Dubai real estate statistics — 2026
Every number on this page comes from individual sales registered with the Dubai Land Department in January–June 2026 — 65,518 apartments and 7,209 villas, aggregated by us and refreshed monthly. Not listings, not press releases: registered prices buyers actually paid.
Dubai property market, H1 2026: the key statistics
- Dubai registered 65,518 apartment sales worth AED 127.4 billion in H1 2026, plus 7,209 villa/townhouse sales worth AED 28.9 billion — ≈72,700 residential deals, AED 156.3 billion combined.
- The median apartment sold for AED 1,300,000 (AED 1,725 per sqft); the mean was AED 1.94M — luxury deals pull the average 49% above the median.
- The median villa sold for AED 3,200,000 (AED 1,786 per sqft).
- 76% of apartment sales were off-plan (49,798 of 65,518) — buyers paid a 28% per-sqft premium over ready stock (AED 1,799 vs AED 1,408).
- 70% of all purchases are studios or 1-bedrooms: 27,221 one-beds (41.5%) and 18,297 studios (27.9%). The median studio cost AED 688,865 (401 sqft), the median 1-bed AED 1,274,000 (781 sqft).
- Only 4.2% of sales closed above AED 5M, and 1.1% above AED 10M — the market's core is AED 1–2M (37.7% of all deals).
- The busiest month was February (12,703 sales), the slowest May (8,451) — a 33% drop from peak after the February 28 regional escalation; June recovered to 10,445.
- The most active area was Dubai South / Madinat Al Mataar: 6,550 apartment sales, 100% off-plan, ahead of JVC (4,842) and Dubailand Residence Complex (3,678).
- The priciest zone (≥100 deals) was Marsa Dubai at AED 4,460/sqft; the cheapest, International City Phase 1 at AED 716/sqft — a 6.2× spread within one city.
- The single largest registered deal was an AED 422,000,000 apartment at Aman Residences Dubai (Jumeirah Second); the largest villa: AED 220,000,000 on Amali Island (The World).
- The top-selling project was Azizi Venice 14 — 1,315 sales in six months, ahead of DAMAC Lagoons Valencia (918) and Maybach Six (857).
- 97.9% of transactions happened in freehold areas — foreign-eligible ownership is the market.
Each statistic above stands on its own — cite freely with a link to this page (see «Methodology & citation» below). Source for all figures: DLD registered sales, Jan–Jun 2026, our aggregation.
Sales by month: the correction in one chart
Registered apartment sales per month. The February 28 escalation shows up as a March–May slide (−33% from the February peak by May); June turned back up. Medians wobble with the mix — May–June skew affordable as off-plan launches in Dubai South and Dubailand dominate registrations:
| Month | Apartment sales | Median price | Off-plan | Villa sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12,252 | AED 1,390,912 | 73% | 2,092 |
| February | 12,703 | AED 1,382,566 | 70% | 1,529 |
| March | 10,501 | AED 1,378,000 | 78% | 1,249 |
| April | 11,166 | AED 1,460,000 | 80% | 1,056 |
| May | 8,451 | AED 1,087,969 | 78% | 589 |
| June | 10,445 | AED 1,070,000 | 79% | 694 |
Registrations lag signings by days to weeks, so the escalation's demand hit lands mostly in March–May numbers. Villa sales follow the same curve at one-tenth the volume.
What Dubai actually buys: studios and 1-beds
Bedroom mix of all 65,518 registered apartment sales (DLD records the room count for ~100% of deals). The investor profile is unmistakable — compact stock dominates:
| Type | Sales H1 | Median price | Median size, sqft | AED/sqft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 18,297 | AED 688,865 | 401 | 1,743 |
| 1 bedroom | 27,221 | AED 1,274,000 | 781 | 1,646 |
| 2 bedrooms | 15,742 | AED 2,250,000 | 1,249 | 1,800 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3,770 | AED 4,040,444 | 1,861 | 2,158 |
| 4+ bedrooms | 470 | AED 12,732,750 | 4,194 | 3,246 |
Price distribution: where the deals cluster
Share of the 65,518 apartment sales by registered price band. A third of the market trades under AED 1M; the AED 1–2M band is the fattest at 37.7%:
Off-plan vs ready: the 28% premium
Off-plan units registered at a median AED 1,799/sqft against AED 1,408 for ready stock — a 28% premium for payment plans and new product. That gap is the number to watch in the correction: it compresses if off-plan demand cools:
| Segment | Sales H1 | Median price | AED/sqft | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-plan | 49,798 | AED 1,349,082 | 1,799 | 76% |
| Ready (resale & handover) | 15,720 | AED 1,150,000 | 1,408 | 24% |
Top 10 areas by transaction volume
| Area | Sales H1 | Median price | AED/sqft | Off-plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai South (Madinat Al Mataar) | 6,550 | AED 1,078,250 | 1,675 | 100% |
| JVC — Jumeirah Village Circle | 4,842 | AED 1,028,625 | 1,481 | 63% |
| Dubailand Residence Complex | 3,678 | AED 800,000 | 1,440 | 92% |
| Majan | 2,911 | AED 720,000 | 1,436 | 81% |
| Dubai Islands (Palm Deira) | 2,881 | AED 2,886,000 | 2,850 | 100% |
| Business Bay | 2,611 | AED 2,250,000 | 2,514 | 59% |
| Arjan | 1,696 | AED 959,886 | 1,593 | 66% |
| Jabal Ali First (Azizi Venice) | 1,687 | AED 1,618,090 | 1,616 | 98% |
| Dubai Production City | 1,652 | AED 1,029,767 | 1,335 | 79% |
| JVT — Jumeirah Village Triangle | 1,621 | AED 1,159,900 | 1,679 | 87% |
Most expensive per sqft
- Marsa Dubai — AED 4,460/sqft (278 deals)
- Palm Jumeirah — AED 3,754/sqft (530 deals)
- Business Park — AED 3,599/sqft (1,302 deals)
- Dubai Harbour — AED 3,588/sqft (199 deals)
- Palm Jabal Ali — AED 3,471/sqft (127 deals)
Most affordable per sqft
- International City Ph 1 — AED 716/sqft (775 deals)
- Remraam — AED 965/sqft (123 deals)
- Discovery Gardens — AED 997/sqft (564 deals)
- Liwan — AED 1,071/sqft (435 deals)
- International City Ph 2 & 3 — AED 1,128/sqft (771 deals)
Zone names as registered by DLD (≥100 deals threshold). «Marsa Dubai» is DLD's marina-adjacent registration zone — a distinct polygon from the Dubai Marina community pages use. Full 97-area table lives in our price index (link below).
Record deals and top projects of H1
Top-selling projects, H1 2026
- AZIZI VENICE 14 — 1,315 deals
- DAMAC LAGOONS - VALENCIA — 918 deals
- Maybach Six — 857 deals
- Hado By Beyond — 613 deals
- Creek Bay — 592 deals
Largest registered deals, H1 2026
| Registered price | Type | Project | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 422,000,000 | Apartment | Aman Residences Dubai | Jumeirah Second |
| AED 356,232,500 | Apartment | Aman Residences Dubai | Jumeirah Second |
| AED 225,965,000 | Apartment | The Alba Residences by Omniyat | Palm Jumeirah |
| AED 220,000,000 | Villa | AMALI ISLAND | The World |
| AED 115,000,000 | Villa | EOME | Palm Jumeirah |
Methodology — and how to cite these numbers
Source. Individual sales transactions registered with the Dubai Land Department (open data), January 1 – June 29, 2026. We de-duplicate by transaction number, keep residential Sales only, and split apartments (Unit/Flat, ≥AED 100k) from built villas (Building/Villa, ≥AED 300k). Price-per-sqft uses DLD's actual area with a 100–30,000 AED/sqft sanity band; medians, not averages, headline every table because Dubai's luxury tail distorts means by ~49%.
What this is not. Not listing prices (registered prices run below asking), not developer press releases, not projections. Index-style price movements live in our price index; interpretation and H2 scenarios in the market report. This page refreshes monthly when DLD's next batch lands.
«According to WIZI PREMIUM's analysis of 65,518 DLD-registered sales, …» — with a link to this page. All figures are free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Journalists: for a custom cut of the data (area, segment, month), write to hello@wizipremium.com — same-day turnaround.
Common questions
How many properties were sold in Dubai in 2026?
In the first half of 2026 the Dubai Land Department registered 65,518 apartment sales (AED 127.4 billion) and 7,209 villa/townhouse sales (AED 28.9 billion) — roughly 72,700 residential deals worth about AED 156.3 billion combined. Full-year 2026 numbers will depend on H2; this page updates monthly.
What is the average price of an apartment in Dubai?
The median registered price in H1 2026 was AED 1,300,000 (AED 1,725 per sqft). The arithmetic average was AED 1.94M — 49% higher, dragged up by a luxury tail that includes deals up to AED 422M. Median is the honest yardstick; anyone quoting «average» prices is including that tail.
What share of Dubai property sales are off-plan?
76% of H1 2026 apartment registrations (49,798 of 65,518) were off-plan. Off-plan traded at a 28% per-sqft premium to ready stock — AED 1,799 vs AED 1,408 — the price of payment plans and new product.
What do buyers actually buy in Dubai?
Compact investor stock: 41.5% one-bedrooms and 27.9% studios — together almost 70% of all H1 2026 deals. Median studio: AED 688,865 for 401 sqft; median 1-bed: AED 1,274,000 for 781 sqft. Only 4.2% of deals closed above AED 5M.
Which Dubai area is the most expensive per square foot?
Among zones with 100+ registered deals in H1 2026: Marsa Dubai (AED 4,460/sqft), Palm Jumeirah (AED 3,754), Business Park (AED 3,599) and Dubai Harbour (AED 3,588). The cheapest: International City Phase 1 at AED 716/sqft — a 6.2× spread across the city.
Where do these statistics come from?
From sales registered with the Dubai Land Department (open data), January–June 2026, aggregated by us: de-duplicated, residential only, apartments ≥AED 100k. These are prices buyers actually paid — typically below portal asking prices. The dataset refreshes monthly; figures are free to cite with a link.
The data pages behind these numbers
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