Property Monitor recorded AED 28.64 billion in rental transaction value across Dubai between January 1 and July 31, 2026 — an average rent of AED 87,709 across a typical unit of roughly 5,327 sqft built-up area.
01Where rents actually sit
Two-thirds of all Dubai rentals — 66.8% — fall between AED 0 and 80,000 a year. This is a market whose real volume sits in the mass and mid-market, not the headline-grabbing luxury bracket.
| Annual Rent Band | Share of Market |
|---|---|
| AED 0 – 50K | 31.2% |
| AED 50K – 80K | 35.6% |
| AED 80K – 120K | 17.0% |
| AED 120K – 160K | 7.1% |
| AED 160K – 200K | 3.7% |
| Above AED 200K | 5.5% |
02Rent by bedroom count
Average rent climbs steadily with bedroom count through 6-bed units — beyond that, transaction volume drops so low that the "averages" stop being reliable market signals and start reflecting one or two individual deals.
| Type | Transactions | Avg. Rent (AED) | Avg. AED/sqft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 55,037 | 40,768 | 100 |
| 1 Bed | 120,377 | 61,773 | 81 |
| 2 Bed | 99,479 | 87,133 | 73 |
| 3 Bed | 30,582 | 153,939 | 79 |
| 4 Bed | 7,446 | 277,420 | 81 |
| 5 Bed | 1,744 | 505,433 | 91 |
| 6 Bed | 371 | 1,042,697 | 123 |
7-bed and larger categories excluded above — each had fewer than 50 transactions (several had exactly 1), too thin to treat as a market average.
03By property type
Apartments account for roughly 90% of all rental transactions by volume, while villas and townhouses — together just 10% of volume — command noticeably higher average rents, reflecting their larger footprints and family-oriented positioning.
| Type | Transactions | Total Rent (AED) | Avg. Rent (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 295,353 | 21.48B | 72,733 |
| Villa | 17,642 | 4.90B | 277,899 |
| Townhouse | 13,490 | 2.25B | 166,855 |
04Where the volume concentrates
By raw transaction count, Deira leads the market by a wide margin, followed by Arjan, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, DAMAC Hills 2, and Nad Al Hamar — a mix of established, high-density rental communities rather than the newest launches. At the ultra-luxury end, Jumeirah Bay Island tops average apartment rent at just over AED 1 million/year, and Al Thanayah Fourth tops average villa/townhouse rent at roughly AED 3.17 million/year — both likely reflect a small number of exceptionally high-value units rather than a broad market rate, so we're not treating them as representative figures.
That's this period's rental market snapshot on what's actually happening in Dubai.
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