October 24, 2026
How much it costs to buy property in Dubai
The headline price is only part of what you pay. This guide sets out the one-off costs of buying in Dubai — registration, agency, NOC and financing fees — with a worked example so you can budget before you commit.
The one-off costs, grouped
Most of the extra cost of a Dubai purchase is a single percentage — the Dubai Land Department (DLD) transfer fee — plus a handful of smaller fixed charges. The main items are below. Figures are current official or standard-practice amounts at the time of writing; confirm the exact numbers for your transaction, as fees are updated from time to time.
| Cost | Paid to | When it arises | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee — 4% of the price | Dubai Land Department | At transfer | Purchase price. Legally split 2% buyer / 2% seller, but the buyer commonly pays the whole 4%. |
| Registration (trustee) fee — AED 2,000 under AED 500k, AED 4,000 at or above, + 5% VAT | Registration trustee office | At transfer | Whether the price is under or over AED 500,000. |
| Title Deed issuance — around AED 580 | Dubai Land Department | At transfer | Fixed administrative fee for a ready unit. |
| Agency commission — commonly 2% + 5% VAT | Your broker | At transfer | Agreed in the brokerage contract; market practice is around 2%. |
| Developer NOC fee | The developer | Before transfer | Varies by developer; required to confirm charges are clear. |
| Mortgage costs (if financing) | Bank + DLD | At financing | Covered separately below and in our mortgage guide. |
Property purchases in Dubai are not subject to an annual property tax, and there is no stamp duty beyond the DLD transfer fee. The 5% VAT you will see applies to services such as agency and trustee fees, not to the residential property price itself.
If you are using a mortgage
Financing adds its own costs on top of the above. The main ones are a bank arrangement or processing fee (a percentage of the loan), a property valuation fee charged by the bank (commonly in the region of AED 2,500–3,500), and a mortgage registration fee at the DLD of 0.25% of the loan amount plus a small administrative charge. These are paid in cash and are not added to the loan.
The deposit itself is the largest financed-purchase cost, and it is larger for non-residents. We cover loan-to-value limits, documents and the full picture in mortgages in Dubai for non-residents.
A worked example
The example below is illustrative only — a round-number cash purchase to show how the costs stack up. It is not a quote, and the agency and any legal fees are by agreement, so treat the total as an order of magnitude, not a fixed figure.
| Item | Amount (AED) |
|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee (4%) | 80,000 |
| Registration trustee fee (+ 5% VAT) | 4,200 |
| Title Deed issuance | 580 |
| Agency commission (2% + 5% VAT) | 42,000 |
| Illustrative total of the above | about 126,780 — roughly 6.3% of the price |
On a financed purchase, add the deposit plus the bank and mortgage-registration costs; the mandatory fees above stay broadly the same. A sensible rule of thumb is to budget around 7–8% of the price for purchase costs on a cash deal, before furniture, moving or any renovation.
The costs that continue after you buy
Two ongoing costs matter for your long-term budget and are easy to underestimate. The first is annual service charges, billed per square foot and varying widely by building — we explain how to check them before you buy in our guide to Dubai service charges. The second, if you let the property, is management and the running costs that eat into the headline rent, which we quantify in rental yield and net return.
The takeaway
For a cash purchase, budget roughly 7–8% of the price for one-off costs, dominated by the 4% DLD transfer fee, with agency and a few fixed charges making up the rest. Financing adds the deposit and bank fees. None of these should be a surprise on completion day — a good advisor gives you the full figure in writing before you sign.
If you would like a line-by-line cost estimate for a specific property before you proceed, we are happy to prepare one.
Discuss your purchase with us
Every situation is different. Tell us what you are looking for and we will walk you through the options, the numbers and the next steps — privately and with no obligation.