--- title: "Buying cost calculator" canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/tools/purchase-cost-calculator markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/tools/purchase-cost-calculator.md type: calculator description: "Work out the full cost of buying property in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah: DLD transfer fee, registration, trustee, mortgage and agent fees, itemised." 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." --- # UAE property buying cost calculator > Work out the full cost of buying property in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah: DLD transfer fee, registration, trustee, mortgage and agent fees, itemised. Interactive version: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/tools/purchase-cost-calculator. Fee rules last reviewed 12 November 2026. Figures are estimates for planning, not quotations or advice. ## How it works Buying costs in the UAE are low by international standards, but they are paid in cash and mostly up front, so they belong in your budget from day one. **Dubai.** The Dubai Land Department (DLD) charges a transfer fee of 4% of the purchase price. The department lists it as 2% from each party, but contracts almost always pass all 4% to the buyer. On an off-plan purchase it is paid when the sale is registered in the Oqood system, usually at or soon after booking, together with an Oqood fee of about AED 1,020; developers sometimes pay their listed half as a launch incentive. On a resale, the transfer goes through a registration trustee office, which charges AED 4,200 including VAT on properties of AED 500,000 or more (AED 2,100 below that), and there are title deed and administration fees of AED 520 to AED 580. If you borrow, the land department charges 0.25% of the loan to register the mortgage. **Abu Dhabi.** The registration fee is 2% of the purchase price. Mortgage registration is widely quoted at 0.1% of the loan; confirm it with your lender. **Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.** Fees are most often quoted at 2% for the buyer, but official and market sources disagree and master developers can add their own registration charges. The calculator labels these results as indicative; confirm the figure for the specific project. **What the calculator leaves out.** Any administration fee the developer adds on an off-plan sale, the registration office's service fee on a mortgage, a bank's arrangement and valuation fees, conveyancing if you instruct a lawyer, and the cost of moving currency. On resale purchases a buyer's agent fee of 2% plus VAT is the convention and is included when you tick the box; on off-plan purchases the developer pays the broker. ## Fee rules by emirate | Emirate | Buyer registration fee | Off-plan admin | Ready admin | Mortgage registration | Confidence | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dubai | 4% | AED 1,020 | AED 580 | 0.25% of loan + AED 270 | published | | Abu Dhabi | 2% | | | 0.1% of loan | published | | Ras Al Khaimah | 2% | | | 0.25% of loan | indicative | | Sharjah | 2% | | | 0.25% of loan | indicative | | Ajman | 3% | | | 0.25% of loan | published | | Umm Al Quwain | 2% | | | 0.25% of loan | indicative | | Fujairah | 2% | | | 0.25% of loan | indicative | Dubai resale transfers also pay a registration trustee fee of AED 4,000 (properties of AED 500,000 or more) or AED 2,000 (below), plus 5% VAT. A buyer's agent fee of 2% plus VAT is the resale convention; off-plan buyers normally pay no commission. Rules reviewed 12 November 2026. ## For agents The same calculation is available as JSON at https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/api/v1/tools/estimate_purchase_costs and as the `estimate_purchase_costs` tool on the MCP server at https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/api/mcp. ## Read more The [full guide](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/dubai-property-buying-costs) explains the subject in depth. ## Questions and answers ### How much are DLD fees in Dubai? The Dubai Land Department transfer fee is 4% of the purchase price, plus administration and title deed fees of a few hundred dirhams (about AED 1,020 for off-plan registration). On a resale there is also a registration trustee fee of AED 4,200 including VAT for properties of AED 500,000 or more. ### Who pays the 4% DLD fee, the buyer or the seller? The land department lists the fee as 2% from the buyer and 2% from the seller, but in practice the contract passes all 4% to the buyer. Some developers pay half or all of it on off-plan launches as an incentive. ### Is there stamp duty or VAT on residential property in the UAE? There is no stamp duty. The first sale of a new residential property within three years of completion is zero-rated for VAT, and later residential sales are exempt, so buyers of homes do not pay VAT on the price. VAT at 5% does apply to agents' and trustees' fees. ### Do off-plan buyers pay agent commission? Not normally. On off-plan sales the developer pays the broker's commission, so the buyer pays nothing for the broker's service. On resale purchases the buyer typically pays 2% plus VAT. --- Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/tools/purchase-cost-calculator. 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.