# Dubai property market: what 12 months of DLD sales records show

Canonical page: https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/dubai-property-market.html

Market Data

By [Majid Akhbar](https://firswoodproperties.ae/about/#majid-akhbar), Head of Mortgage · Updated 2 October 2026

Sales registered with the Dubai Land Department (DLD) are the official record of the Dubai property market, and they show 166,659 residential sales over the year to August 2026, with off-plan making up 74.7% and apartments selling at a median of AED 1,729 per sq ft. Every month from March 2026 onwards had fewer sales than any of the six months before it, and nothing in the records forecasts what comes next.

## In brief

- DLD registered 166,659 residential sales between September 2025 and August 2026, 74.7% of them off-plan (our analysis of DLD's open data, as exported on 4 September 2026).
- The busiest month was September 2025 with 18,006 sales; the quietest was May 2026 with 9,286. August 2026 closed the period at 10,700.
- Across 150,679 apartment sales the median was AED 1,729 per sq ft. Community medians ran between AED 1,003 in Discovery Gardens and AED 4,873 on Bluewaters Island.
- DLD's Residential Sales Price Index page gives November 2022 as its latest month (DLD, read 2 October 2026).
- DLD's transactions table has no buyer names, no nationality and no asking prices, so it cannot settle whether the market is a bubble (DLD Real Estate Data page, read 2 October 2026).

## Residential sales month by month

The table counts each residential sale DLD registered in a calendar month: apartments, villas and townhouses with residential usage, off-plan and ready. September 2026 is left out because our export stops on 3 September.

Residential sales registered with DLD by month, all Dubai, September 2025 to August 2026, with the share that were off-plan. Source: DLD open data exported 4 September 2026, Firswood analysis.

| Month | Residential sales | Off-plan share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| September 2025 | 18,006 | 77.7% |
| October 2025 | 17,341 | 72.6% |
| November 2025 | 16,698 | 73.5% |
| December 2025 | 17,194 | 75.3% |
| January 2026 | 14,290 | 72.1% |
| February 2026 | 14,404 | 69.7% |
| March 2026 | 12,141 | 76.7% |
| April 2026 | 12,378 | 79.0% |
| May 2026 | 9,286 | 77.1% |
| June 2026 | 11,860 | 77.5% |
| July 2026 | 12,361 | 73.6% |
| August 2026 | 10,700 | 72.8% |
| 12 months | 166,659 | 74.7% |

The first half of the period, September 2025 to February 2026, holds 97,933 sales (18,006 + 17,341 + 16,698 + 17,194 + 14,290 + 14,404). The second, March to August 2026, holds 68,726 (12,141 + 12,378 + 9,286 + 11,860 + 12,361 + 10,700). The halves add up to 166,659, and the second is 29,207 sales, or 29.8%, below the first (29,207 ÷ 97,933).

The gap holds month by month: the weakest month of the first half, January 2026 at 14,290, beat the best of the second, April 2026 at 12,378.

## How much of the market is off-plan

Off-plan sales are registered through Oqood pre-registration, before a home is complete. They made up 74.7% of the 12-month total, and the monthly share stayed between 69.7% in February 2026 and 79.0% in April 2026. Because the share held while total sales fell, off-plan and ready sales both declined after February.

The split varies widely by community. Our [Oqood guide](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/oqood.html) gives the off-plan share for each community we cover, and our [guide to DLD transactions](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/dld-transactions.html) ranks the busiest communities by sales count, with the DLD area name to search for each.

## Dubai property prices per sq ft: apartments

The table ranks each community where our method isolates apartment sales with high or medium confidence, against the Dubai median of AED 1,729 per sq ft; n is the number of sales behind each median.

Median apartment sale price per sq ft by community, in AED, 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, off-plan and ready sales pooled. Source: DLD open data, Firswood analysis.

| # | Community | Median AED per sq ft | Apartment sales (n) | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Bluewaters Island](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/bluewaters-island.html) | 4,873 | 131 | High |
| 2 | [Dubai Harbour](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-harbour.html) | 4,113 | 853 | High |
| 3 | [Emaar Beachfront](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/emaar-beachfront.html) | 3,597 | 416 | High |
| 4 | [Palm Jumeirah](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/palm-jumeirah.html) | 3,592 | 1,156 | High |
| 5 | [City Walk](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/city-walk.html) | 3,208 | 842 | High |
| 6 | [Dubai Maritime City](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-maritime-city.html) | 3,163 | 3,364 | High |
| 7 | [Downtown Dubai](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/downtown-dubai.html) | 2,988 | 2,575 | High |
| 8 | [Rashid Yachts & Marina](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/rashid-yachts-marina.html) | 2,882 | 719 | High |
| 9 | [Madinat Jumeirah Living](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/madinat-jumeirah-living.html) | 2,798 | 461 | High |
| 10 | [Dubai Islands](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-islands.html) | 2,699 | 5,007 | High |
| 11 | [Meydan](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/meydan.html) | 2,599 | 3,238 | Medium |
| 12 | [Sobha Hartland II](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/sobha-hartland-ii.html) | 2,590 | 1,591 | Medium |
| 13 | [Dubai Creek Harbour](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-creek-harbour.html) | 2,559 | 3,966 | High |
| 14 | [Business Bay](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/business-bay.html) | 2,544 | 7,345 | High |
| 15 | [Dubai Hills Estate](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-hills-estate.html) | 2,391 | 2,481 | High |
| 16 | [Expo City Dubai](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/expo-city-dubai.html) | 2,144 | 1,277 | High |
| 17 | [Sobha Hartland](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/sobha-hartland.html) | 2,044 | 1,166 | High |
| 18 | [District One](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/district-one.html) | 2,018 | 171 | Medium |
| 19 | [The Views](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/the-views.html) | 2,012 | 179 | Medium |
| 20 | [Dubai Marina](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-marina.html) | 1,994 | 2,116 | High |
| 21 | [DAMAC Lagoons](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/damac-lagoons.html) | 1,826 | 1,706 | Medium |
| 22 | [Motor City](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/motor-city.html) | 1,786 | 4,073 | High |
| 23 | [The Greens](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/the-greens.html) | 1,705 | 282 | Medium |
| 24 | [DAMAC Hills](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/damac-hills.html) | 1,674 | 1,455 | High |
| 25 | [Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT)](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/jumeirah-village-triangle.html) | 1,656 | 4,631 | High |
| 26 | [Dubai South](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-south.html) | 1,634 | 13,272 | High |
| 27 | [Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR)](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/jumeirah-beach-residence.html) | 1,620 | 453 | High |
| 28 | [Arjan](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/arjan.html) | 1,555 | 3,799 | High |
| 29 | [Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/jumeirah-village-circle.html) | 1,500 | 12,731 | High |
| 30 | [Jumeirah Golf Estates](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/jumeirah-golf-estates.html) | 1,470 | 102 | Medium |
| 31 | [Dubai Studio City](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-studio-city.html) | 1,463 | 1,527 | High |
| 32 | [Al Furjan](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/al-furjan.html) | 1,366 | 1,687 | High |
| 33 | [Dubai Production City](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-production-city.html) | 1,350 | 3,526 | High |
| 34 | [Dubai Sports City](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-sports-city.html) | 1,305 | 3,004 | High |
| 35 | [Dubai Silicon Oasis](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-silicon-oasis.html) | 1,238 | 2,413 | High |
| 36 | [DAMAC Hills 2](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/damac-hills-2.html) | 1,182 | 150 | Medium |
| 37 | [Discovery Gardens](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/discovery-gardens.html) | 1,003 | 1,185 | High |
|  | All Dubai | 1,729 | 150,679 | Not rated |

Of the 37 communities, 22 sit above the Dubai median. A median counts sales, not communities, and the two communities with the most apartment sales both sit below it: [Dubai South](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/dubai-south.html) at AED 1,634 across 13,272 sales, and [JVC](https://firswoodproperties.ae/communities/jumeirah-village-circle.html) at AED 1,500 across 12,731.

Three cautions apply. Dubai Harbour's figure includes the Emaar Beachfront towers, which also have their own row, so never add the two. Where branded off-plan launches dominate a community's sales, as in Dubai Maritime City, Dubai Islands, Dubai Harbour, Meydan, Motor City and Expo City Dubai, the median reflects launch pricing more than resales. And small samples move more: Bluewaters Island's median rests on 131 sales, Business Bay's on 7,345.

## How to read a median, and why villa price per sq ft is not shown

Line up every apartment sale by its price per sq ft and take the one in the middle: that is the median. Half the sales registered above it and half below, and a few very large sales cannot drag it up the way they would an average. It is a registered price, not an asking price, so compare it only with other figures built from DLD records.

Price per sq ft is the registered amount divided by the registered area, converted at 1 sq m = 10.7639 sq ft. Rows outside AED 200 to 15,000 per sq ft are flagged as outliers and dropped, and a community with fewer than 20 sales gets no median.

Three things can move a median while no individual home changes in value:

- **The mix of sales.** If more sales come from lower-priced communities, the Dubai median falls even when prices inside each community are flat.
- **The period.** Each figure covers 12 months, so it blends sales before March 2026 with sales after it. It is a level for the year, not a trend within it.
- **Off-plan and ready together.** Launch and resale prices are pooled, so one large launch can shift a community's figure.

Villas are left out for a different reason. DLD records an area for each villa sale, but for some villa projects that area is the plot and for others the built-up floor area. The same house gives a different figure depending on which area is used, and a Dubai-wide median would mix the two. Some villa sales are also recorded as land, or with a usage other than residential, so our count leaves out 5,069 residential land sales, including townhouses registered as land, plus 826 villas registered under non-residential usage.

## Is the Dubai property market in a bubble, or heading for a crash?

Neither word is a measurement, and DLD's records settle neither question. What the registered data shows:

- **Activity.** Residential sales in March to August 2026 were 29.8% below the six months before. May 2026 was the lowest month, at 9,286.
- **Mix.** Off-plan sales stayed at roughly three in four of all residential sales throughout.
- **Price level.** One 12-month median for Dubai apartments and for each community above.

What it cannot show:

- **A price trend.** Our figures hold no monthly price series, so they do not say whether prices rose or fell during the period. DLD's own index stops earlier, as the next section explains.
- **A forecast.** Past registrations do not tell anyone what happens next, and this page makes no prediction either way.
- **Asking prices or unsold homes.** The records hold completed registrations only, not listings or how long a home took to sell.
- **Who is buying.** DLD's transactions table gives the No. of Buyer and No. of Seller for each sale, but no names and no nationality column.
- **Credit.** Mortgage registrations are a separate transaction type and are not counted as sales here. Finance is covered on our [mortgage coordination](https://firswoodproperties.ae/services/mortgage-coordination.html) page.

Why sales fell is not recorded in the data, and we offer no verdict on it.

## DLD's Dubai property price index

DLD publishes a [Residential Sales Price Index](https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/open-data/residential-properties-price-index-rppi/). The page says DLD "has adopted the hedonic price methodology to produce the Dubai House Price Index", with 2012 = 1 as the base.

When we read it on 2 October 2026, the latest month on the page was November 2022: "In November 2022 the overall monthly Index recorded 1.387 and an index price of AED 1,334,010." The index price is a single dirham figure rather than a price per sq ft, so it should not be set beside the medians above.

## What the figures cover

Every DLD figure here comes from open data exported on 4 September 2026, for the year to 31 August 2026. We count the Sales group only (off-plan pre-registrations and title transfers alike, but no mortgages or gifts), for units and villas with residential usage.

The full method, with each filter and confidence rating, is in the [DLD figures section of our About page](https://firswoodproperties.ae/about/#dld-figures). Rents are covered in our guide to [Dubai rent prices](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/dubai-rent-prices.html).

## Common questions

### Is the Dubai property market crashing?

DLD's records show a fall in activity, not a verdict. Residential sales were 18,006 in September 2025 and 10,700 in August 2026, and the second half of the year had 29.8% fewer sales than the first. Our figures hold no monthly price series and no forecast, so they cannot say where prices go next.

### Is there a property bubble in Dubai?

Registered sales cannot answer that. They show how many homes sold, how many were off-plan and the median price paid. They do not show asking prices, unsold stock, who the buyers were or what happens next.

### What is the average price per square foot in Dubai?

We use the median rather than the average. Across 150,679 apartment sales in DLD's records for September 2025 to August 2026, the median was AED 1,729 per sq ft. Community medians ranged between AED 1,003 and AED 4,873.

### Does Dubai Land Department publish a property price index?

Yes. DLD's Residential Sales Price Index uses a hedonic price method with 2012 as the base. When we read the page on 2 October 2026, its latest month was November 2022, when the index stood at 1.387.

### How much of Dubai's property market is off-plan?

Off-plan sales were 74.7% of the 166,659 residential sales DLD registered in the year to 31 August 2026. The monthly share ranged between 69.7% in February 2026 and 79.0% in April 2026.

### Why is there no villa price per square foot?

The area DLD records for a villa is the plot in some projects and the floor area in others. A price divided by one gives a different answer from a price divided by the other, so a single villa median would mix two measures.

Before a purchase, our guides to [buying property in Dubai as a foreigner](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/buying-property-in-dubai-as-a-foreigner.html) and to [DLD fees](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/dld-fees.html) cover the steps and registration costs. For one building or a shortlist, see our [market intelligence](https://firswoodproperties.ae/services/market-intelligence.html) page, then send the communities you are comparing through the [enquiry form](https://firswoodproperties.ae/#contact).

Cite as: Firswood Properties, *Dubai property market: what 12 months of DLD sales records show*, 2 October 2026.

## Sources & further reading

Sources checked 2 October 2026.

- [Dubai Land Department: Real Estate Data (open data)](https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/open-data/real-estate-data/)
- [Dubai Land Department: Residential Sales Price Index](https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/open-data/residential-properties-price-index-rppi/)

## Keep reading

- [DLD transactions: how to look up sales](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/dld-transactions.html)
- [Dubai rent prices by community](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/dubai-rent-prices.html)
- [Checking Projected Rental Yields](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/why-we-stopped-recommending-projected-yields.html)
- [How to buy property in Dubai in 2026](https://firswoodproperties.ae/insights/buying-property-in-dubai-as-a-foreigner.html)

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Firswood Properties L.L.C, Unit 22, 20th Floor, The Prime Tower, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. RERA ORN 59926. Email info@firswoodproperties.ae, telephone +971 50 185 5699. Enquiries: https://firswoodproperties.ae/#contact