Cost to Buy Real Estate in Dubai 2026: Every Fee Itemised

The listed price is not the price. Here is every cost of buying real estate in Dubai, itemised, with worked totals at three price points — and the exit costs that most buyers do not model until they are selling.

Entry costs, itemised

1. DLD transfer fee — 4% of purchase price. The largest single cost. Legally split 50/50 between buyer and seller, but by universal Dubai convention the buyer pays all of it. Non-negotiable in practice.

2. DLD administrative fee. AED 430 for apartments and offices. AED 40 for off-plan. AED 4,000 for land.

3. Agency commission — 2% + 5% VAT. Paid by the buyer in the secondary market. On off-plan primary purchases, the developer pays the agent and the buyer pays nothing — which is precisely why agents push off-plan.

4. Registration trustee fee. AED 2,000 + VAT for properties under AED 500,000. AED 4,000 + VAT above. A DLD-authorised private office charge.

5. Title deed issuance — approximately AED 250–580.

6. Developer NOC — AED 500 to AED 5,000+. Varies enormously by developer. Some charge nominal amounts; some charge several thousand. Establish this before the MOU and negotiate who pays.

7. Conveyancing — AED 6,000–10,000. Optional. Advisable on anything above AED 1m.

Mortgage-specific costs, if financing:

8. Bank arrangement fee — 0.25% to 1% of loan. Sometimes waived on promotion.

9. DLD mortgage registration — 0.25% of loan amount + AED 290.

10. Property valuation — AED 2,500–3,500.

11. Life and property insurance. Usually mandatory with a mortgage. Roughly 0.4–0.8% of the loan annually for life cover, varying with age and health.

Worked totals

AED 800,000 apartment, cash:

AED 2,000,000 apartment, cash:

AED 2,000,000 apartment, 75% mortgage (AED 1.5m loan):

Note that the percentage falls slightly as price rises, because the fixed fees (admin, trustee, title deed, conveyancing) shrink as a proportion.

Ongoing costs

Service charges. AED 10–70+/sq ft per year depending on the building. On a 1,000 sq ft apartment that is AED 10,000 to AED 70,000 annually. This is the largest ongoing cost and the least verified before purchase. Get the specific building's figure from the RERA index in writing.

Chiller charges. Where district cooling is billed separately (Empower, Emicool and others), expect AED 3,000–12,000 annually for an apartment, plus a refundable deposit. In many buildings the tenant pays; in some the owner does. Establish which.

DEWA. Tenant-paid in a let property; owner-paid during voids and if owner-occupied. A refundable security deposit applies (AED 2,000 apartments, AED 4,000 villas).

Owners' association levies. Beyond routine service charges, special assessments for major works — façade, chillers, lifts, waterproofing. Provision 0.5–1% of property value annually.

Maintenance. Interior maintenance is the owner's responsibility. AED 3,000–8,000 annually for an apartment; considerably more for villas with private pools and gardens.

Property management. 5–8% of gross rent if let through an agent.

Insurance. Building insurance is usually within the service charge; contents and landlord liability are yours.

Exit costs

Agency commission — 2% + VAT. Paid by the seller.

Developer NOC — AED 500–5,000.

Mortgage early settlement — up to 1% of outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is lower under UAE Central Bank rules.

Outstanding service charges must be cleared to obtain the NOC.

Off-plan assignment charges, if selling before handover — developer transfer fees which can reach several percent of the purchase price.

Total exit: roughly 2–3% for a straightforward ready sale.

The round trip

Entry 6.5–8% + exit 2–3% = 9–11% round trip.

This is the number that should govern your horizon. On an AED 2m purchase, roughly AED 180,000–220,000 is consumed by transaction costs alone. At 5% annual price growth, you need approximately two years just to break even on costs — before any return.

Anyone contemplating a hold of under three years in Dubai should model this explicitly. It is the most common reason otherwise sensible Dubai purchases lose money.

What you can actually negotiate

Rarely negotiable: DLD fees, trustee fees, title deed issuance.

Sometimes negotiable: agency commission (below 2% on high-value transactions, though many agencies hold firm); the developer NOC fee (who pays it, not the amount); bank arrangement fees (frequently waived on promotion — ask); conveyancing fees.

Always negotiable: the purchase price itself, furniture inclusion, the completion date, and whether the seller clears outstanding service charges before transfer.

On off-plan, developers negotiate on terms rather than price: DLD fee waivers, extended payment plans, service-charge holidays, furniture packages. The headline price rarely moves; the package often does — particularly in December, when annual targets are in play.