Cost to buy a home: the UAE against England and Singapore
The fees a foreign buyer pays on top of the price, from each emirate's rate table.
- Dubai resale at AED 2M
- 4.24%
- Singapore, foreign buyer
- 62.2%
- Rules checked
- 12 November 2026
What it costs to buy a home worth AED 2 million
Transfer taxes and mandatory registration fees for a foreign buyer, as a share of the price. Prices outside the UAE converted at the 2025 World Bank average rate.
Show the numbers
| Market | Buyer and purchase | Price | Taxes and fees | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | Ready home, resale | AED 2,000,000 | AED 40,000 | 2.00% |
| Ras Al Khaimah | Ready home, resale | AED 2,000,000 | AED 40,000 | 2.00% |
| Dubai | Off-plan, bought from the developer | AED 2,000,000 | AED 81,020 | 4.05% |
| Dubai | Ready home, resale | AED 2,000,000 | AED 84,780 | 4.24% |
| England and Northern Ireland | Non-UK resident, no other home anywhere | GBP 414,000 | GBP 18,980 | 4.58% |
| England and Northern Ireland | Non-UK resident who already owns a home | GBP 414,000 | GBP 39,680 | 9.58% |
| Singapore | Foreign buyer, any residential property | SGD 712,000 | SGD 443,160 | 62.24% |
Sources: Dubai Land Department, Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, GOV.UK (HMRC), IRAS, World Bank. Ras Al Khaimah is indicative. Updated .
Line by line, at three prices
Every tax and fee in each total. Banded taxes in England and Singapore take a larger share as the price rises; UAE fees are a flat share.
A home worth AED 1,000,000
| Market and buyer | What is charged | Price | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DubaiReady home, resale |
| AED 1,000,000 | AED 44,780 | 4.48% |
| DubaiOff-plan, bought from the developer |
| AED 1,000,000 | AED 41,020 | 4.10% |
| Abu DhabiReady home, resale |
| AED 1,000,000 | AED 20,000 | 2.00% |
| Ras Al KhaimahReady home, resale |
| AED 1,000,000 | AED 20,000 | 2.00% |
| England and Northern IrelandNon-UK resident, no other home anywhere |
| GBP 207,000 | GBP 5,780 | 2.79% |
| England and Northern IrelandNon-UK resident who already owns a home |
| GBP 207,000 | GBP 16,130 | 7.79% |
| SingaporeForeign buyer, any residential property |
| SGD 356,000 | SGD 218,920 | 61.49% |
A home worth AED 2,000,000
| Market and buyer | What is charged | Price | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DubaiReady home, resale |
| AED 2,000,000 | AED 84,780 | 4.24% |
| DubaiOff-plan, bought from the developer |
| AED 2,000,000 | AED 81,020 | 4.05% |
| Abu DhabiReady home, resale |
| AED 2,000,000 | AED 40,000 | 2.00% |
| Ras Al KhaimahReady home, resale |
| AED 2,000,000 | AED 40,000 | 2.00% |
| England and Northern IrelandNon-UK resident, no other home anywhere |
| GBP 414,000 | GBP 18,980 | 4.58% |
| England and Northern IrelandNon-UK resident who already owns a home |
| GBP 414,000 | GBP 39,680 | 9.58% |
| SingaporeForeign buyer, any residential property |
| SGD 712,000 | SGD 443,160 | 62.24% |
A home worth AED 5,000,000
| Market and buyer | What is charged | Price | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DubaiReady home, resale |
| AED 5,000,000 | AED 204,780 | 4.10% |
| DubaiOff-plan, bought from the developer |
| AED 5,000,000 | AED 201,020 | 4.02% |
| Abu DhabiReady home, resale |
| AED 5,000,000 | AED 100,000 | 2.00% |
| Ras Al KhaimahReady home, resale |
| AED 5,000,000 | AED 100,000 | 2.00% |
| England and Northern IrelandNon-UK resident, no other home anywhere |
| GBP 1,030,000 | GBP 67,350 | 6.54% |
| England and Northern IrelandNon-UK resident who already owns a home |
| GBP 1,030,000 | GBP 118,850 | 11.54% |
| SingaporeForeign buyer, any residential property |
| SGD 1,780,000 | SGD 1,126,600 | 63.29% |
What the totals leave out
The comparison covers taxes and mandatory registration only, so it compares like with like.
- Agent commission, which is a market convention rather than a tax (2% plus VAT is typical on UAE resales; off-plan buyers normally pay none).
- Mortgage registration, bank arrangement and valuation fees.
- Legal fees and, in England, the HM Land Registry fee and searches.
- Developer administration charges on UAE off-plan sales, which developers set themselves.
- Reliefs and exemptions a particular buyer may qualify for.
Markets not shown
- India. Stamp duty and registration fees are set by each state and vary by city and by the buyer's gender. We could not confirm a current official rate table from a state registration department, so India is not shown rather than shown with an unverified rate.
- Wales and Scotland. They have their own taxes (Land Transaction Tax and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax), not Stamp Duty Land Tax.
For your own purchase, with mortgage and agent fees, use the buying cost calculator.
About the data
How every figure on this page is made, where it comes from and how to reuse it.
Methodology
- Each market is costed for a foreign buyer of one residential home, paying cash. The UAE rows use the Dubai Land Department and Abu Dhabi fee rules held in our fee rules file; Ras Al Khaimah is marked indicative because published sources disagree.
- Dubai resale includes the 4% transfer fee, the title deed and admin fees and the registration trustee fee with VAT. Dubai off-plan includes the 4% fee and the Oqood registration fees.
- England and Northern Ireland apply the Stamp Duty Land Tax bands in force from 1 April 2025 with the 2% non-resident surcharge, and, for a buyer who already owns a home anywhere, the 5% higher-rate surcharge.
- Singapore applies Buyer's Stamp Duty (rates from 15 February 2023) and the 60% Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty for foreigners (from 27 April 2023). Both are rounded down to the dollar, as IRAS does.
- Reference prices are converted from dirhams at the 2025 World Bank annual average exchange rate and rounded to three significant figures, so each local price reads as a realistic price.
Sources and licences
- Dubai Land Department: Property sale registration (fees)Licence: Facts with attribution. Checked 12 November 2026.
- Dubai Land Department: Register the initial sale, off-plan (fees)Licence: Facts with attribution. Checked 12 November 2026.
- Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre: Rules and regulations, including fee resolutionsLicence: Facts with attribution. Checked 12 November 2026.
- HM Revenue & Customs on GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property ratesLicence: Open Government Licence v3.0. Checked 12 November 2026.
- Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore: Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD), page updated 9 October 2026Licence: IRAS website terms. Checked 12 November 2026.
- Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore: Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD), page updated 27 August 2026Licence: IRAS website terms. Checked 12 November 2026.
- World Bank (World Development Indicators; underlying source IMF International Financial Statistics): Official exchange rate, LCU per US$, period average (PA.NUS.FCRF)Licence: CC BY 4.0. Checked 12 November 2026.
More market data
- Area prices and rentsPrice per sq ft and average rents by area, compiled from published figures.
- Rental yields by areaPublished gross yields by area, each with its source and date.
- Service charges by areaPublished service charges for named buildings, in AED per sq ft.
- Developer delivery recordsDelivery and handover figures from developer profiles, with sources.
- Off-plan launch trackerDocumented launches with dates, starting prices and plans.
- Payment plan explorerHow documented plans split between construction and handover.
- Golden Visa explorerThe property thresholds for UAE residence, and a checker.
Want the full cost of a specific purchase?
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- Current price list and availability, direct from the developer
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- One salaried adviser, not on commission, from first call to handover
