Dubai
$667 per sq ft
AED 2,451 per sq ft, city centre
7.5% gross yield
Up +1.9% on a year ago (CBRE, residential prices, Q2 2026)
Dubai against the world
What a square foot costs here, and everywhere else
A like-for-like look at price, rental yield and tax in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah against the cities most buyers compare them with. Every city comes from the same source, in US dollars, so the numbers can be read against each other.
The UAE, side by side
Abu Dhabi
$461 per sq ft
AED 1,694 per sq ft, city centre
9.0% gross yield
Up +21.6% on a year ago (CBRE, residential prices, Q2 2026)
Ras Al Khaimah
$274 per sq ft
AED 1,006 per sq ft, emirate average
5.3% gross yield
Up +5.4% on a year ago (ValuStrat VPI, Q2 2026)
Different source: ValuStrat, Q2 2026. Not city centre, so not directly comparable with the other two.
At these prices one million dollars buys about 1,498 sq ft of city-centre apartment in Dubai, against about 576 in London and about 373 in Hong Kong.
Every city, ranked by price
Price is the typical city-centre apartment, per square foot. Gross yield is annual rent divided by price, before service charges, tax, empty months and costs, so net income is lower in every city. The arrow shows how prices changed on a year ago, from each place's own published index (so the indexes differ, and where none is published it says so). A dagger † means the index covers a wider region, the whole country or only one segment, not the city's own homes; the line under each arrow says which. The last column shows how much space one million dollars buys.
CityPrice per sq ftGross yield12-month change$1m buys
Hong KongHong KongUp +11.0%Rating and Valuation Department, private domestic price index, August 2026373 sq ft
SingaporeSingaporeUp +2.9%URA private residential price index, all of Singapore, Q2 2026460 sq ft
GenevaSwitzerlandUp +3.6%†UBS, owner-occupied homes across Switzerland, Q2 2026491 sq ft
New YorkUSAUp +4.8%S&P Cotality Case-Shiller, June 2026560 sq ft
LondonUKDown −3.3%ONS and HM Land Registry, London region, July 2026576 sq ft
ParisFranceUp +0.6%Insee and Notaires, apartments in Paris, Q2 2026748 sq ft
SydneyAustraliaDown −4.6%Cotality Home Value Index, August 2026812 sq ft
AmsterdamNetherlandsUp +3.3%†CBS, existing homes across the Netherlands, August 20261,038 sq ft
DallasUSA (Texas)Down −0.7%S&P Cotality Case-Shiller, June 20261,144 sq ft
TokyoJapanUp +9.1%†Real Estate Economic Institute, new condos only, Tokyo 23 wards, January to June 20261,163 sq ft
MadridSpainUp +12.9%†INE housing price index, Comunidad de Madrid, Q2 20261,186 sq ft
TorontoCanadaDown −4.6%†TRREB MLS HPI, whole Greater Toronto Area, July 20261,348 sq ft
LisbonPortugalUp +16.5%†Eurostat house price index, all of Portugal, Q2 20261,401 sq ft
AustinUSA (Texas)Down −3.7%Zillow typical home value, Austin city, August 20261,438 sq ft
Los AngelesUSAUp +1.4%S&P Cotality Case-Shiller, June 20261,449 sq ft
DubaiUAEUp +1.9%CBRE, residential prices, Q2 20261,498 sq ft
MiamiUSAUp +2.3%S&P Cotality Case-Shiller, June 20261,506 sq ft
MelbourneAustraliaDown −4.7%Cotality Home Value Index, August 20261,549 sq ft
MumbaiIndiaUp +7.0%†Anarock, average of seven major Indian cities, Q3 20261,841 sq ft
Abu DhabiUAEUp +21.6%CBRE, residential prices, Q2 20262,168 sq ft
ManchesterUKUp +4.4%†ONS and HM Land Registry, North West England, July 20262,348 sq ft
DohaQatarUp +1.6%†ValuStrat price index, all of Qatar, Q1 20262,628 sq ft
Bridgetown *BarbadosNo published index3,075 sq ft
Lagos *NigeriaNo published index3,341 sq ft
RiyadhSaudi ArabiaUp +4.2%GASTAT real estate price index, Riyadh, Q2 20263,633 sq ft
Kingston *JamaicaNo published index3,732 sq ft
Cape TownSouth AfricaUp +11.5%Statistics South Africa RPPI, May 20264,528 sq ft
NairobiKenyaNo published index8,172 sq ft
JohannesburgSouth AfricaUp +4.8%Statistics South Africa RPPI, May 202610,943 sq ft
DurbanSouth AfricaUp +4.8%Statistics South Africa RPPI (eThekwini), May 202612,078 sq ft
Abuja *NigeriaNo published index15,242 sq ft
Source: Numbeo property investment. Numbeo, property investment pages, opened 12 October 2026 and shown in US dollars. Built from user-submitted entries over the previous 12 to 18 months. These are estimates, not registry data, so read them for scale and direction, not for the decimal. City pages: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Singapore, Geneva, New York and the rest on the same site.
What is thin, and what is left out
- Cities marked * have a small sample. Lagos, Abuja, Kingston (Jamaica) and Bridgetown (Barbados) rest on fewer than about 100 user entries, so the price and especially the yield are indicative. Abuja's yield in particular is far above anything you should plan around.
- No arrow does not mean no change. Every market moves. It means I could not open a reliable published figure for it. That covers Lagos and Abuja (the naira has moved so much that a naira price change says little about the dollar picture, and the listing-based figures I found ranged from under 3% to over 40%), Kingston, Bridgetown and Saint Lucia (no published house price index found), and Nairobi (HassConsult shows house prices rising in most suburbs and apartments falling, with no single citywide figure). I would rather show nothing than guess.
- Saint Lucia and Houston are not shown. Numbeo has no Saint Lucia page, and its Houston yield of about 15% looks like noise, so I left both out. Ask me and I will look at a specific island or Texas market with local data.
How to read it
- Dubai costs less per square foot than the cities it is usually compared with. At roughly $667 a square foot it sits well below London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong in this data.
- Cheaper per foot is not the same as better. A low price can mean more supply, a less mature resale market or a currency you do not earn in. Judge each purchase on its own numbers.
- Yield is higher here, but gross yield flatters every market. Subtract service charges, vacancy, agent fees and tax, then compare the net figure. High-yield cities in this list (Johannesburg, Doha, Miami, Lagos) often carry other risks such as currency, liquidity or rules for foreign owners.
- Nothing here is a forecast. Prices rise and fall. Dubai prices fell by about half after 2008, and the guide to how the market works and the infrastructure article explain what protects buyers now and what is being built.
Tax on buying and renting, at a glance
The headline rules for ten markets, each from the official page or the source linked on its row.
- UAE
Buying. The Dubai Land Department registration fee is 4% of the price.
Renting out. The UAE does not levy income tax on individuals. The Federal Tax Authority says income an individual earns from UAE property in a personal capacity is generally not subject to corporate tax, unless they hold a licence to manage property and cross the turnover threshold. A company is different: standard corporate tax is 9% above AED 375,000. In Dubai the tenant pays a 5% municipality housing fee on the annual rent.
UAE Government portal: Taxation; Federal Tax Authority: Real Estate Investment for Natural Persons; Dubai Land Department: frequently asked questions; Jamal Akim: every cost of buying or selling
- United Kingdom
Buying. Stamp Duty Land Tax. You usually pay 5% more on top of the standard rates if the purchase means you own more than one home, and a further 2% if you are not UK resident, on purchases in England and Northern Ireland.
Renting out. Rental income is taxable in the UK. Ask your adviser how it applies to you.
GOV.UK: rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for non-UK residents; GOV.UK: higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax
- Singapore
Buying. Foreigners pay an Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty of 60% on residential property bought on or after 27 April 2023, on top of the standard buyer's stamp duty. Some free-trade-agreement nationals are treated as citizens.
Renting out. Check with a Singapore tax adviser.
- Hong Kong
Buying. Ad valorem stamp duty on residential property is on a sliding scale. For a buyer who is a permanent resident and owns no other Hong Kong home, the top rate for instruments executed on or after 26 February 2026 is 4.25% on values above about HK$21.7 million, and 6.5% above HK$100 million. Other buyers pay the higher scale.
Renting out. Check with a Hong Kong tax adviser.
- Netherlands
Buying. Transfer tax in 2026 is reported as 2% for a home you live in as your main residence, and 8% for a second home or one you rent out. Older guides still show 10.4%, which applied in 2025. Confirm with the Belastingdienst or a notary.
Renting out. A second home is taxed in Box 3 (see my Netherlands page).
Law and More: transfer tax in the Netherlands (2026); Jamal Akim: UAE property for buyers in the Netherlands
- Australia
Buying. Until 30 June 2029 foreign persons, including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies, cannot buy an established dwelling unless an exception applies. New homes, off-the-plan property and vacant land are still allowed. Each state also sets its own additional foreign-buyer duty.
Renting out. Check with an Australian tax adviser.
ATO: banning foreign purchases of established dwellings; ATO: types of property a foreign person can buy
- United States
Buying. There is no federal purchase tax on a home. Transfer taxes, closing costs and annual property taxes are set by each state and county, so check the one where the property sits.
Renting out. Most US-source income received by a foreign person is subject to 30% tax, and a lower rate, including exemption, may apply under a tax treaty. Foreign owners can elect to be taxed on net rental income instead, which needs a US return.
Selling. When a foreign person sells US real property the buyer generally has to withhold 15% of the amount realised. There is no withholding if the buyer will live in it and the price is $300,000 or less, and a seller can apply to the IRS for a reduced amount.
- India
Buying. Non-resident Indians and Overseas Citizens of India can buy residential and commercial property, but not agricultural land, a farmhouse or plantation property. Payment must come through banking channels, from an NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account, or by inward remittance. Stamp duty and registration are set by each state.
Renting out. Check with an Indian tax adviser how rent is taxed for you, and the treaty with the UAE.
Reserve Bank of India: purchase of immovable property; Jamal Akim: UAE property for investors in India
- Kenya
Buying. Stamp duty is payable on land transactions under the Stamp Duty Act. I could not confirm the current rates on the KRA pages, so get the current schedule from a Kenyan lawyer.
Renting out. Residential landlords with rent between KSh 280,000 and KSh 15 million a year can pay monthly rental income tax at 7.5% of gross rent, which is a final tax, from 1 January 2024. Landlords can opt to stay under the normal annual regime instead.
Selling. Capital gains tax is 15% of the net gain since 1 January 2023, with exemptions such as a private residence lived in for the three years before the transfer.
KRA: residential rental income tax; KRA: capital gains tax; Jamal Akim: UAE property for Kenyan investors
- Nigeria
Buying. Land and titles in Nigeria generally need the consent of the state governor under the Land Use Act, plus stamp duty and registration. The commercial guides I found give different rates for each, and the rules changed with the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 from 1 January 2026, so get the current Lagos schedule from a Nigerian property lawyer before budgeting.
Renting out. Ask a Nigerian tax adviser how rental income is taxed for you under the 2025 Act.
Estate Intel: the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 and real estate; Jamal Akim: UAE property for Nigerian investors
These are headline rules from the pages linked on each row, and they change often. Where a row has no figure for something, I could not confirm it from an official page. They are only the cost of buying and the headline position on rent. Capital gains, inheritance and annual property taxes also differ by country, and what you owe depends on where you are resident. For the rest of Africa and the Caribbean, see the country pages, which list the questions to ask your own adviser. See every cost of buying in Dubai.
Inside Dubai, community by community
Median price per sq ft, resale apartments, 12 months to October 2026. A different source from the table above, so the figures are not meant to match it exactly.
CommunityAED per sq ftChange on a year agoSales
Emaar Beachfront3,567−1%430
Palm Jumeirah2,806+8%966
Downtown Dubai2,784+4%2,297
Dubai Hills Estate2,377+6%1,206
Dubai Creek Harbour2,369+6%1,646
Sobha Hartland2,050+4%1,117
Business Bay2,000+4%3,547
Dubai Marina1,931+13%2,311
Damac Hills1,370+10%642
Jumeirah Village Circle1,341+7%4,543
Town Square1,324+15%999
Dubai South1,149+18%693
Source: DXBinteract Key Area Performance, built from Dubai Land Department transactions. Median price per sq ft of resale apartments, 13 October 2025 to 12 October 2026.
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General information, not investment, tax or legal advice. Figures come from the sources shown, change often and are estimates. Last checked 12 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dubai property expensive compared with London or New York?
On the city-centre averages this page uses (Numbeo), an apartment in Dubai costs about USD 667 per square foot, against USD 1,735 in London, USD 1,786 in New York, USD 2,175 in Singapore and USD 2,680 in Hong Kong. Every city's figure links to its source.
Are rental yields higher in Dubai than in other global cities?
On the same data, Dubai's city-centre gross yield is about 7.5%, against 3.4% in London, 5.3% in New York, 2.9% in Singapore and 1.9% in Hong Kong. Gross yield is before service charges, vacancy and management, so compare net figures for a specific property.
Is there property tax in Dubai?
There is no annual property tax or personal income tax on rent for individuals in Dubai. Buyers pay a one-off 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee. Your home country may still tax the income or gain, so check the rules where you are resident.
Where do the comparison figures come from?
Each city row links its source. The page also says where data is thin and what is left out, so you can judge how much weight to give each number.