Branded residences in Dubai
The Dubai Land Department registered 2,800 sales in branded residential projects between January and July 2026 — AED 12.7B across 27 brands, from Bugatti and Mercedes-Benz to Aman and Baccarat. The branded median of 3,564 AED/sqft runs +107% above the citywide 1,720. Below: every brand with its registered numbers, what the premium buys, and where it doesn't pay back.
What commercial property costs in Dubai
Transaction data 2025 — Jul 2026. 1 USD ≈ AED 3.67. Sources: DLD, Gulf News, CRC, Bayut.
Every brand, by the registry
Registered sales, median price, median price per square foot and the largest single deal for each brand the DLD recorded in January–July 2026. Brands are matched by the registered project name and reviewed by hand — these are prices buyers paid, not marketing decks.
| Brand | Deals | Median | AED/sqft | Top deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MaybachAutomotive | 1,375 | AED 1.40M | 3,624 | AED 17.64M |
| RoveHotel & hospitality | 260 | AED 3.16M | 4,638 | AED 15.46M |
| AddressHotel & hospitality | 248 | AED 4.15M | 3,566 | AED 33.50M |
| Franck MullerJewellery & watches | 157 | AED 2M | 2,618 | AED 4.70M |
| VidaHotel & hospitality | 147 | AED 3.22M | 2,749 | AED 16M |
| ParamountHotel & hospitality | 97 | AED 1.70M | 1,495 | AED 5.35M |
| LamborghiniAutomotive | 95 | AED 3.14M | 2,588 | AED 5.76M |
| St. RegisHotel & hospitality | 79 | AED 3.75M | 3,103 | AED 8.65M |
| W ResidencesHotel & hospitality | 55 | AED 7.80M | 4,768 | AED 62.33M |
| KempinskiHotel & hospitality | 38 | AED 4.31M | 2,535 | AED 16.51M |
| ELIE SAABFashion | 37 | AED 3.77M | 3,709 | AED 13.05M |
| BaccaratJewellery & watches | 26 | AED 31.23M | 5,699 | AED 121.84M |
| SLSHotel & hospitality | 26 | AED 1.93M | 2,304 | AED 4.70M |
| MissoniFashion | 25 | AED 2.65M | 2,408 | AED 9.20M |
| TrumpHotel & hospitality | 19 | AED 3.57M | 3,870 | AED 8.72M |
| AmanHotel & hospitality | 18 | AED 70.14M | 13,312 | AED 422M |
| CavalliFashion | 17 | AED 12.07M | 3,722 | AED 22.44M |
| Jacob & CoJewellery & watches | 13 | AED 11.50M | 3,523 | AED 18M |
| Six SensesHotel & hospitality | 12 | AED 18.95M | 6,112 | AED 56M |
| FairmontHotel & hospitality | 12 | AED 5.28M | 2,081 | AED 17M |
| BugattiAutomotive | 11 | AED 33.40M | 9,109 | AED 200M |
| VersaceFashion | 9 | AED 4M | 2,200 | AED 12.80M |
| Mercedes-BenzAutomotive | 8 | AED 19.65M | 5,857 | AED 50M |
| Karl LagerfeldFashion | 7 | AED 36.01M | 2,935 | AED 43.97M |
| BentleyAutomotive | 6 | AED 26.06M | 4,637 | AED 49.10M |
| ArmaniFashion | 2 | AED 70.73M | 7,881 | AED 92.50M |
| BvlgariJewellery & watches | 1 | AED 80M | 12,424 | AED 80M |
Two very different markets share this table. Volume lives in accessible auto-branded towers — Maybach alone logged 1,375 registrations at a AED 1.40M median, all Binghatti launches. Trophy pricing lives at the other end: Aman (AED 70.14M median), Baccarat, Bugatti and Armani each trade above AED 30M per deal. A «branded residence» label alone tells you almost nothing about price — the brand tier does.
Why investors are switching from apartments to offices
Commercial out-earns residential across the board: Business Bay offices gross 7–9%, DIFC Grade A 6.5–7.5%, JLT offices and Al Quoz warehouses up to 10% — against 3.5–5% on villas held for long lets. The driver is a genuine Grade A shortage: DIFC vacancy is near zero, fitted offices up to 2,000 sq.ft trade 15–20% above shell-and-core, and LEED-certified towers charge ~12% more rent.
Supply is coming — around 24.2M sq.ft of new offices are announced through 2030 across Business Bay, Meydan, DIFC and JLT — but with a catch for buyers: Business Bay builds to sell, while DIFC largely builds to rent, keeping investable Grade A stock scarce. Compare with residential returns in our rental yield guide.
Can foreigners buy? Freehold zones and structures
Yes — foreigners own commercial property 100% freehold in 60+ designated zones, including Business Bay, JLT, Dubai Marina, Downtown and Dubai Silicon Oasis. DIFC runs its own legal system and property registrar. You can buy personally or through a company — a free-zone entity (e.g. DMCC), an offshore vehicle (JAFZA Offshore, RAK ICC) or a mainland company.
One-off costs: the 4% DLD transfer fee plus admin and trustee fees and ~2% agency commission. There are no annual taxes on ownership or rental income for individuals — the real difference from residential is VAT, below.
How the 5% VAT works when you buy commercial property
Unlike residential (exempt; first supply of a new build zero-rated for 3 years), commercial property is subject to 5% VAT — on both sales and rents. The mechanics on a resale purchase trip up unprepared buyers: the buyer pays the 5% VAT directly to the Federal Tax Authority through the EmaraTax portal and receives a Payment Transaction Number (PTN). Without that number the DLD trustee office will not transfer the title — so the VAT payment has to be sequenced into the deal before registration, not after.
The good news: if you buy through a VAT-registered company, the 5% is recoverable as input tax in your next return — for most corporate buyers it is a cash-flow item, not a cost. We structure this step into every commercial deal we run.
Renting to a business: Ejari and the RERA index
Every commercial lease must be registered in Ejari — an unregistered contract is not recognised, and a valid Ejari is a condition for issuing and renewing the tenant’s trade license with DET. Registration needs the contract, the title deed, both parties’ trade licenses and Emirates ID / passports.
Rent rises are capped by the RERA Rental Index, which covers commercial units too (select “commercial” in the DLD calculator): 0/5/10/15/20% bands, a maximum of 20% when the current rent sits more than 40% below market, and 90 days’ written notice. Disputes go to the Rental Dispute Centre. Tenant-side overview — in our renting in Dubai guide.
The registered ceiling
Largest single registered sale per brand, Dubai Land Department, January–July 2026. The Aman deal is also the largest apartment registration in the city this year — branded stock owns the entire top of the market.
Estimate your yield
Gross estimate from typical 2026 yields; service charges are on top (residential rent carries no VAT).
Common questions
What is a branded residence?
A residential project sold under the name of a luxury brand — a hotel operator (Aman, St. Regis), a car marque (Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz), a fashion or jewellery house (Armani, Baccarat) — under a licence agreement with the developer. The brand sets design standards and often runs the building's services; the developer builds and sells. You get a normal DLD title deed — the brand attaches to the building, not to your ownership.
How much do branded residences cost in Dubai?
Across 2,800 DLD registrations in Jan–Jul 2026 the median branded deal was AED 2.33M at 3,564 AED/sqft — about +107% per foot over the citywide 1,720. The range is enormous: volume Maybach towers trade near AED 1.40M, while Aman's median is AED 70.14M and the top registered deal reached AED 422M.
Why is Dubai called the world capital of branded residences?
Dubai has more branded residential projects than any other city — industry counts put it ahead of Miami and New York, with dozens of schemes delivered and dozens more in the pipeline through 2031. The reasons are structural: freehold ownership for foreigners, zero tax on holding, a deep luxury buyer pool and developers (Binghatti, DAMAC, Omniyat, Select Group) who license global brands at scale.
Do branded residences resell better?
The registered numbers support liquidity at the top: branded projects hold the city's biggest deals and the thickest per-foot premiums, and a recognised badge widens the buyer pool at exit — especially with buyers purchasing remotely. But the premium is priced in when you buy, so the resale case rests on scarcity of the specific project, not on the logo alone.
What are the running costs of a branded residence?
Higher than a standard tower. Operated buildings bill the hotel-grade service layer to owners through service charges — often at the top of the city's per-sqft range — and some operators add furniture, refurbishment or rental-programme terms. Ask for the current service charge per square foot and the operator agreement before reserving; both are normal documents to request.
Can a foreigner buy a branded residence in Dubai remotely?
Yes. Branded projects sit in the same freehold zones as everything else on this site: full ownership, DLD registration in your name, no residency requirement, and a power of attorney lets the whole purchase run remotely. Deals at or above AED 2M qualify for the 10-year Golden Visa — which most branded stock clears by a wide margin.
Every way to buy in Dubai
Find commercial property in Dubai for your budget
Tell us the segment — office, retail or warehouse — and your budget, and we’ll send matching units with real yield numbers, plus walk you through the VAT and Ejari steps. Free, and we reply within an hour.