August 2026 in the Dubai property market, month on month against July, and the first half of the year in review: Q1 against Q2. All figures are Dubai Land Department registrations as published by DXB Interact. By Ber Mitchell, CEO, Totality Real Estate.
Fewer deals. Same price per foot. Read the mix.
August closed at 12,018 transactions and AED 28.6 billion, down 15% and 18% on July. Against August 2025 the drop is 36% on volume and 44% on value. Those are big numbers and I am not going to soften them. What I will do is show you where they came from.
The citywide price per square foot was AED 1,680 in July and AED 1,680 in August. Down 2.4% on a year ago. In a market where transactions fell by a third, price barely moved. That is the single most important fact in this report. Sellers did not reprice. Buyers bought less, and what they bought was smaller: the average ticket fell from AED 2.47 million in July to AED 2.38 million, and most of that gap is plots, which went from AED 6.9 billion in July to AED 2.6 billion in August. Villas, the segment people worry about, were flat on count and flat on value.
The half-year tells the same story at a larger scale. Q1 did 47,820 deals and AED 175.9 billion and was up on Q1 2025. Q2 did 38,257 and AED 110.4 billion, roughly 28% below Q2 2025 on count. Value fell almost twice as fast as volume because villas halved and plots fell 40%. Apartments, which are three quarters of the market, fell 12%. Price per foot moved from AED 1,755 to AED 1,712. Two and a half percent.
So the market I see is one that has come off a record 2025 on activity, not on price, with the correction concentrated in land and large villas and the mid-market apartment segment holding its share. Rents have started to soften, which is the thing I would watch most closely in Q4. Everything else in these pages is the detail behind that view, taken straight from the Dubai Land Department register as published by DXB Interact.
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August at a glance
12,018 registered sales, AED 28.6 billion of consideration, AED 1,680 per square foot. DLD direct sales and DIFC sales; mortgage registrations and gift transfers excluded.
| Metric | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sales volume | 12,018 | -15.0% MoM · -35.9% YoY |
| Sales value | AED 28.6B | -18.0% MoM · -44.2% YoY |
| Price per sqft | AED 1,680 | -0.1% MoM · -2.4% YoY |
| Metric | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Average ticket | AED 2.38M | July: AED 2.47M |
| Primary vs resale | 70 / 30 | by count; 58 / 42 by value |
| 2026 year to date | 113.8K | transactions, AED 354.3B, -20% YoY |
By property type
| Type | Transactions | Share | MoM | YoY | Sales value | Value share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartments | 9,974 | 83.0% | -16.9% | -37.4% | AED 15.7B | 55% |
| Villas | 1,354 | 11.3% | +0.3% | -32.8% | AED 7.9B | 28% |
| Commercial | 420 | 3.5% | -19.7% | -5.6% | AED 1.5B | 5% |
| Plots | 183 | 1.5% | -29.3% | -47.4% | AED 2.6B | 9% |
What it means. Apartments are 83% of deals and 55% of money. Villas are 11% of deals and 28% of money. The 183 plot sales are 1.5% of deals and 9% of money. When you read a monthly value headline for Dubai, check plots first: they swing the total more than anything else and they have nothing to do with the residential market most investors are actually in.
August vs July
Volume down 15%, value down 18%, price per square foot unchanged. The gap between the first two numbers is plots and commercial, not homes.
| Metric | July 2026 | August 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transactions | 14,144 | 12,018 | -15.0% |
| Sales value | AED 34.9B | AED 28.6B | -18.1% |
| Price per sqft | AED 1,680 | AED 1,680 | -0.1% |
| Average ticket | AED 2.47M | AED 2.38M | -3.6% |
| Apartments | 12,004 / AED 18.1B | 9,974 / AED 15.7B | -16.9% |
| Villas | 1,350 / AED 8.0B | 1,354 / AED 7.9B | +0.3% |
| Commercial | 523 / AED 1.9B | 420 / AED 1.5B | -19.7% |
| Plots | 259 / AED 6.9B | 183 / AED 2.6B | -29.3% |
| Mortgage transactions | 4,505 / AED 17.8B | 3,593 / AED 14.0B | -20.2% |
| Primary share of volume | 69% | 70% | +1 pts |
Of the AED 6.3 billion that came out of the monthly total, AED 4.3 billion is plots and AED 2.4 billion is apartments. Villas gave up AED 0.1 billion on the same number of sales. So the residential market lost about 2,000 apartment deals, mostly bulk off-plan registrations, and nothing else of consequence. August is the month half the buyer base is abroad and it has printed a dip in most years I have tracked. The number that would have worried me is a price per foot below 1,650. We are not there.
Price overview
Median price per square foot for primary (developer) and resale sales, and annual rents. The primary-to-resale gap is the number an off-plan buyer should be checking before anything else.
Primary market, median price per sqft
| Type | July, AED/sqft | August, AED/sqft | Aug vs Aug 2025 | Aug vs 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 1,724 | 1,722 | -8.6% | +28.4% |
| Villa | 1,249 | 1,322 | -0.8% | +61.9% |
| Plot | 540 | 48 | -93.7% | -83.7% |
Resale market, median price per sqft
| Type | July, AED/sqft | August, AED/sqft | Aug vs Aug 2025 | Aug vs 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 1,453 | 1,481 | -2.2% | +38.6% |
| Villa | 1,447 | 1,485 | +4.5% | +32.3% |
| Plot | 640 | 920 | +34.3% | +129.8% |
Primary apartments trade at a 16% premium per foot to resale. Primary villas trade at an 11% discount, because new villa launches sit in the outer ring and resale villas sit in established communities.
Annual rents, August
| Rent | Annual | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment | AED 68K | -2.9% vs Aug 2025 · July: 66K, +4.8% YoY |
| Villa | AED 180K | -5.3% vs Aug 2025 · July: 175K, -5.4% YoY |
| Commercial | AED 118K | -10.2% vs Aug 2025 · July: 115K, +0% YoY |
Two things stand out. First, the primary apartment median is down 8.6% on a year ago while resale is down 2.2%. Developers are launching at lower price points, not cutting existing inventory, and the mix of launches has moved toward the outer ring. Second, apartment rents turned from +4.8% year on year in July to -2.9% in August. One month is not a trend, but it is the first negative print in this cycle and it lands at the same time as a rising handover pipeline. If rents are flat and capital values are flat, the yield case rests entirely on entry price. Buy below the resale median or do not buy.
Where the money went
Three lenses on the AED 28.6 billion: by property type, by area, and by price band, each against July.
Sales value by type, August
| Type | July value share | August value share |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 52% | 55% |
| Villa | 23% | 28% |
| Plot | 20% | 9% |
| Commercial | 5% | 5% |
| Building | 0% | 3% |
Top 5 areas by transaction count
| Area | July 2026 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai South | 2,370 | 2,000 |
| Wadi Al Safa 4 | 750 | 870 |
| Al Barsha South Fourth | 970 | 760 |
| Jebel Ali | 640 | 645 |
| Wadi Al Safa 5 | not in top 5 | 460 |
| Jabal Ali First | 555 | not in top 5 |
Read from the DXB Interact bar charts, rounded. Dubai South led both months by a wide margin: about 2,000 sales in August against 2,370 in July. Wadi Al Safa 5 replaced Jabal Ali First (about 555 in July) in the August top five. The list is entirely outer-ring and entirely off-plan-led. None of the established coastal communities appear.
Share of sales by price band
| Price band | July 2026 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1M | 44% | 40% |
| 1M to 2M | 30% | 31% |
| 2M to 3M | 11% | 12% |
| 3M to 5M | 8% | 9% |
| Over 5M | 6% | 7% |
Under AED 1 million fell from 44% to 40% of sales; every band above it gained a point. With plots down sharply, this is the entry-level off-plan segment cooling rather than the top end growing.
Trend context
August against the last twelve months, against previous Augusts, and against the long price series.
Monthly transactions, thousands
| Month | Transactions |
|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 20K |
| Oct 25 | 20K |
| Nov 25 | 19K |
| Dec 25 | 19K |
| Jan 26 | 17K |
| Feb 26 | 17K |
| Mar 26 | 13K |
| Apr 26 | 14K |
| May 26 | 10K |
| Jun 26 | 14K |
| Jul 26 | 14K |
| Aug 26 | 12K |
The step down happened in March. September to February ran at 17,000 to 20,000 a month; March to August has run at 10,000 to 14,000, with May the low at 10,000. August is inside the new range, not below it.
August transactions by year, thousands
| August of | Transactions | Sales value |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5.8K | AED 15B |
| 2022 | 9.4K | AED 23B |
| 2023 | 11.9K | AED 34B |
| 2024 | 16.2K | AED 47B |
| 2025 | 18.7K | AED 51B |
| 2026 | 12.0K | AED 28.6B |
August 2026 is the third-highest August on record after 2025 and 2024, and roughly level with August 2023.
Citywide price per sqft in August, AED, 2019 to 2026
| August of | AED per sqft |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 873 |
| 2020 | 845 |
| 2021 | 1,031 |
| 2022 | 1,119 |
| 2023 | 1,394 |
| 2024 | 1,469 |
| 2025 | 1,723 |
| 2026 | 1,682 |
From the 2020 low of AED 845 to AED 1,723 in August 2025: more than double in five years. August 2026 at AED 1,682 gives back 2.4% of that. The 2014 peak was AED 1,066.
August 2025 was the busiest August Dubai has recorded, and comparing to it produces the -36% headline. Compare instead to August 2023, a year most people called strong at the time, and August 2026 is level on volume and 16% lower on value. Same market, different base.
Financing: cash and mortgage
Mortgage registrations in the resale market, where DXB Interact measures true capital deployment. Primary registrations and refinancing are excluded.
| Metric | July 2026 | August 2026 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage transactions | 4,505 | 3,593 | 11,831 | 10,566 |
| Change | +15.0% MoM, -7.6% YoY | -20.2% MoM, -23.3% YoY | +7.5% YoY | -22.3% YoY |
| Mortgage value | AED 17.8B | AED 14.0B | AED 59.8B | AED 42.8B |
| Change | +64.8% MoM, +11.2% YoY | -21.4% MoM, -33.2% YoY | +46.0% YoY | +2.1% YoY |
| Average mortgage | AED 3.95M | AED 3.90M | AED 5.05M | AED 4.05M |
| Resale deals: cash vs mortgage | 67 / 33 | 67 / 33 | 67 / 33 | 68 / 32 |
Mortgage transactions by period
| Period | Mortgage transactions |
|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 11,831 |
| Q2 2026 | 10,566 |
| July 2026 | 4,505 |
| August 2026 | 3,593 |
Q1 and Q2 are three-month totals; July and August are single months.
July was a mortgage month: value up 65% on June to AED 17.8 billion, count up 15%. August gave most of that back, with 3,593 loans worth AED 14 billion. The two-thirds cash share has not moved all year, which tells you the resale market is still being cleared by people who do not need a bank. The quarterly picture is more interesting: Q2 mortgage count fell 22% against Q2 2025 while mortgage value rose 2%. Fewer loans, bigger loans, average AED 4.05 million against AED 5.05 million in Q1. Financed buyers are moving up the price ladder even as cash buyers step back.
For financed buyers. A market where cash volume is falling and price per foot is holding is the best window a mortgage buyer gets. Less competition on the unit, a bank still valuing against a stable psf, and sellers who have seen listings sit for a month. The window closes at Q4 launch season or a rate move, whichever comes first.
Luxury segment
The five most expensive apartments and villas registered each month. Small in count, large in value, and the ceiling the rest of the market prices against.
August: top apartment sales
| # | AED | Project | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 86M | The Address JBR 2 (Jumeirah Gate Tower 2) | Marsa Dubai |
| 2 | 79M | Orla Infinity by Omniyat | Palm Jumeirah |
| 3 | 65M | Jumeirah Residences Asora Bay | Jumeirah First |
| 4 | 63M | Bugatti Residences by Binghatti | Business Bay |
| 5 | 58M | Aman Residences Tower 1 | Jumeirah Second |
August: top villa sales by area or project
| # | AED | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 110M | Signature Villas |
| 2 | 98M | Emirates Hills |
| 3 | 56M | The Oasis, Lavita |
| 4 | 50M | Jumeirah Golf Estates, Phase B |
| 5 | 49M | Palm Jebel Ali, Frond M |
July: top apartment sales
| # | AED | Project | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 166M | Aman Residences Tower 2 | Jumeirah Second |
| 2 | 90M | Passo by Beyond, Tower B | Palm Jumeirah |
| 3 | 76M | Orla Infinity by Omniyat | Palm Jumeirah |
| 4 | 65M | The Rings 2 | Jumeirah Second |
| 5 | 62M | Amaal 8 | Ras Al Khor |
July: top villa sales by area or project
| # | AED | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 73M | The Oasis, Lavita |
| 2 | 63M | Signature Villas |
| 3 | 56M | Emirates Hills |
| 4 | 49M | Palm Jebel Ali |
| 5 | 49M | Royal Golf Villas |
Top apartment sale of the period, AED million
| Period | Top apartment sale | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | AED 422M | Aman Residences Tower 2 |
| Q2 2026 | AED 200M | Bugatti Residences by Binghatti |
| July 2026 | AED 166M | Aman Residences Tower 2 |
| August 2026 | AED 86M | The Address JBR 2 |
Q1: Aman Residences Tower 2, AED 422M. Q2: Bugatti Residences by Binghatti, AED 200M. July: Aman Residences Tower 2, AED 166M. August: The Address JBR 2, AED 86M.
The top apartment trade has fallen every period this year, from AED 422 million in Q1 to AED 86 million in August. That is not a price decline; it is the Aman and Bugatti launch inventory clearing and nothing of that scale replacing it in a summer month. What matters for a buyer at this level is the repeat names. Orla Infinity on the Palm and Aman Residences appear in both monthly lists. Signature Villas, Emirates Hills and The Oasis fill the villa list twice over. Those are the addresses where a AED 50 million-plus resale finds a buyer inside a quarter. A one-off record in a new launch tells you about the launch, not the market.
Best-selling projects, August
Ranked by transaction count. Median price is the middle unit, unaffected by a single penthouse.
Primary apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azizi Venice 15 Building B | 344 | 283.3M | 703.6K |
| 2 | Azizi Milan 30 | 259 | 175.1M | 589K |
| 3 | Golf Fields | 181 | 346.8M | 1.6M |
| 4 | Raw District by Imtiaz, Building C | 178 | 159.3M | 713.6K |
| 5 | Azizi Venice 11 | 119 | 113.4M | 1.1M |
Primary villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Yufrah 1 | 156 | 884.7M | 5.6M |
| 2 | Dubai South | 73 | 404.8M | 5.1M |
| 3 | Al Rowaiyah First | 29 | 121.8M | 4.2M |
| 4 | Damac Islands 2, Antigua 1 | 26 | 95.2M | 3M |
| 5 | Damac Islands 2, Cuba | 24 | 63.7M | 2.5M |
Resale apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qasr Sabah 1 | 27 | 12.8M | 432.7K |
| 2 | Binghatti Apex | 20 | 16.8M | 660K |
| 3 | Peninsula Three | 20 | 38.9M | 1.9M |
| 4 | Cinderella | 18 | 12.1M | 632.5K |
| 5 | Dune Residency Dubai | 16 | 13.4M | 751.7K |
Resale villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damac Lagoons, Portofino | 14 | 59.4M | 2.8M |
| 2 | Mudon Al Ranim 6 | 14 | 50.2M | 3.5M |
| 3 | Mudon Al Ranim 5 | 14 | 52.1M | 3.4M |
| 4 | Damac Lagoons, Malta 1 | 13 | 38.4M | 2.7M |
| 5 | Damac Lagoons, Costa Brava 1 | 12 | 39.6M | 3M |
Reading the August list. Azizi took three of the top five primary apartment slots with medians between AED 589K and AED 1.1 million. Al Yufrah 1 registered 156 villas at a AED 5.6 million median, worth AED 885 million on its own, the single largest project line in the month. On the resale side the list is Damac Lagoons and Mudon: villa medians of AED 2.7 to 3.5 million, a dozen or so sales each. That is where the liquid resale villa market actually is right now, not on the Palm.
Best-selling projects, July
Ranked by transaction count. Median price is the middle unit, unaffected by a single penthouse.
Primary apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azizi Venice 13 Building B | 226 | 172.9M | 655K |
| 2 | Eltiera Views, Tower 3 | 199 | 474.9M | 2M |
| 3 | Raw District by Imtiaz, Building B | 181 | 178.9M | 757.1K |
| 4 | Raw District by Imtiaz, Building C | 174 | 177.2M | 920.6K |
| 5 | Raw District by Imtiaz, Building A | 157 | 158.3M | 796.1K |
Primary villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damac Islands 2, Antigua 1 | 49 | 182.9M | 3M |
| 2 | Reportage Hills | 41 | 89M | 2.3M |
| 3 | Reportage Village 1 | 34 | 42.6M | 1.3M |
| 4 | Verdana 4 | 31 | 39.4M | 1.3M |
| 5 | Cedarwood Estates | 25 | 492.3M | 17.9M |
Resale apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sobha Hartland, Crest Grande | 27 | 77.9M | 2.8M |
| 2 | Qasr Sabah 1 | 23 | 10.1M | 433.9K |
| 3 | Binghatti Apex | 23 | 21.2M | 1M |
| 4 | Regalia | 20 | 22.8M | 1.2M |
| 5 | Azizi Venice 2 | 18 | 12M | 632.6K |
Resale villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damac Lagoons, Malta 1 | 21 | 59.9M | 2.7M |
| 2 | Damac Lagoons, Costa Brava 1 | 18 | 60.1M | 2.7M |
| 3 | Damac Lagoons, Portofino | 12 | 40.1M | 3.3M |
| 4 | Jumeirah Village Triangle | 10 | 49.3M | 5M |
| 5 | Elan | 10 | 36.4M | 4.1M |
Reading the July list. Raw District by Imtiaz put three buildings in the top five at AED 757K to 921K medians, and Eltiera Views Tower 3 did AED 475 million at a AED 2 million median. Cedarwood Estates is the anomaly: 25 villas at a AED 17.9 million median, worth AED 492 million. Resale apartments were led by Sobha Hartland Crest Grande at AED 2.8 million, and Damac Lagoons again dominated resale villas. The same three or four communities recur in every list this year.
Q1 vs Q2 2026
Q1 was up 5% on Q1 2025. Q2 was down about 28% on Q2 2025. The turn happened in March and the second quarter is the base to plan from.
| Metric | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | Q2 vs Q1 | vs same quarter 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transactions | 47,820 | 38,257 | -20.0% | Q1 +5.3% Q2 about -28% |
| Sales value | AED 175.9B | AED 110.4B | -37.2% | Q1 +23.0% |
| Price per sqft | AED 1,755 | AED 1,712 | -2.5% | Q1 +12.3% |
| Average ticket | AED 3.68M | AED 2.89M | -21.5% | |
| Apartments | 36,289 / AED 74.6B | 31,895 / AED 56.5B | -12.1% | Q1 +10.3% Q2 -21.6% |
| Villas | 8,463 / AED 60.2B | 4,383 / AED 28.4B | -48.2% | Q1 -17.6% Q2 -57.4% |
| Commercial | 2,049 / AED 10.3B | 1,374 / AED 9.2B | -32.9% | Q1 +69.2% Q2 +9.7% |
| Plots | 994 / AED 30.8B | 593 / AED 16.0B | -40.3% | Q1 -3.2% Q2 -46.0% |
| Mortgage transactions | 11,831 | 10,566 | -10.7% | Q1 +7.5% Q2 -22.3% |
| Mortgage value | AED 59.8B | AED 42.8B | -28.4% | Q1 +46.0% Q2 +2.1% |
| Primary share, volume / value | 70% / 71% | 75% / 69% | ||
| Delivery rate (delivered vs due) | 33% delivered | 40% delivered | +7 pts |
Q2 2025 volume read from the DXB Interact quarterly chart at about 53,300; the Q2 year-on-year figure is derived from that reading.
Reading the Q2 reset
Quarterly transactions, 2025 vs 2026, thousands
| Quarter | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 45.4K | 47.8K |
| Q2 | 53.3K | 38.3K |
2025 accelerated into Q2; 2026 did the opposite.
Primary vs resale share of volume, %
| Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary share of volume | 70% | 75% |
| Resale share of volume | 30% | 25% |
| Primary share of value | 71% | 69% |
| Resale share of value | 29% | 31% |
Off-plan took share as resale slowed. Resale value share still rose from 29% to 31%.
Share of sales by price band
| Price band | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1M | 24% | 35% |
| 1M to 2M | 32% | 32% |
| 2M to 3M | 19% | 14% |
| 3M to 5M | 13% | 10% |
| Over 5M | 13% | 9% |
Under AED 1 million went from 24% to 35% of sales; over AED 5 million from 13% to 9%. The market got cheaper per deal because the expensive deals stopped, not because prices fell.
Property delivery rate: units delivered vs overdue, as a share of all units due for handover, %
| Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | 33% | 40% |
| Overdue | 67% | 60% |
Includes units scheduled for handover in earlier years.
Villas and plots are the story. Villas halved on count (8,463 to 4,383) and value (AED 60.2B to 28.4B). Plots fell 40% on count and value halved. Apartments fell 12% on count and 24% on value. That is why the total fell 37% while the market most people live in fell 12%.
Prices held. A 2.5% move in price per foot across a quarter where volume fell 20% is a market absorbing the slowdown in activity, not in price. Both quarters printed a higher psf than any quarter in 2025.
Delivery is improving but still poor. 33% of units due had been delivered as of Q1; 40% by Q2. Six in ten scheduled units are late. For anyone buying off-plan with a handover-linked exit, that is the number to underwrite against, not the developer’s brochure date.
Where the quarters were traded
Top 5 areas by transaction count
| Area | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai South | 2,980 | 5,450 |
| Al Barsha South Fourth | 3,150 | 2,150 |
| Wadi Al Safa 5 | 2,690 | 1,980 |
| Wadi Al Safa 3 | 2,270 | 1,810 |
| Al Yelayiss 1 | 2,880 | not in top 5 |
| Jabal Ali First | not in top 5 | 2,350 |
Read from the DXB Interact charts, rounded. Dubai South nearly doubled while the rest of the market fell 20%, taking 14% of all Q2 deals on its own. That is one master-developer’s launch calendar showing up in the citywide data.
Q1: top apartment sales
| # | AED | Project | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 422M | Aman Residences Tower 2 | Jumeirah Second |
| 2 | 356M | Aman Residences Tower 1 | Jumeirah Second |
| 3 | 226M | The Alba Residences | Palm Jumeirah |
| 4 | 210M | Peninsula Dubai Residences, Tower 2 | Jumeirah Second |
| 5 | 98M | Passo by Beyond, Tower B | Palm Jumeirah |
Q1: top villa sales by area
| # | AED | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 350M | Jumeirah First |
| 2 | 134M | Emirates Living |
| 3 | 115M | Palm Jumeirah |
| 4 | 96M | Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid |
| 5 | 85M | Jumeirah Bay Islands |
Q2: top apartment sales
| # | AED | Project | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200M | Bugatti Residences by Binghatti | Business Bay |
| 2 | 171M | Aman Residences Tower 2 | Jumeirah Second |
| 3 | 122M | Baccarat Residence T1 | Downtown Dubai |
| 4 | 113M | Solaya 5 | Jumeirah First |
| 5 | 106M | Solaya 6 | Jumeirah First |
Q2: top villa sales by area
| # | AED | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 145M | Palm Jumeirah |
| 2 | 89M | Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid |
| 3 | 86M | Emirates Living |
| 4 | 75M | Wadi Al Safa 3 |
| 5 | 70M | Ghadeer Al Tair |
Q1’s luxury list was Aman and Jumeirah Second at prices that will not be repeated soon: AED 422 million and AED 356 million for the two Aman towers, and a AED 350 million villa in Jumeirah First. Q2’s ceiling was AED 200 million at Bugatti Residences in Business Bay. Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Living and Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid appear in both quarterly villa lists.
Best-selling projects, Q1 and Q2
Top five by transaction count in each quarter. Volume and value are quarterly totals.
Q1: primary apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Binghatti Vintage | 539 | 412.4M | 699K |
| 2 | Maybach Six, Tower B | 403 | 689.6M | 1.4M |
| 3 | Sierra by Iman | 338 | 483.2M | 1.3M |
| 4 | Binghatti Cullinan | 326 | 393M | 880K |
| 5 | Samana Boulevard Heights | 281 | 250.6M | 757.8K |
Q1: primary villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damac Islands 2, Bahamas 2 | 376 | 1.2B | 2.8M |
| 2 | Damac Islands 2, Cuba | 371 | 1.2B | 2.9M |
| 3 | Damac Islands 2, Bahamas 1 | 357 | 1.2B | 2.9M |
| 4 | Damac Islands 2, Tahiti 2 | 331 | 1.1B | 2.9M |
| 5 | Damac Islands 2, Bermuda | 323 | 1B | 2.9M |
Q1: resale apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Holland Gardens | 54 | 81.1M | 1.5M |
| 2 | Peninsula Three | 48 | 87.9M | 1.8M |
| 3 | Ashjar | 47 | 94.8M | 2M |
| 4 | The Neighbourhood C1 | 46 | 92.8M | 1.9M |
| 5 | Binghatti Phoenix | 44 | 53.9M | 1.2M |
Q1: resale villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rukan 3 | 46 | 65.4M | 1.2M |
| 2 | Jumeirah Village Triangle | 41 | 203.2M | 5M |
| 3 | The Valley, Nara | 36 | 111.8M | 2.9M |
| 4 | The Valley, Orania | 34 | 103.1M | 2.8M |
| 5 | Aura | 33 | 176.5M | 5.2M |
Q2: primary apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Binghatti Skyflame 1 | 482 | 343M | 550K |
| 2 | Azizi Venice 14 Building G | 277 | 206M | 655K |
| 3 | Azizi Venice 14 Building A | 249 | 184.8M | 650K |
| 4 | Azizi Venice 14 Building F | 243 | 181.8M | 650K |
| 5 | Azizi Arian | 238 | 183.3M | 612.5K |
Q2: primary villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lunaya | 360 | 2.9B | 6.6M |
| 2 | Jabal Ali First | 220 | 134.1M | 605.6K |
| 3 | Reportage Hills | 100 | 195.6M | 1.7M |
| 4 | Verdana 4 | 83 | 112.5M | 1.3M |
| 5 | Dubai South | 75 | 383.3M | 4.9M |
Q2: resale apartments
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciel | 81 | 70.3M | 750K |
| 2 | Citywalk Building 18a | 64 | 363.3M | 4.9M |
| 3 | The Polo Residence, A3 | 60 | 121.7M | 1.8M |
| 4 | Sobha Hartland, Crest Grande | 53 | 154.4M | 2.8M |
| 5 | Peninsula Three | 50 | 86.6M | 1.7M |
Q2: resale villas
| # | Project | Vol | Value | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damac Lagoons, Costa Brava (2) | 30 | 97.1M | 3M |
| 2 | Damac Lagoons, Portofino | 28 | 84.5M | 2.7M |
| 3 | Mudon Al Ranim 4 | 25 | 98.6M | 3.8M |
| 4 | The Valley, Orania | 24 | 70.9M | 2.8M |
| 5 | Damac Lagoons, Costa Brava 1 | 24 | 74.2M | 2.9M |
What changed. Q1 was Damac Islands 2: five villa phases at 323 to 376 sales each, AED 2.8 to 2.9 million medians, over AED 5.7 billion from one master plan. Q2 was Lunaya (360 villas at a AED 6.6M median) and Azizi Venice at AED 650K. Resale stayed with the same names: Peninsula Three, Sobha Hartland, Damac Lagoons, The Valley.
Area price benchmarks
Average sold price and average price per square foot in the ten most active areas each quarter. Blank cells mean the area was not in that quarter’s top ten.
Apartments
| Area | Q1 avg price | Q1 AED/sqft | Q2 avg price | Q2 AED/sqft | psf change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Creek Harbour | 2,957,888 | 2,564 | 2,310,000 | 2,604 | +1.6% |
| Dubai Islands | 2,677,091 | 2,781 | 3,128,328 | 3,045 | +9.5% |
| Business Bay | 2,266,184 | 2,595 | 2,000,000 | 2,338 | -9.9% |
| Nad Al Sheba First | 1,405,000 | 3,567 | |||
| Dubai South | 1,283,888 | 1,532 | 804,000 | 1,689 | +10.2% |
| Jabal Ali First | 1,195,795 | 1,417 | 1,427,500 | 1,543 | +8.9% |
| Me’Aisem First | 1,051,054 | 1,349 | |||
| Al Barsha South Fourth | 1,040,000 | 1,482 | 1,000,000 | 1,482 | +0.0% |
| Wadi Al Safa 5 | 822,130 | 1,462 | 865,000 | 1,474 | +0.8% |
| Wadi Al Safa 3 | 790,000 | 1,559 | 769,000 | 1,428 | -8.4% |
| Al Hebiah Fifth | 773,000 | 1,858 | |||
| Wadi Al Safa 4 | 615,000 | 1,721 |
Villas
| Area | Q1 avg price | Q1 AED/sqft | Q2 avg price | Q2 AED/sqft | psf change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Yelayiss 5 | 7,896,479 | 1,936 | |||
| Nad Al Sheba First | 6,906,000 | 2,053 | |||
| Dubai South | 4,250,000 | 1,224 | 4,440,000 | 1,226 | +0.2% |
| Dubai Investment Park Second | 4,132,089 | 1,782 | |||
| Al Yufrah 1 | 4,000,000 | 1,493 | 3,456,605 | 1,390 | -6.9% |
| Wadi Al Safa 5 | 3,678,000 | 1,528 | 3,587,500 | 1,476 | -3.4% |
| Al Yelayiss 1 | 2,903,000 | 1,278 | 3,042,000 | 1,300 | +1.7% |
| Al Hebiah Fifth | 2,900,000 | 1,352 | 2,545,750 | 1,241 | -8.2% |
| Me’Aisem Second | 15,831,888 | 2,077 | |||
| Madinat Hind 4 | 1,750,000 | 871 | 1,750,000 | 858 | -1.5% |
| Saih Shuaib 1 | 6,575,000 | 1,716 | |||
| Wadi Al Safa 3 | 6,100,000 | 1,732 | |||
| Dubai Investment Park First | 1,360,900 | 714 | |||
| Jabal Ali First | 634,845 | 198 |
The one line I would circle. Dubai Islands moved from AED 2,781 per square foot in Q1 to AED 3,045 in Q2, up 9.5% in a quarter where the city fell 2.5%, and now the highest apartment psf in the top ten. Dubai Creek Harbour held at AED 2,604; Business Bay fell 10%. The outer ring sits at AED 1,400 to 1,700 and is where the volume is. Scarcity is being priced; volume is being discounted. Villa psf collapses where the plot is in the registered area (Jabal Ali First, AED 198): compare villas on total price.
Investor takeaways
What the numbers mean depending on which seat you are in.
Off-plan buyers
Primary apartments are trading at AED 1,722 per foot against AED 1,481 for resale, a 16% premium, and the primary median is down 8.6% year on year because launches have moved to the outer ring. Dubai South alone took 14% of all Q2 sales. Before you sign, price the same-area resale psf and ask whether the payment plan is worth the gap. Then look at the delivery rate: 40% of units due had been handed over by Q2. Underwrite a late handover as the base case.
Resale buyers
A month where volume fell 15% and price per foot did not move is a seller who can wait. There is no distressed pricing citywide. What there is, is choice, and a mortgage market where two thirds of your competition is paying cash and stepping back. Resale villas at AED 1,485 per foot are now more expensive than primary villas at AED 1,322; that premium is for location and a finished product, and in Damac Lagoons and Mudon it is clearing at AED 2.7 to 3.5 million medians every month.
Yield investors
Apartment rents printed AED 68K in August, down 2.9% on a year ago, after being up 4.8% in July. Villa rents are down 5.3%. With capital values flat, the yield case now depends entirely on entry price. The under-AED-1-million band is 40% of the market and the deepest pool of tenants. Buy below the resale median in a building with proven occupancy, and treat any projected rental growth in a brochure as zero.
Where Totality is looking
We work in areas that justify themselves on the numbers and on future appreciation, not on launch-week momentum. Inside Dubai, that is Dubai Islands: the highest apartment psf in the Q2 top ten and still rising while the city drifted, on a finite supply of waterfront. Outside Dubai we remain heavily weighted toward Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, Yas Island and Al Marjan Island in particular, where the same capital buys more square footage in markets with a stronger near-term catalyst.
Data tables
Headline series
| Period | Deals | Value | AED/sqft | Avg ticket | Apts | Villas | Comm. | Plots | Mortgages | Mtg value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 47,820 | 175.9B | 1,755 | 3.68M | 36,289 | 8,463 | 2,049 | 994 | 11,831 | 59.8B |
| Q2 2026 | 38,257 | 110.4B | 1,712 | 2.89M | 31,895 | 4,383 | 1,374 | 593 | 10,566 | 42.8B |
| July 2026 | 14,144 | 34.9B | 1,680 | 2.47M | 12,004 | 1,350 | 523 | 259 | 4,505 | 17.8B |
| August 2026 | 12,018 | 28.6B | 1,680 | 2.38M | 9,974 | 1,354 | 420 | 183 | 3,593 | 14.0B |
Price per sqft, 2014 to 2026, by period
| Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 1,058 | 1,089 | 915 | 1,015 | 1,139 | 1,005 | 973 | 914 | 1,126 | 1,268 | 1,487 | 1,500 | 1,707 |
| Q2 | 1,111 | 1,022 | 1,038 | 991 | 1,106 | 1,017 | 1,040 | 969 | 1,136 | 1,339 | 1,528 | 1,625 | 1,698 |
| August | 1,066 | 937 | 946 | 1,071 | 957 | 873 | 845 | 1,031 | 1,119 | 1,394 | 1,469 | 1,723 | 1,682 |
Share of sales by price band
| Period | Under 1M | 1M to 2M | 2M to 3M | 3M to 5M | Over 5M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 24% | 32% | 19% | 13% | 13% |
| Q2 2026 | 35% | 32% | 14% | 10% | 9% |
| July 2026 | 44% | 30% | 11% | 8% | 6% |
| August 2026 | 40% | 31% | 12% | 9% | 7% |
Primary and resale median price per sqft
| Type | Primary, Jul | Primary, Aug | Aug YoY | Resale, Jul | Resale, Aug | Aug YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 1,724 | 1,722 | -8.6% | 1,453 | 1,481 | -2.2% |
| Villa | 1,249 | 1,322 | -0.8% | 1,447 | 1,485 | +4.5% |
| Plot | 540 | 48 | -93.7% | 640 | 920 | +34.3% |
Rental prices, annual, AED thousand
| Type | July 2026 | vs Jul 2025 | August 2026 | vs Aug 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | 66K | +4.8% | 68K | -2.9% |
| Villa | 175K | -5.4% | 180K | -5.3% |
| Commercial | 115K | +0.0% | 118K | -10.2% |
Sources, method, glossary
Sources
All transaction counts, values, price points and rankings are Dubai Land Department registrations as published by DXB Interact in its monthly overviews for July and August 2026 and its quarterly overviews for Q1 and Q2 2026. Data, figures and statistics are proprietary to DXB Interact and are reproduced here with attribution. Year-to-date figures are from the DXB Interact 2026 YTD market overview as at early September 2026.
Method
Sales volume and value cover DLD direct sale transactions and DIFC sale transactions; mortgage registrations and gift transfers are excluded. Price per square foot is the citywide figure DXB Interact reports for the period. Primary and resale price tables are medians. Average ticket is sales value divided by transactions. Cash versus mortgage and mortgage counts refer to the resale market only; primary registrations and refinancing are excluded by DXB Interact to avoid inflating counts. Top-5 area counts and the multi-year volume and value bars were read from DXB Interact’s charts and are rounded; every other figure is as printed on the source pages. Q2 2025 quarterly volume was read from the chart at about 53,300 and the Q2 2026 year-on-year figure is derived from it.
Glossary
| Primary | Sale by the developer, typically off-plan or at handover. |
| Resale | Sale between owners, ready or off-plan. |
| Price per sqft | Consideration divided by registered area. For villas the registered area can include the plot, which depresses the figure. |
| Median price | The middle transaction in a project or category, unaffected by a single outlier. |
| Mortgage transaction | A resale purchase registered with a bank charge. |
| Delivery rate | Units completed as a share of all units due for handover, including those scheduled in earlier years. |
| MoM, QoQ, YoY | Change against the previous month, previous quarter, or the same period a year earlier. |
Disclaimer
This document is for information only. It is not investment, legal or tax advice and does not constitute an offer or solicitation. Figures are as published by the sources named above and may be revised. Totality Real Estate, RERA license 44416, trade license 1368010. Prepared by Ber Mitchell, CEO.
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