Dubai Real Estate Market Report — Q1, 2026

Dubai Real Estate Market Report – Q1 2026

Dubai property began 2026 with the strongest opening quarter the market has recorded. Every property type combined produced 47,820 transactions worth AED 175.92 billion, at a median AED 1,758 per square foot. Restricted to the apartment, villa and commercial segments, 46,800 deals — 5% more than Q1 2025 — generated AED 145.01 billion, a 24% rise in value.

The gap between a modest 5% gain in volume and a 24% jump in value defines the quarter: it was pricing, rather than deal count, that did most of the work. Both the headline volume and value figures set fresh first-quarter records across the 13-year series that starts in 2014.

Headline figures

Year-on-year performance by category

Apartments powered the quarter. Sales reached 36,289 — the strongest Q1 volume across the 13-year series and 3,379 more than the year before, a 10% increase — worth AED 74.55 billion, up 19%. The median price of AED 1,749 per square foot stood 4% above Q1 2025 and 48% above the 2014 base, itself a Q1 record. With the median apartment ticket at AED 1,373,000, up 5%, this category shouldered most of the quarter's headline growth.

Villas moved in the opposite direction. Volume dropped 18% to 8,462 deals — the sole category to shrink, and 1,804 fewer transactions than the year before — yet value still rose 18% to AED 60.17 billion. Price explains the whole reconciliation: the villa median climbed to AED 1,757 per square foot, up 21% year-on-year and a notable 139% above 2014, the highest Q1 figure on record. The median villa sold for AED 4,128,500, up 31% — fewer transactions, each considerably pricier.

Commercial delivered the quarter's most striking percentage moves, though from a much smaller base. Transactions climbed 69% to 2,049 — 838 more than Q1 2025 and the highest Q1 volume the series has seen — while value almost tripled, up 188% to AED 10.28 billion. Pricing was equally hot: the median rose to AED 2,971 per square foot, up 93% year-on-year and 183% above 2014, another first-quarter series high. The median commercial ticket landed at AED 2,492,900, up 61%.

Every category, including plots and buildings

Outside the three principal segments, land carried real weight: 995 plot transactions generated AED 30.84 billion in value — exceeding the entire commercial segment — at a median of AED 420 per square foot and a median plot ticket of AED 5,000,000. Building sales were minimal by comparison, just 25 deals totalling AED 68.80 million.

Primary versus resale

Primary sales continued to dominate. Off-plan and developer transactions made up 71% of deal count — 33,094 sales worth AED 103.92 billion, equal to 72% of value. Resale took the remaining 29% of volume, with 13,706 transactions generating AED 41.09 billion, or 28% of value. Because the secondary market's value share sits marginally below its volume share, primary stock kept setting the pace on both count and pricing.

Where the activity was

Deal activity concentrated in Dubai's newer master-planned districts. By value, Me'Aisem Second led with AED 9.71 billion, narrowly ahead of Al Yelayiss 1 at AED 9.61 billion, then Business Bay (AED 7.80 billion), Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid (AED 6.81 billion) and Al Yelayiss 5 (AED 5.82 billion). By transaction count, Al Barsha South Fourth topped the list with 3,156 deals, ahead of Al Yelayiss 1 (2,881) and Dubai South (2,871) — Al Yelayiss 1 being the only district to rank near the top on both measures.

Rental market

Rents rose broadly across the leasing market even though contract growth was inconsistent. New apartment leases (34,309, up 2.99%) carried a median AED 73,000, up 4.29%, while the larger pool of 44,262 apartment renewals climbed 5.45% to AED 58,000 — with renewal rent per square foot up a notable 10.77%. Villa rents moved similarly, new leases at a median AED 185,000 and renewals at AED 163,013, up 5.61%. Commercial was the exception: new contract numbers fell 20.28%, yet the median new rent jumped 35.71% to AED 142,500, and renewal rents rose 11.18% — fewer leases signed, but at far higher rents.

Supply

Supply leaned heavily toward fresh launches. Developers introduced 22,741 units across 71 projects, while 6,629 units were handed over from 38 completed projects — a launch-to-delivery ratio of 3.4 and a net 16,112 more units launched than delivered. The pipeline is being stocked far quicker than it is being drawn down, suggesting completions will keep flowing in the years ahead.

Selected launches

• Samana Business Park 2 – Wadi Al Safa 3 (Samana), 174 units
• Windsor House Ii - Tower B – Dubai South (Ellington), 424 units
• Sky Harmony By Peace Homes – Al Barsha South Fourth (Peace Homes), 197 units
• Avenew888-Loom F – Dubai South (Avenew), 422 units
• Hqa By Arista – Jabal Ali First (Arista), 52 units
• Rabdan Square – Nad Al Sheba First (Rabdan), 36 units
• Artistry Two Residences – Zaabeel Second (Select Group), 235 units
• Myra Onyx – Nad Al Hamar (Myra), 60 units
• Piazza Roma Tower B – Al Hebiah Fifth (Damac), 86 units
• Aum 99 Residences – Wadi Al Safa 5 (Ag Properties), 186 units
• … and 61 further projects

Selected completions

• Equiti Home-B – Jabal Ali First (Bnh), 302 units
• Samana Santorini – Al Hebiah Second (Samana), 157 units
• Cubix Residences – Al Barsha South Fourth (Qube Development), 72 units
• Neva Residences – Al Barsha South Fourth (Tiger), 409 units
• Silver Park Residency – Warsan Fourth (Manjothi), 76 units
• Marina Living – Marsa Dubai (Continental Investments), 208 units
• Vista By Prestige One – Al Hebiah Fourth (Prestige One), 140 units
• Orra The Embankment - Tower 2 – Al Thanyah Fifth (Orra Developers), 151 units
• The Residence By Prestige One – Al Barsha South Fourth (Prestige One), 98 units
• Elegance By Chaimaa Holding – Al Barsha South Fourth (Deva), 118 units
• … and 28 further projects

Most expensive sales

Top apartment sales

1. AED 422,000,000 – Aman Residences Tower 2, Jumeirah Second
2. AED 356,232,500 – Aman Residences Tower 1, Jumeirah Second
3. AED 210,000,000 – Peninsula Dubai Residences - Tower 2, Jumeirah Second
4. AED 98,000,000 – Passo By Beyond - Tower B, Palm Jumeirah
5. AED 90,000,000 – Bluewaters Residences 8, Marsa Dubai

Top villa sales

1. AED 350,000,000 – Jumeirah First
2. AED 134,000,000 – Emirates Living
3. AED 115,000,000 – Palm Jumeirah
4. AED 96,300,000 – Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid
5. AED 85,000,000 – Jumeirah Bay Islands

Notes on methodology

Scope. Headline totals and the category table draw on every property type in the data, including Plot and Building. The primary/resale split, area rankings and annual comparisons are confined to Apartment, Villa and Commercial, so those figures are naturally smaller than the headline and should not be added on top of it.

Rounding. Headline totals are the authoritative rounded numbers. Category breakdowns are rounded on their own basis and may not tally exactly with those totals.

Definitions. Reported prices are medians rather than averages. Year-on-year figures compare a period with the same period one year before. All amounts are in AED, and areas are stated in square feet.