RAF Real Estate · DLD licensed brokerage
Apartments for Sale in Dubai
One-bedroom apartments in our Dubai projects start from £365,000, UK nationals can own them freehold, and no residency is required to buy.
£365,000
one-bed entry price
6% to 8%
total buying costs
£286 / sqft
JVC entry, DLD records
0
UK-style stamp duty
The numbers first
What a Dubai apartment actually costs
The advertised price is not the price you pay. Here is the full number, on a worked example of a £365,000 apartment, which is where our one-bedroom flats start.
One-off purchase costs
| Dubai Land Department transfer fee, 4% of the price | £14,600 |
| Agency commission, 2% | £7,300 |
| Property registration and trustee fees | roughly £850 |
| Title deed issuance | £120 |
| Mortgage registration, if you finance | 0.25% of the loan |
Buying in cash, your total acquisition cost lands at roughly 6% to 8% on top of the purchase price. On resale purchases specifically, closing costs typically run 6.5% to 8.5%. Budget for it from the start.
Annual holding costs
The cost that quietly eats your yield is the service charge, billed per square foot every year. Apartments carry higher service charges than villas, because you are sharing the cost of lifts, pools, lobbies and cooling. Across Dubai the median apartment service charge is around £3.45 per square foot, but the spread is wide:
- Mid-market towers such as JVC and Dubai Sports City: roughly £1.60 to £2.85 per square foot
- Mainstream high-rise such as Business Bay and JLT: roughly £3.05 to £4.05 per square foot
- Prime waterfront such as Dubai Marina and Downtown: roughly £3.65 to £5.70 per square foot
- Branded and ultra-prime addresses: £6.10 per square foot and above
Gross yield is not net yield
Worked example, using real Business Bay numbers. A 1,000 square foot one-bedroom at £223,000, renting at £15,800 a year, shows a 7.1% gross yield. Apply a £3.05 per square foot service charge and you lose £3,050 a year, and the yield drops to 5.7% before you account for maintenance, insurance or vacancy. A gross yield quoted at 8% is not 8% in the bank. We show you the net.
Two minute form, the full cost and the net yield on real units, within one working day.
Get in touch
Dubai is not one market. It is a set of micro-markets.
The map, priced
Where to buy an apartment in Dubai
Flats in one community can cost twice as much per square foot as an identical flat ten minutes away. The same budget buys very different things depending on the area. The figures below come from Dubai Land Department transaction records, not from asking prices on portals. They are what buyers actually paid.
| Area | Price per sq ft | Apartment sales, Jan to Jul 2026 | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| International City | £156 | 839 | Cheapest entry in the city |
| Dubai Sports City | £255 | 1,488 | Entry level, lowest running costs |
| Dubai Production City | £258 | 1,817 | Entry level |
| Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) | £286 | 5,431 | Highest liquidity, strongest yields |
| Motor City | £291 | 1,328 | Mid-market, low density |
| Arjan | £308 | 1,927 | Mid-market |
| Dubai Marina | £394 | 979 | Waterfront lifestyle |
| MBR City | £424 | 73 | Low volume, values held steady |
| Business Bay | £527 | 2,635 | Central, strong rental demand |
| Palm Deira | £574 | 2,631 | Emerging waterfront |
| Burj Khalifa district | £683 | 1,048 | Landmark address |
Source: Dubai Land Department transaction records, 1 January to 21 July 2026, converted at £1 to AED 4.93. Per-square-foot values are transaction-weighted across all sales in the area, so treat them as an area benchmark rather than a quote for a specific unit. Dubai property is bought and sold in dirhams, so the pound figures move with the exchange rate.
The trade is straightforward. Higher-priced areas give you a landmark address and deeper capital growth, but the yield is lower and the service charges are higher. Lower-priced areas give you the strongest net yield and the easiest entry, with more moderate growth. Neither is better. They suit different plans, which is why the form asks what yours is.
The liquidity case
Why so many buyers choose JVC
Of the 126 Dubai communities where apartments changed hands this year, Jumeirah Village Circle ranks second. It recorded 5,431 apartment sales between January and July 2026, worth £1.19 billion. That is roughly one in every fourteen apartments sold anywhere in Dubai.
Resale is easier
There is a constant flow of buyers rather than a thin market you have to wait out.
Pricing is transparent
Hundreds of comparable sales register every month and nobody can tell you a number without evidence.
Tenant demand is deep
Which is why JVC carries some of the strongest apartment yields in the city at an entry price of £286 per square foot.
For a buyer who wants to be able to sell again without difficulty, that liquidity is the thing that matters most.
Apartments we have available now
Three projects, three different answers
We hold current availability across three projects. Units move, so rather than publish a stock count that is out of date by the time you read it, tell us your budget and we will send what is genuinely available on the day you ask.
Jumeirah Village Circle
113 Residences
IMAN Developers · 113 apartments · B + G + 9 floors · Completion Q2 2029
| Size | From | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 689 to 915 sq ft | £365,000 |
| 2 bedroom | 1,031 to 1,369 sq ft | £520,000 |
| 3 bedroom | 1,588 to 2,059 sq ft | £740,000 |
| 4 bed duplex with pool | 2,509 to 3,250 sq ft | £1,103,000 |
Payment is staged: 20% on booking, 10% at 90 days, 10% at 40% construction, 10% at 60% construction, and 50% on completion.
Look at this one first if resale matters to you. JVC is the second most-traded apartment community in Dubai, so there is a real market to sell back into.
Motor City
Sierra
IMAN Developers · 593 apartments · B + G + 41 floors · Completion Q2 2029
From studios to four-bedroom duplexes with private pools, plus 75,000 sq ft of wellness amenities and five ground-floor retail units. Motor City is quieter and lower density than JVC, with wide boulevards and shaded parks, so it suits a buyer who wants space over central bustle. Studios here are the smallest configuration across our three projects.
Payment is 20% on booking, 10% at 90 days, then 10% at each of 20%, 40% and 60% construction, with 40% on completion.
Starting prices by configuration are confirmed on enquiry, in pounds.
Mohammed Bin Rashid City
Everly Place
Ellington · Boutique: G + 2 podiums + 10 floors · Beside the Meydan Horizon crystal lagoon
One-bedroom through three-bedroom plus study. Freehold, anticipated service charge £3.25 per sq ft. This is the premium option of the three, in a low-volume, higher-value district, from a developer known for design-led buildings.
Payment is 20% on booking, staged instalments across construction, and 30% on completion.
Starting prices by configuration are confirmed on enquiry, in pounds.
Availability changes week to week. Use the form or call us, and we will confirm what is open right now, with the full cost and the net yield on each.
Matching the unit to the plan
One, two or three bedroom, which to buy
Whether you call it an apartment or a flat, the right size depends on whether you are optimising for yield, for capital growth, or for your own use.
Studios and one-bedroom flats
Deliver the highest gross yields and the widest tenant pool, so they let and re-let fastest. They carry the lowest entry price and the lowest total service charge. This is where first-time buyers and yield-focused investors usually start.
Two-bedroom
Balance yield against a larger, more stable tenant, often a family or a sharing professional pair. Rental demand is deep. This is the most common buy-to-let choice.
Three and four-bedroom
Trade yield for capital growth and scarcity. Fewer are built, so they hold value well, but they let more slowly and the service charge bill is larger.
If the plan is income, weight toward one and two-bed. If the plan is long-term growth, larger units in prime areas do more work.
The pattern we see
Why buyers start with one and end with several
An apartment is the accessible way into Dubai property, and it is often the first unit rather than the only one. We have watched buyers begin with a single entry-level apartment, see the net yield land where we said it would, and come back to add a second and a third. An entry that starts near £365,000 becomes a portfolio worth several times that, built one confident step at a time.
The reason is simple. Yield-per-unit thinking beats single-home thinking. Once the first unit is let and returning, the second is a smaller decision, and the third smaller still. Many of our buyers start with one apartment and build from there.
If that is the direction you are thinking in, say so on the form. We plan the entry differently when it is the first of several.
Before you shortlist
What UK buyers get wrong
The mistakes that cost money are the same ones, again and again.
Reading gross yield as net
The headline yield ignores service charges, which on an apartment can pull a 7% gross down toward 5% net. Always ask for the net.
Underestimating service charges
They vary building to building, not just area to area. Two towers next door to each other can differ by £2 per square foot. Check the specific building, not the neighbourhood average.
Assuming off-plan is a discount
In 2026, off-plan apartments often cost 10% to 18% more than a comparable ready unit. A payment plan is not automatically cheaper.
Paying the asking price
Asking prices in Dubai often sit 6% to 9% above the final sale price, especially on resale. There is room to negotiate, and we do it for you.
We tell you these things before you buy, not after. That is the point of using an advisor rather than a portal.
The questions, answered plainly
Buying from the UK, answered
Can UK citizens buy an apartment in Dubai?
Yes. UK nationals can buy freehold apartments and flats in Dubai's designated freehold areas, with full ownership. No residency and no UAE visa is required to purchase.
How much do I need to start?
Across Dubai as a whole, entry budgets start lower, but for new-build stock in a well-traded community you should plan on £365,000 upward for a one-bedroom flat, before transaction costs. Our own projects start at that level. Budget another 6% to 8% on top for fees.
Do I pay UK-style stamp duty?
No. There is no annual property tax and no stamp duty in the UK sense. The main one-off cost is the 4% DLD transfer fee.
How do I get paid the rent in the UK?
Rental income can be collected and remitted to a UK account. We set up the management so it runs without you being in Dubai.
One conversation
See the real numbers on a Dubai apartment
Tell us your budget and your plan. We will send current apartments that fit, with the net yield and the full cost, not the headline figure. Prices in pounds, within one working day.
Prefer to talk? Call or WhatsApp us in UK hours.