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Best rental yield in Dubai in 2026: the ranking

Guide 02 · Updated 29 September 2026 · Property Radar

In short
  • Highest 1 bedroom gross yields in September 2026: Emaar South 7.4%, Majan 7.1%, Jumeirah Village Circle 7.0%.
  • Lowest of the nine communities covered: Palm Jumeirah 5.2% and Al Wasl / Al Safa 5.0%.
  • Gross yield is the median registered rent divided by the median resale price, before service charges and vacancy.

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Rental yield is the first number most buyers ask for. It is also the number most often quoted without a source. This guide uses registered transactions and registered rent contracts only. Every figure comes from Dubai Land Department open data, analysed by Property Radar in September 2026.

You will find the ranking by community, the method behind it, a worked example and the costs that turn a gross yield into a net one. The aim is not to pick a winner for you. It is to show what the numbers can and cannot tell you.

The short answer

For a 1 bedroom apartment, the highest gross yields in our September 2026 data are in Emaar South (7.4%), Majan (7.1%) and Jumeirah Village Circle (7.0%). The lowest of the nine communities we cover are Palm Jumeirah (5.2%) and Al Wasl / Al Safa (5.0%).

The pattern is simple. Communities with lower entry prices carry higher gross yields. Prime addresses carry lower ones. This is arithmetic, not a judgement on quality. Rents do not rise in line with purchase prices, so the cheaper the unit, the larger the rent relative to the price.

Gross yield by community, 1 bedroom apartments

The table shows the median registered annual rent, the median resale price and the gross yield for each community. Prices are resales of completed apartments in 2026 up to our cut-off date. Rents are contracts registered between 1 August and 16 September 2026.

CommunityMedian annual rent (AED)Median resale price (AED)Gross yield
Emaar South55,000742,9737.4%
Majan59,000828,0007.1%
Jumeirah Village Circle68,000975,0007.0%
Arjan61,000973,5006.3%
Ras Al Khor / Meydan75,0001,188,0016.3%
Business Bay88,0001,450,0006.1%
Dubai Marina89,2501,500,0005.9%
Palm Jumeirah143,8502,775,0005.2%
Al Wasl / Al Safa107,5002,150,0005.0%

Source, Property Radar analysis of Dubai Land Department open data, September 2026. Yields are rounded to one decimal place from the underlying medians. The full dataset is in the September 2026 report.

Note the spread. The gap between the top and bottom of the table is 2.4 percentage points. On a unit bought for 1,000,000, AED that gap is worth 24,000 AED of gross rent a year. It is a real difference. It is also smaller than many buyers expect once costs are taken into account.

How we calculate these yields

Gross yield is the median annual rent divided by the median resale price, for the same unit type in the same community. We use resale prices of completed apartments, not off plan launch prices.

There is a reason for this. An off plan price is the price of a building that does not exist yet. Comparing it with today's rent can flatter or depress the result. A resale price is what buyers are paying today for a unit a tenant can move into today.

Rent contracts in Dubai do not record the number of bedrooms. We therefore infer the unit type from the floor area, using the size profile of resales in the same community. The methodology page explains each step.

Some communities show no figure at all. Areas still under construction have too few resales to produce a reliable median. Rather than borrow the yield of a neighbouring area, we show nothing.

Why yields are drifting lower across the city

Yield is rent divided by price. When prices rise faster than rents, yields fall, even if rents are still going up.

Dubai Land Department data shows the median price per square foot of completed apartments resold in Dubai rising every year since 2023.

YearMedian price per sq ft (AED)Change on previous year
20231,077Not applicable
20241,213+12.6%
20251,351+11.4%
2026, to 23 September1,405+4.0%

Over the whole period, the median rose by about 30%. The number of resales behind the median was 26,819 in 2023 and 18,731 in 2026 to 23 September.

Rents have also risen, but more slowly. Cushman & Wakefield Core reported that Dubai residential rents rose 4% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, against a 9% rise in sales prices. Quarter on quarter, both were broadly flat.

Supply matters too. The same report counted about 8,100 units delivered in the first quarter of 2026. It expected about 42,000 more in the rest of the year. It named Jumeirah Village Circle and Jumeirah Village Triangle, Dubai South, MBR City, Business Bay and Dubailand as areas where deliveries are concentrated. In July 2026, Gulf News reported that new apartment rents in several high supply areas, including Jumeirah Village Circle, Arjan and Business Bay, were flat or down by around 5%.

The lesson is that a yield is a snapshot. The high yield communities in our table are also among the communities receiving the most new supply.

A worked example, from gross to something closer to net

Take a 1 bedroom apartment in Jumeirah Village Circle bought at the median resale price.

  1. Purchase price, 975,000. AED
  2. Median annual rent, 68,000. AED
  3. Gross yield, 68,000 divided by 975,000, is 6.97%, shown as 7.0% in the table.
  4. Dubai Land Department charges a transfer fee of 4% of the sale value. On 975,000 AED that is 39,000. AED
  5. Your total cost before administrative fees is therefore 1,014,000. AED
  6. Yield on total cost, 68,000 divided by 1,014,000, is 6.71%.

The transfer fee alone takes about a quarter of a point off the yield. Administrative fees, trustee fees and any agency fee reduce it further. Our guide to Dubai property fees lists them.

Then come the running costs. Every 10,000 AED of annual costs, whether service charges, maintenance, management or a vacant month, removes about 1.0 point of yield on this unit. On a Dubai Marina 1 bedroom at 1,500,000, AED the same 10,000 AED removes about 0.7 of a point. This is why a high gross yield can shrink quickly on a cheaper unit with a high service charge.

The costs that separate gross from net

  • Service charges. These are set per building, not per community. Dubai Land Department says owners' shares are calculated according to the area owned. They cover items such as security, cleaning, maintenance, utilities for common areas, insurance and reserve funds. Ask for the approved charge for the specific building.
  • Vacancy. A month without a tenant costs one twelfth of the annual rent. In high supply communities, re-letting can take longer.
  • Ejari registration. Every tenancy must be registered. Dubai Land Department lists a fee of 100 AED plus 10 AED knowledge fee and 10 AED innovation fee through its app or website.
  • Management and maintenance. If you live abroad, you will usually pay someone to manage the tenancy. Get a written quote.
  • Financing. If you use a mortgage, interest reduces your cash return. Registering a mortgage also carries a Dubai Land Department fee of 0.25% of the mortgage value.

How rent increases are limited

You cannot simply raise the rent to match the market at each renewal. Decree No. 43 of 2013 links the permitted increase to how far the current rent sits below the average rent for similar units.

Current rent compared with the averageMaximum increase
Up to 10% belowNo increase
11% to 20% below5%
21% to 30% below10%
31% to 40% below15%
More than 40% below20%

The average is set by the rent index of the Real Estate Regulatory Agency. In January 2025, Dubai Land Department launched the Smart Rental Index 2025. The National reported that it rates residential buildings from one to five stars, using more than 60 criteria. The practical effect is that your rent growth depends partly on how your building is rated, not only on the community.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Comparing an off plan price with today's rent. The building will be delivered in the future, into a market with different rents and more supply. Use resale data as the benchmark.
  • Using asking rents instead of registered rents. Listing portals show what landlords hope for. Registered contracts show what tenants signed.
  • Ignoring the building. Service charges and the building's rating can move the net return more than the difference between two neighbouring communities.
  • Treating a community average as your unit. A median hides a wide range of floors, views, ages and layouts.
  • Forgetting entry costs. The 4% transfer fee and other fees lower the yield on your real outlay from day one.
  • Chasing the highest number alone. The highest yield communities also face heavy new supply. Think about resale as well as income.

How to use this data when you compare projects

Start with the community yield as a filter. Then look at the specific building and developer. On our projects page, each off plan project shows the resale and rent benchmarks of its community. Our developer pages show delivery records from the Dubai Land Department project registry.

If you are buying off plan, also check how much of the price you pay before handover. A plan with heavy payments during construction means your money earns nothing for longer. Our guide to payment plans explains how to read them.

Questions

What is a good rental yield in Dubai in 2026?

For 1 bedroom apartments, the gross yields in our September 2026 data range from 5.0% to 7.4%. Where a unit sits in that range depends mainly on the purchase price. Judge any quoted yield against the registered figures for the same community and unit type.

Is gross yield the same as my profit?

No. Gross yield ignores entry fees, service charges, vacancy, management and financing. In our worked example, the 4% transfer fee alone lowers a 6.97% gross yield to 6.71% on total cost. Running costs lower it further.

Why do cheaper communities have higher yields?

Rents do not rise in proportion to purchase prices. A tenant pays first for a roof and a location. So rent is a larger share of the price on cheaper units. Prime addresses sell at a premium that rents do not fully match.

Can I use these yields for an off plan purchase?

Use them as a benchmark, not a forecast. They describe completed apartments today. Your unit will be delivered later, possibly alongside many others. Rents and prices at handover may be different.

How often are these figures updated?

We publish a dated report each month using the latest Dubai Land Department open data. The figures in this guide come from the September 2026 report. Always check the date before relying on a number.

See the total cost on any projectCost calculator

Off plan projects in these 3 communities

Compared on official Dubai Land Department figures

JVC

Oxford Covefrom 679,000 AEDHandover Q1 2029One Sky Park by Imanfrom 750,000 AEDHandover Q1 2028Binghatti Ethereafrom 764,999 AEDHandover Q3 2027
See all 5 projects in JVC

Majan

Binghatti Skyflamefrom 585,000 AEDHandover Q4 2027Binghatti Titaniafrom 688,999 AEDHandover Q3 2027Samana Barari Heightsfrom 893,333 AEDHandover Q2 2028
See all 4 projects in Majan

Emaar South

Golf Valefrom 1,100,000 AEDHandover Q1 2030Vista Ridge at Emaar Southfrom 1,200,000 AEDHandover Q3 2029Golf Trails at Emaar Southfrom 1,250,000 AEDHandover Q4 2030
See all 4 projects in Emaar South

Sources

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