Price Index, Q2 2026: the Dubai residential index fell 4% quarter on quarter to 220.0 points (January 2021 = 100) and stood 0.1% higher than a year earlier. The villa index fell 4.2% in the quarter; the apartment index fell 3.7% and was 3% lower year on year. ValuStrat put the typical villa value at AED 13 million (up 2% year on year) and the typical apartment at AED 1.79 million.
• CBRE, Q2 2026: residential sales prices 1.9% higher year on year; average rents down 2.6% year on year and 6.2% quarter on quarter.

The two disagree slightly on direction because they use different methods. Both describe a market that stopped rising quickly in 2026. A Dubai property prices chart built from either index should state its base date and method.

Dubai apartment prices versus villa prices

Dubai apartment prices and villa prices have not moved together. In ValuStrat's Q2 2026 review, the apartment index was 3% lower than a year earlier while the typical villa value was 2% higher, and prime villas were up 7.1% year on year. The two segments are responding differently, so a city-wide average can hide what is happening to the type of home you want.

Supply matters here. DLD data reported in August 2026 showed 104 projects completed in the first half of 2026, adding 24,537 residential units, up from 18,043 units in the first half of 2025. More completions give tenants and buyers more choice, particularly in apartment-heavy communities.

Off-plan and ready transactions

Off-plan sales make up most transactions, and the mix affects headline averages. ValuStrat counted 35,465 sales in Q2 2026: 27,113 off-plan deals worth AED 63.7 billion, and 8,011 ready-home deals worth AED 21 billion. Ready-home transactions were down 41.5% year on year in that quarter.

Off-plan and ready prices are not directly comparable: off-plan prices reflect a future product and a payment plan, ready prices a home you can use now. Analyse them separately, as our guide to reading DLD transaction data explains, and see off plan vs ready property.

Property prices in Dubai by area: check them yourself

City-wide figures say little about a specific home. Property prices in Dubai by area vary widely, and even within one community a canal-view tower and an inland building can trade far apart. To read prices for an area or building:

• Open DLD's open data or the Dubai REST app and filter to sales only (not mortgages or gifts).
• Separate off-plan from ready registrations.
• Narrow to the same project or building, then to a similar size band.
• Look at a run of recent transactions, not a single record.
• Divide each amount by its area to get a price per square metre, then multiply by 0.0929 if you want price per square foot.

Our area pages such as property for sale in Dubai Marina or property for sale in JVC describe each market qualitatively.

Price per square foot in Dubai: reading it correctly

Price per square foot in Dubai is a useful sense check but easy to misread. DLD records size in square metres, while listings usually quote square feet, so convert carefully (1 square metre is about 10.764 square feet). Sizes can include balconies, terraces and, for villas, different measures of built-up area and plot, so compare like with like.

Published averages from research firms use different samples and methods, and the same quarter can produce different numbers. Use them for direction, and use the transactions for the building itself to judge a price.

What the figures do not tell you

• No forecast. None of these figures predicts future prices, and we do not make predictions.
• Totals are not prices. Record transaction values can reflect more deals or a higher-value mix, not higher prices for the same home.
• Your building is specific. View, floor, condition and service charges can matter more than the city trend.

Before buying, add the 4% DLD fee and other Dubai property buying costs to the price, and read is Dubai property a good investment for the wider pros and cons.