In this report
Did rental activity pick up in August?
Yes. The residential rental records contain 17,904 registrations, 13.0% more than July. The median annual registered rent was AED 73,251, up 1.4%. Activity moved much more than the typical rent. The middle half of annual rents ran from AED 50,172 to AED 120,412.
| Period | Rental registrations | Median annual rent (AED/year) | Lower quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Upper quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Median annual rent per square metre (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | 17,904 | 73,251 | 50,172 | 120,412 | 867 |
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
For the home-type and area comparisons below, rental pricing excludes annual rents below AED 50,000 and unusually low or high rents per square metre. This gives a narrower pricing sample, rather than the full rental count above.
Within that pricing sample, apartment median annual rent per square metre was almost unchanged, up 0.09%. Villas rose 2.37%. Villa median annual rent reached AED 170,584, but its larger 6.1% increase also reflects the mix of homes rented. The rental pick-up was not a uniform jump in prices.
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(2 rows)
| Home type | August rental registrations | July rental registrations | August lower quartile annual rent (AED/year) | August median annual rent (AED/year) | August upper quartile annual rent (AED/year) | July median annual rent per square metre (AED) | August median annual rent per square metre (AED) | Monthly change in median rent per square metre (%) | Monthly change in median annual rent (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartments | 10,273 | 8,946 | 65,223 | 85,292 | 120,412 | 1,137 | 1,138 | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Villas | 1,208 | 1,022 | 115,395 | 170,584 | 270,927 | 718 | 735 | 2.4% | 6.1% |
Did fewer sales mean lower prices?
No. There were 10,383 residential sales registrations, down 15.7% from July. Their total sale value was AED 17.87 billion, down 11.1%. Yet the median sale value rose 7.5% to AED 1.15 million. These figures cover combined residential sales, not a ready-resale price benchmark.
| Period | Sales registrations | Total value of sales (AED) | Median sale value (AED) | Lower quartile sale value (AED) | Upper quartile sale value (AED) | Median sale value per square metre (AED) | Average home size (square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | 10,383 | 17,865,186,846 | 1,150,000 | 703,114 | 1,972,256 | 18,293 | 86 |
Dubai Land Department, residential sales registrations, read 29 October 2026
The median sale value per square metre rose only 0.3%. Average home size was 86 square metres, larger than in July. The larger ticket therefore overstates the movement in unit values. Apartment median sale value per square metre rose just 0.03%; villas rose 5.2%. Villa sales were firmer on this measure, even as their deal count fell.
Dubai Land Department, residential sales registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(2 rows)
| Home type | August sales registrations | July sales registrations | August lower quartile sale value (AED) | August median sale value (AED) | August upper quartile sale value (AED) | July median sale value per square metre (AED) | August median sale value per square metre (AED) | Monthly change in median sale value per square metre (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartments | 9,689 | 11,557 | 694,816 | 1,094,915 | 1,696,598 | 18,340 | 18,346 | 0.0% |
| Villas | 694 | 762 | 2,650,000 | 3,500,000 | 4,785,000 | 16,070 | 16,906 | 5.2% |
Where did rental conditions diverge?
JVC led the displayed rental pricing sample with 938 registrations, but its median annual rent per square metre fell 2.19%. Dubai Creek Harbour rose 11.47%, while International City fell 10.8%. The citywide figure hides very different local conditions. These are changes in the registered mix, not matched-home rent increases or cuts.
| Area | August rental registrations | Median annual rent (AED/year) | Lower quartile annual rent (AED/year) | Upper quartile annual rent (AED/year) | August median annual rent per square metre (AED) | July median annual rent per square metre (AED) | Monthly change in median rent per square metre (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JVC | 938 | 78,268 | 65,223 | 110,378 | 1,163 | 1,189 | −2.2% |
| Business Bay | 640 | 85,292 | 65,223 | 120,412 | 1,318 | 1,286 | +2.5% |
| Dubai Marina | 618 | 105,361 | 76,815 | 147,756 | 1,070 | 1,024 | +4.5% |
| International City | 430 | 83,285 | 62,213 | 113,546 | 1,288 | 1,444 | −10.8% |
| Downtown Dubai | 428 | 105,361 | 72,247 | 173,909 | 1,026 | 1,092 | −6.0% |
| JVT | 297 | 80,275 | 67,230 | 115,395 | 1,433 | 1,239 | +15.7% |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | 270 | 104,859 | 72,247 | 150,515 | 1,118 | 1,003 | +11.5% |
| Dubai South | 264 | 85,182 | 68,220 | 130,178 | 1,037 | – | – |
| Deira | 254 | 78,160 | 63,082 | 106,318 | 1,184 | 1,092 | +8.4% |
| Dubai Silicon Oasis | 244 | 81,461 | 63,216 | 135,464 | 1,132 | 1,147 | −1.3% |
Dubai Land Department, residential rental registrations, read 29 October 2026
The practical reading is local: more contracts alone does not establish landlord pricing power. JVC had rising activity alongside a lower median rent per square metre; Dubai Marina had rising activity alongside a higher one.
Where was sales activity concentrated?
Dubai South led with 2,003 residential sales registrations, despite a 14.0% fall from July. JVC followed with 702. Wadi Al Safa 4 moved the other way: sales registrations rose 59.81%. Its median sale value jumped 86.27%, yet its median sale value per square metre rose only 1.01%. That contrast is a clear warning against reading ticket-size changes as price growth.
Dubai Land Department, residential sales registrations, read 29 October 2026
Show the numbers(10 rows)
| Area | August sales registrations | Monthly change in sales registrations (%) | Median sale value (AED) | Lower quartile sale value (AED) | Upper quartile sale value (AED) | August median sale value per square metre (AED) | July median sale value per square metre (AED) | Monthly change in median sale value per square metre (%) | Monthly change in median sale value (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai South | 2,003 | −14.0% | 737,000 | 649,200 | 1,260,015 | 18,594 | 18,340 | +1.4% | +1.4% |
| JVC | 702 | −21.0% | 1,015,700 | 769,250 | 1,234,240 | 15,388 | 15,003 | +2.6% | +6.9% |
| Jabal Ali Industrial Second | 582 | −34.8% | 718,834 | 680,700 | 951,765 | 18,654 | 18,502 | +0.8% | −0.3% |
| Wadi Al Safa 4 | 497 | +59.8% | 1,153,000 | 613,000 | 1,347,000 | 18,844 | 18,656 | +1.0% | +86.3% |
| Dubai Land | 377 | −16.4% | 1,169,000 | 791,151 | 1,606,445 | 15,822 | 14,948 | +5.9% | +19.3% |
| City of Arabia | 372 | −6.3% | 589,000 | 582,090 | 618,812 | 18,008 | 18,563 | −3.0% | +0.2% |
| Business Bay | 307 | +1.3% | 1,650,000 | 1,186,073 | 2,450,000 | 22,917 | 22,222 | +3.1% | +1.5% |
| Jabal Ali First | 251 | −17.4% | 1,718,000 | 1,401,400 | 2,206,000 | 18,142 | 17,950 | +1.1% | +2.1% |
| JVT | 232 | – | 1,050,000 | 797,499 | 1,282,500 | 16,859 | – | – | – |
| Dubai Marina | 223 | – | 2,529,548 | 1,590,000 | 3,730,500 | 25,740 | – | – | – |
Business Bay was comparatively steady on deal count, with a 1.32% increase, while its median sale value per square metre rose 3.13%. The slowdown in total sales was not shared by every area.
What do the sources show, and what remains unknown?
This edition uses Dubai Land Department residential rental and sales registrations dated from 1 to 31 August 2026, read on 29 October 2026. July sits beside August only as the monthly comparison. Counts describe the records available in this residential source, not every property transaction across all sectors. Rent figures are annual contract values; sales figures are registered sale values.
- Registrations can arrive weeks after the month ends. Later editions may therefore show revised August totals.
- Changes in size, location, quality and the homes traded can move medians. These figures do not track the same homes repeatedly.
- The sales evidence does not separate ready resale from off-plan registrations, so it cannot establish which lane drove August.
- The rental evidence does not separate new leases from renewals, so it cannot establish the month's new-tenant pricing pressure.
- Missing July area comparisons mean no change is shown, not no July activity.
- There is no August asking-price or unsold-inventory evidence here; registrations alone cannot show sellers' expectations or the stock still waiting for a buyer.