In this report
Did sales slow down, or did prices rise?
Both descriptions need care. January recorded 14,570 residential sales, down 12.1% from December. The total value of these sales was AED 33.64 billion, down 3.8%.
The median sale ticket rose 17.4% to AED 1.62 million, yet the median sale price per square metre fell 1.0%. Average registered size increased from 97 to 106 square metres. Buyers bought a different mix of homes; the larger ticket does not establish like-for-like appreciation.
| Month | Registered sales | Median sale price (AED) | Lower quartile sale price (AED) | Upper quartile sale price (AED) | Median sale price per square metre (AED) | Average registered size (square metres) | Total value of sales (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14,570 | 1,618,858 | 976,325 | 2,903,000 | 19,274 | 106 | 33,635,890,283 |
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
| Month | Registered sales | Median sale price (AED) | Lower quartile sale price (AED) | Upper quartile sale price (AED) | Median sale price per square metre (AED) | Average registered size (square metres) | Total value of sales (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 16,571 | 1,379,000 | 857,275 | 2,537,052 | 19,475 | 97 | 34,981,927,027 |
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
Were apartments and villas telling the same story?
No. Apartment sales fell 16.2%, while registered villa sales rose 24.2%. The villa median ticket fell 12.2%, but its median sale price per square metre slipped only 0.8%. More lower-ticket villas changed hands.
Both segments had a slightly lower median price per square metre than in December. The citywide jump in the sale ticket therefore should not be read as broad price acceleration.
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(2 rows)
| Home type | January sales | December sales | Change in sales (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 12,471 | 14,881 | −16.2% |
| Villa | 2,099 | 1,690 | +24.2% |
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(2 rows)
| Home type | January sales | January lower quartile sale price (AED) | January median sale price (AED) | January upper quartile sale price (AED) | December median sale price per square metre (AED) | January median sale price per square metre (AED) | Change in median price per square metre (%) | Change in median sale price (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 12,471 | 872,880 | 1,390,000 | 2,380,000 | 19,380 | 19,091 | −1.5% | +10.8% |
| Villa | 2,099 | 2,825,000 | 3,250,000 | 4,350,888 | 19,762 | 19,611 | −0.8% | −12.2% |
Where was the sales activity concentrated?
Al Yelayiss 1 led the busiest areas with 1,105 sales, followed by JVC with 1,009. Volume did not tell a uniform price story: Business Bay’s median sale price per square metre rose 4.4%, while Dubai South’s fell 5.4%.
The table shows the busiest areas in January, not a ranking of investment quality. Location and the homes changing hands still decide the result.
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(8 rows)
| Area | January sales | Median sale price (AED) | Median sale price per square metre (AED) | Change from December in median price per square metre (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Yelayiss 1 (named in the text) | 1,105 | 2,903,000 | 19,618 | – |
| JVC (named in the text) | 1,009 | 1,049,999 | 16,017 | −3.9% |
| Dubai South (named in the text) | 891 | 1,550,888 | 15,792 | −5.4% |
| Dubai Land | 824 | 964,398 | 15,154 | −5.6% |
| Business Bay (named in the text) | 789 | 2,450,000 | 29,262 | +4.4% |
| Dubai Islands | 638 | 2,649,870 | 29,066 | – |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | 606 | 2,633,444 | 28,175 | – |
| JVT | 567 | 1,119,900 | 17,000 | −3.9% |
Were tenants paying more, and were they moving?
Renewals remained the larger part of registered rental activity: 54.5% of January contracts were renewals. The wider Ejari register recorded 46,934 renewals and 39,231 new contracts. These counts and the residential pricing sample below have different coverage.
For rent-price comparisons, I use residential registrations with annual rent of at least AED 50,000 and annual rent per square metre between AED 400 and AED 4,000. In this sample, median annual rent was AED 89,963, up 4.4% from December. Median annual rent per square metre rose a smaller 1.5%. The middle half of annual rents ran from AED 66,227 to AED 130,446. Pressure was present, but the headline rent change overstates the size-adjusted move.
Dubai Land Department, Ejari rental contract registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(2 rows)
| Contract type | Registered rent contracts |
|---|---|
| New contracts | 39,231 |
| Renewals | 46,934 |
| Month | Sample rent contracts | Median annual rent (AED/year) | Lower quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Upper quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Median annual rent per square metre (AED) | Average registered size (square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10,436 | 89,963 | 66,227 | 130,446 | 1,117 | 105 |
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
| Month | Sample rent contracts | Median annual rent (AED/year) | Lower quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Upper quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Median annual rent per square metre (AED) | Average registered size (square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 9,210 | 86,177 | 65,223 | 130,446 | 1,100 | 105 |
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
Was rental pressure the same across Dubai?
No. Among the busiest areas in the rental sample, Downtown Dubai’s median annual rent per square metre rose 14.9%, while Dubai Marina’s fell 3.9%. JVC was nearly unchanged, down 0.4%.
Dubai Marina’s median annual rent nevertheless rose 6.0%. Its opposite movements in total rent and rent per square metre show why a bigger contract is not automatically a higher price for the same home. These are changes in the registered mix, not repeat-home rent indices.
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(8 rows)
| Area | January sample rent contracts | Lower quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Median annual rent (AED/year) | Upper quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Median annual rent per square metre (AED) | Change from December in median rent per square metre (%) | Change in median annual rent (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JVC (named in the text) | 747 | 65,223 | 84,288 | 115,395 | 1,273 | −0.4% | −1.2% |
| Business Bay | 512 | 75,258 | 96,832 | 137,626 | 1,380 | +2.1% | +1.6% |
| Dubai Marina (named in the text) | 463 | 76,261 | 115,395 | 169,977 | 1,049 | −3.9% | +6.0% |
| Deira | 433 | 62,715 | 80,275 | 108,559 | 1,115 | +7.4% | 0% |
| International City | 343 | 68,234 | 90,309 | 125,429 | 1,405 | −1.3% | +4.7% |
| Downtown Dubai (named in the text) | 316 | 77,158 | 115,395 | 175,240 | 1,210 | +14.9% | +4.5% |
| JVT | 312 | 60,180 | 72,247 | 100,542 | 1,338 | +2.7% | −1.4% |
| Dubai Silicon Oasis | 274 | 60,206 | 77,494 | 120,412 | 1,058 | +0.9% | −3.5% |
What do these figures cover, and what is missing?
This edition describes January 2026, from the first to the last day of the month. December is a comparison, not a second reporting month. Dubai Land Department sale and residential rental registrations, and the wider Ejari monthly contract register, were read on 29 October 2026. Registrations continue arriving after a month ends; these are a later reading of January, not the first release.
- The residential transaction sample is not a census of all Dubai property activity. The rent-price sample excludes lower-rent contracts and extreme rents per square metre; it does not describe the affordable rental market.
- Sale registrations here do not separate ready resale from off-plan sales. No separate conclusion about either market follows from these figures.
- Monthly medians reflect changes in location, size and quality. Even a per-square-metre comparison is not a like-for-like price index.
- Missing December area comparisons mean no change is shown, not that the area had no sales.
- The records do not establish January’s asking prices, vacancy, buyer motives or the causes of the month’s moves. Commercial property is outside this residential edition.