In this report
Did home sales slow down?
Sales held up better than their headline value suggests. February recorded 14,438 residential sales, with a total value of AED 31.89 billion. Against January, the count fell 0.9% and total value fell 5.2%. These are combined residential registrations, not a ready-resale benchmark.
| Period | Residential sales | Total sales value (AED) | Median sale amount (AED) | Median sale amount per square metre (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | 14,438 | 31,886,810,777 | 1,500,000 | 18,949 |
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
The median sale amount fell 7.3%, but the median amount per square metre fell only 1.7%. A change in what sold matters here. Apartment sales increased 3.4%, while villa sales fell 26.6%. The villa median per square metre was unchanged. Fewer villa registrations explain much of the lower-value month; this is not evidence that every home became cheaper.
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(2 rows)
| Home type | February sales | January sales | Sales count change (%) | Median February sale amount (AED) | Lower quartile sale amount (AED) | Upper quartile sale amount (AED) | Median February amount per square metre (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 12,898 | 12,471 | +3.4% | 1,387,000 | 874,832 | 2,325,285 | 18,742 |
| Villa | 1,540 | 2,099 | −26.6% | 3,133,444 | 2,824,000 | 4,277,182 | 19,611 |
Where was sales activity concentrated?
JVC led the named communities with 1,105 sales. Dubai South followed. Their pricing stories were different: JVC's median sale amount per square metre fell 2.0%, while Dubai South's rose 2.5%. In Dubai South, the lower median ticket came with smaller homes being sold. A lower ticket is not automatically a discount.
Dubai Land Department, residential sale registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(6 rows)
| Community | February sales | January sales | February median amount per square metre (AED) | Median amount per square metre change (%) | Average home size (square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JVC | 1,105 | 1,009 | 15,692 | −2.0% | 76 |
| Dubai South | 950 | 891 | 16,189 | +2.5% | 95 |
| Al Yelayiss 1 | 912 | 1,105 | 19,611 | −0.0% | 176 |
| Dubai Land | 841 | 824 | 16,019 | +5.7% | 85 |
| Meydan | 718 | – | 37,788 | – | 59 |
| Dubai Islands | 596 | 638 | 30,384 | +4.5% | 111 |
Did rents rise in February?
The median recorded annual rent was AED 75,258, up 2.7% from January. The middle half of recorded annual rents ran from AED 50,993 to AED 125,429. The median annual rent per square metre rose 5.0%, although the mean fell. The month therefore shows firmer median rents, not a uniform increase across homes.
| Period | Recorded rental contracts | Median annual rent (AED) | Lower quartile annual rent (AED) | Upper quartile annual rent (AED) | Median annual rent per square metre (AED) | Mean annual rent per square metre (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | 14,853 | 75,258 | 50,993 | 125,429 | 906 | 1,356 |
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
The area picture was split. Dubai Marina's median annual rent per square metre rose 11.3%, while Deira's fell 18.6%. Business Bay's median annual ticket was unchanged, even as its median per square metre rose. Location and the mix of homes mattered more than the citywide headline.
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(5 rows)
| Community | February rental contracts | Median February annual rent (AED) | Lower quartile annual rent (AED) | Upper quartile annual rent (AED) | February median annual rent per square metre (AED) | Median annual rent per square metre change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JVC | 866 | 81,912 | 60,206 | 122,752 | 1,254 | +3.3% |
| Deira | 853 | 45,155 | 20,069 | 75,258 | 502 | −18.6% |
| Dubai Marina | 706 | 109,876 | 70,240 | 155,840 | 988 | +11.3% |
| International City | 660 | 52,179 | 37,127 | 109,625 | 933 | +4.6% |
| Business Bay | 576 | 95,326 | 74,128 | 140,481 | 1,407 | +3.0% |
Were renters moving or renewing?
Renewals were the larger part of registered tenancy activity: 40,458 renewal contracts, against 34,325 new contracts. This wider Ejari count describes registered tenancy activity; the residential rental pricing sample above is a separate source with narrower coverage. Renewals leading the count does not establish why tenants stayed, or whether their own rent increased.
Dubai Land Department, Ejari contract registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(2 rows)
| Contract type | Registered rent contracts |
|---|---|
| New contracts | 34,325 |
| Renewals | 40,458 |
What does this edition measure, and what can it not tell us?
This edition covers February 2026 and was read on 29 October 2026. Sales and rental prices come from Dubai Land Department residential registrations. The new-versus-renewal split comes from Ejari registrations. Rents are annual contract amounts. No low-rent or rent-per-square-metre exclusions are applied to the residential pricing figures. January comparisons use full calendar-month totals, not seasonally adjusted or daily rates.
- Registrations can arrive after the month ends; this is the later reading, not the information available at February's close.
- Sale figures combine registered residential sales and do not isolate ready resale from off-plan purchases. They cannot establish a resale price trend.
- Median changes include shifts in location, size and home type; they do not measure the change in the same home's price or rent.
- Ejari sees registered contracts, not unregistered agreements or all occupied homes.
- February asking-price history is unavailable, so this edition cannot show listing supply, asking-to-paid gaps or time to let.
- This is a residential edition; it does not establish what happened in the commercial market.