--- title: "Rent or buy" canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/tools/rent-vs-buy markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/atlas/tools/rent-vs-buy.md type: data-tool description: "Pick an area and see when buying beats renting, using its published price per sq ft and yield, real UAE buying costs and your own mortgage and growth assumptions." updated: 2026-11-12 publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)" language: en-GB usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting." --- # Rent or buy: the break-even year, by area > Pick an area and see when buying beats renting, using its published price per sq ft and yield, real UAE buying costs and your own mortgage and growth assumptions. Interactive version: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/tools/rent-vs-buy. Figures read from their sources on 12 November 2026; each links to the page it came from. Published figures, compiled, never estimated. ## The figures The published figures each area starts from: | Area | Emirate | Price per sq ft | Gross yield | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Al Jaddaf | Dubai | AED 1,995 | 5.68% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/al-jaddaf) | | Al Reem Island | Abu Dhabi | AED 1,769 | 6.1% | [Bayut](https://www.bayut.com/property-market-analysis/index/sale/properties/abu-dhabi/al-reem-island/) | | Aljada | Sharjah | AED 1,117 | 6.17% | [Bayut](https://www.bayut.com/property-market-analysis/index/sale/properties/sharjah/aljada/) | | Business Bay | Dubai | AED 2,448 | 6.85% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/business-bay) | | City Walk | Dubai | AED 3,072 | 4.98% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/city-walk) | | DAMAC Lagoons | Dubai | AED 1,720 | 5.23% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/damac-lagoons) | | Downtown Dubai | Dubai | AED 3,161 | 4.88% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/downtown-dubai) | | Downtown Jebel Ali | Dubai | AED 1,624 | 9.24% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/downtown-jebel-ali) | | Dubai Creek Harbour | Dubai | AED 2,572 | 5.48% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-creek-harbour-the-lagoons) | | Dubai Harbour | Dubai | AED 4,066 | 5.16% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-harbour) | | Dubai Hills Estate | Dubai | AED 2,400 | 6.09% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-hills-estate) | | Dubai Marina | Dubai | AED 2,632 | 5.88% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-marina) | | Dubai Maritime City | Dubai | AED 3,128 | 5.23% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/maritime-city) | | Dubai Production City | Dubai | AED 1,325 | 7.64% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-production-city-impz) | | Dubai South | Dubai | AED 1,599 | 6.36% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-south-dubai-world-central) | | Dubai Sports City | Dubai | AED 1,393 | 7.93% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-sports-city) | | Dubailand Residence Complex | Dubai | AED 1,387 | 8.71% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/dubai-land-residence-complex) | | Jumeirah Golf Estates | Dubai | AED 2,179 | 6.52% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/jumeirah-golf-estates) | | Jumeirah Lake Towers | Dubai | AED 1,822 | 6.67% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/jumeirah-lake-towers) | | Jumeirah Village Circle | Dubai | AED 1,516 | 7.51% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/jumeirah-village-circle) | | Masdar City | Abu Dhabi | AED 1,696 | 6.7% | [Bayut](https://www.bayut.com/property-market-analysis/index/sale/properties/abu-dhabi/masdar-city/) | | Meydan | Dubai | AED 2,050 | 7.04% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/meydan) | | Nad Al Sheba | Dubai | AED 3,133 | 4.61% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/nad-al-sheba) | | Palm Jumeirah | Dubai | AED 3,966 | 6.08% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/palm-jumeirah) | | Rashid Yachts & Marina | Dubai | AED 2,777 | 4.25% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/mina-rashid) | | Saadiyat Island | Abu Dhabi | AED 3,003 | 4.6% | [Bayut](https://www.bayut.com/property-market-analysis/index/sale/properties/abu-dhabi/saadiyat-island/) | | The Valley by Emaar | Dubai | AED 1,350 | 5.17% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/the-valley) | | Tilal Al Ghaf | Dubai | AED 2,278 | 5.19% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/tilal-al-ghaf) | | Town Square | Dubai | AED 1,502 | 7.19% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/town-square) | | Villanova | Dubai | AED 1,462 | 5.56% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/villanova) | | Wasl Gate | Dubai | AED 1,550 | 7.21% | [Property Finder](https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/transactions/buy/dubai/wasl-gate) | | Yas Island | Abu Dhabi | AED 2,216 | 5.6% | [Bayut](https://www.bayut.com/property-market-analysis/index/sale/properties/abu-dhabi/yas-island/) | ## How it works Pick an area and the calculator starts from its **published average price per square foot** and **gross rental yield**. The price is that figure times the size you enter; the first year's rent is the price times the yield, so both describe the same home. Change any figure to match the home you are looking at. **Owning costs** are counted as money you do not get back: the buying costs (land department fees, registration, trustee, mortgage registration and agent fee, from our fee rules), mortgage interest, service charges, the return your cash could have earned elsewhere, and the cost of selling at the end. The repaid part of the loan is not a cost, because it becomes equity. Any change in the property's value is added or taken off. **Renting costs** are the rent, rising each year by the increase you set. The **break-even year** is the first year in which the total cost of owning falls to or below the total rent paid. If it never does within 30 years, the calculator says so. The growth assumption starts at 0% and is never filled in from a forecast. Set it yourself; published past changes for the area are shown as a reference only. ## Where the figures come from - **Price per square foot and gross yield:** for Dubai areas, Property Finder's 12-month averages of registered sales and Property Finder's own yield calculation; for Abu Dhabi areas, Bayut's index. The source of each figure is shown beside the field. - **Buying costs:** the fee rules used by our buying cost calculator, reviewed on the date shown: the Dubai Land Department's 4% transfer fee, title deed and administration fees, the registration trustee fee, mortgage registration, and the 2% plus VAT agent fee convention on resale. Abu Dhabi uses its 2% registration fee. - **Mortgage:** a standard repayment mortgage at the rate and term you enter. ## What to keep in mind - **Averages, not your home.** The area's price per square foot and yield are averages across everything registered. A specific unit can be well above or below them. - **Gross yield is the landlord's figure.** As a tenant you pay the rent; the yield is only used to turn the price into a matching rent. - **No tax.** The calculator ignores tax in your home country, which can apply to gains on a UAE property. - **Interest rates move.** Most UAE mortgages are fixed for one to five years and then follow EIBOR. Try a higher rate to see how sensitive the answer is. - **Not advice.** It is a planning tool built on published figures and your own assumptions. ## Questions and answers ### Is it better to rent or buy in Dubai? It depends on how long you stay, the area's price and rent, your mortgage rate and what happens to prices. Buying carries heavy up-front costs, more than 6% of the price on a resale purchase with a mortgage and an agent in Dubai, so short stays usually favour renting. The calculator shows the year in which buying catches up. ### How long do you need to stay in Dubai for buying to make sense? With flat prices and rents, the break-even point is often several years away, because the buying costs and interest have to be recovered first. Rising rents bring it closer and falling prices push it out. Enter your own assumptions to see the year for a specific area. ### Does the calculator assume prices will rise? No. Price growth starts at 0% and is never filled in from a forecast. You can set it yourself, and the area's published past change is shown beside the field for reference. ### What buying costs are included? In Dubai: the 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee, title deed and administration fees, the registration trustee fee, mortgage registration at 0.25% of the loan, and optionally the 2% plus VAT buyer's agent fee. In Abu Dhabi, the 2% registration fee and mortgage registration. --- Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/tools/rent-vs-buy. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.