Dubai (Emirate)
Masterplan — Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, Announced, announced 2021-03-13.
Source: Dubai Media Office (mediaoffice.ae) — "Mohammed bin Rashid launches Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan"
Dubai, UAE / Silicon Oasis
True Cost of Ownership — Silicon Oasis, Dubai, UAE
What a non-resident foreign buyer actually pays, beyond the asking price — every figure below is sourced, not estimated. Built for the analyst running the deal: the cash-flow side of an underwriting model, itemised and cited, with the judgment calls left where they belong.
Real acquisition total
AED 1,044,720
4.5% above the AED 1,000,000 asking price
Total cost of ownership (5y)
AED 44,720
Yield after tax, before operating costs
9.50%
rent assumption estimated from recorded yield
Net repatriated vs invested
−AED 44,720
sale proceeds after exit costs, minus capital invested
For your model
The cash-flow side of your underwriting, in 4 lines
| When | What | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| At closing (year 0) | Cash outasking price plus every sourced acquisition cost below | AED 1,044,720 |
| Each year held (years 1–5) | Holding costsourced annual costs; operating expenses excluded, as stated below | −AED 0 |
| Each year let | Rent after taxyield after the sourced taxes below, before operating costs | 9.50% |
| At exit (year 5) | Cash backnet proceeds after every sourced exit cost below | AED 1,000,000 |
The discount rate is yours, on purpose. Your cost of money and the risk premium you carry for this market are your firm's judgment, not a figure a data vendor should invent. This page gives your analyst the dated, cited cash-flow inputs; the rate, and the decision, stay with you. Every figure above is itemised and sourced in the sections below.
Download these cash flows as CSV Same engine, same assumptions: one row per line item with the source and as-of date on each, plus a year-by-year net-flow schedule your own IRR formula can run on directly. The rate stays yours.
Can a foreign buyer own and finance this?
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Foreign ownership allowed | Allowed |
| Mortgage available to foreign buyers | Not yet sourced for this market We do not hold a sourced answer on foreign-national mortgage availability for Dubai, UAE. Financing availability is a national lender-market fact, so we will not assert it from neighborhood-level data. Ask a licensed local lender. |
Eligibility facts for Dubai, UAE — general market conditions, not a guarantee for any specific buyer or lender. Rules vary by nationality and residency status in some jurisdictions; always confirm with a local real-estate attorney before relying on this for a transaction.
Provenance of this section, stated plainly. The ownership line is an enrichment-table fact. Unlike every cost line further down this page it does not carry its own source link or as-of date, so it is a weaker claim than the cited figures beside it. We are moving these to sourced country-level rules, the way residency-by-investment already works.
Investor view: rental yield
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Assumed annual rent | AED 95,000 (estimated) |
| Gross yield | 9.50% |
| Yield after tax, before operating costs | 9.50% |
Estimated from this neighborhood's typical rental yield (9.50%) — edit "Expected annual rent" below to use your own figure instead.
This figure counts taxes, government fees and agent commissions only. It excludes operating costs: insurance, HOA or service charge, property management, maintenance and vacancy. Those are building-level commercial terms rather than public record, so they cannot carry a primary source, and this product does not print numbers it cannot cite.
Golden-visa / residency-by-investment eligible?
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Programme | Golden Residence — property investor category |
| Minimum qualifying investment | AED 2,000,000 |
| This property at the asking price above | Below the threshold |
AED 2,000,000 in property. IMPORTANT: the federal authority (ICP) and the Dubai authorities (GDRFA, Dubai Land Department) currently state DIFFERENT rules on mortgaged property — ICP indicates property without loans, while GDRFA Dubai and DLD accept a mortgage with a bank letter. Treatment of off-plan purchases could not be verified against a primary source and is deliberately not stated here. Confirm both points with the relevant emirate authority.
Source: GDRFA Dubai, Dubai Land Department and ICP (federal) official service pages, retrieved 2026-07-23. Programme rules change, sometimes with little notice. Not immigration advice; confirm current eligibility with a licensed immigration attorney before relying on this for a purchase decision.
This estimate covers all 16 cost components with a sourced figure.
Acquisition (one-off, paid at purchase)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Land transfer / deed tax[1][2]DLD registration fee on a property sale: 4% of the sale-contract value (ECR 30/2013, Schedule item 1).STATUTORY DEFAULT is an equal 2%+2% split between seller and buyer 'unless agreed otherwise' (art. 3(1)); the near-universal Dubai market practice is that the buyer pays the full 4% by contract, which is what this line models. This is a registration fee, not a recurring tax. |
AED 40,000 |
| Stamp duty[1] Dubai has no stamp duty on property purchases — the DLD registration-fee regime (ECR 30/2013) is the only transfer-time government levy, and its schedule contains no stamp-duty item. |
None — not levied |
VAT on purchase[3]The buyer pays no VAT on the price of residential property: the FIRST supply of a residential building within 3 years of completion is ZERO-RATED (art.45(9)), and any later (resale) supply is EXEMPT (art. 46(2)). VAT at the standard 5% DOES apply to services around the deal (registration-trustee fee, broker commission, conveyancing) per art. 3. Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 as amended. |
None — not levied |
Land registry fee[1][2]Fixed DLD issuance fees for an apartment/villa sale, itemized from DLD's own pages: AED 250 title-deed issuance (ECR 30/2013 Schedule item 22) + AED 250 map for villas and apartments + AED 10 knowledge fee + AED 10 innovation fee = AED 520.The 'AED 580' aggregate seen on portals is NOT on any primary source and is deliberately not used. Amount in AED. |
AED 520 |
| Notary fee[2] Dubai property transfers are registered at DLD registration-trustee ('Service Partner') offices, not notarized — there is no notary fee in the transfer chain; the trustee fee is itemised on the closing-costs line. |
None — not levied |
Foreign-buyer surcharge[1]No foreign-buyer surcharge exists in Dubai — the DLD fee schedule applies identically to foreign and local buyers.(Where a foreigner may buy at all is a separate ownership-zone rule: freehold areas per Regulation of Law 7/2006 — surfaced by the eligibility section, not a fee.) |
None — not levied |
Buyer's agent commission[4]Bylaw 85/2006 arts.27-28 make broker remuneration purely contractual (payable only when a contract is concluded and, by default, on registration with DLD). Rendered as an informational line rather than a computed amount because no lawful rate exists to compute from. |
No statutory rate — broker remuneration is 'determined by agreement' (Bylaw 85/2006 art. 27). Around 2% of price is customary on residential purchases in Dubai, but that is unregulated market practice, not law; budget for it and negotiate it in the brokerage agreement. |
Legal / closing costs[2][3]Registration-trustee ('Service Partner') office fee for registering the sale: AED 4,000 + 5% VAT = AED 4,200 when the sale value is AED 500,000 or more; AED 2,000 + VAT = AED 2,100 below that threshold (this line models the >=500k tier — nearly every covered Dubai purchase).Effective date recorded as the DLD-page verification date; an earlier statutory effective date was not established. Amount in AED. IN FORCE NOT LATER THAN 2023-05-29 (wave wf_64f4120f-b14). LOWER BOUND, not a start date. Basis: Dubai Land Department official service page "Request for Sale Registration", archived capture. Src: https://web.archive.org/web/20230529081818/https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/request-for-sale-registration/. Rate re-confirmed. Detail: data/cost-rules/research/2026-07-27-lower-bounds.json. |
AED 4,200 |
Sources
- [1]Executive Council Resolution No. (30) of 2013 Approving Fees of the Land Department (official English translation) (as of 2026-07-24)
- [2]DLD — Property Sale Registration service page (as of 2026-07-24)
- [3]Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on VAT (as amended), arts. 45(9) and 46(2) (FTA-published) (as of 2026-07-24)
- [4]Bylaw No. (85) of 2006 Regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register, arts. 27-28 (DLD legislation compendium, official English) (as of 2026-07-24)
Annual holding costs (× 5 years)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual property tax (foreign owner)[1]No UAE federal or Dubai instrument imposes a recurring tax on residential OWNERSHIP — the DLD fee schedule (ECR 30/2013) contains per-transaction fees only.The Dubai Municipality 'housing fee' (5% of annual rental value, billed monthly via DEWA) is borne by the OCCUPANT — the tenant when the unit is rented out — not by a non-resident landlord; see the municipal-tax line. |
None — not levied |
Municipal tax[1]The Dubai Municipality housing fee (5% of annual rental value, added monthly to the DEWA utility bill) is charged to the OCCUPANT: the tenant when the unit is rented, or an owner-occupier.A non-resident landlord who rents the unit out does not bear it, which is why it is not_applicable on the owner side here. RE-VERIFY NOTE: official pages (u.ae / dm.gov.ae / dewa.gov.ae) were unreachable from our network on 2026-07-24; substance rests on the PwC summary quoted and the search-indexed text of the official u.ae leasing page. |
None — not levied |
Sources
- [1]PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — UAE Individual, Other taxes (corroboration of the ownership-tax negative) (as of 2026-07-24, secondary source)
Rental income tax (per year, while let)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Rental income tax (federal)[1][2]The UAE levies no personal income tax, and Cabinet Decision 49/2023 art.2(2) expressly excludes 'Real Estate Investment income' of a resident OR non-resident natural person from Corporate Tax 'regardless of the amount of Turnover'. BOUNDARY: buying through a company, or conducting the activity through a required Licence, moves the income into the 9%-over-AED-375,000 Corporate Tax regime. |
None — not levied |
| Rental withholding tax[3] No withholding applies to an individual's UAE rental income: the income itself is outside Corporate Tax (Cabinet Decision 49/2023, see rental-income line), and the Corporate Tax Law's withholding rate for non-residents is currently set at 0% in any case. |
None — not levied |
Sources
- [1]Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023, art. 2(2) (FTA-published translation) (as of 2026-07-24)
- [2]FTA guide CTGREI1 — Real Estate Investment for Natural Persons (as of 2026-07-24)
- [3]PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — UAE Corporate, Withholding taxes (corroboration) (as of 2026-07-24, secondary source)
Exit (paid on sale)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Capital gains tax (federal)[1][2]No capital gains tax for an individual seller: the UAE has no personal income tax statute, and Cabinet Decision 49/2023's 'Real Estate Investment' definition expressly includes 'the sale ...of land or real estate property in the State' within the income excluded from Corporate Tax for resident and non-resident natural persons. BOUNDARY: sales made by a company, or through a Licence-required business, fall under the 9% Corporate Tax regime. |
None — not levied |
Withholding at closing on the sale[3]No seller-side withholding or exit tax exists on an individual's property sale in the UAE; the only sale-time government charge is the DLD registration-fee regime (see the Dubai transfer-fee line).The Corporate Tax Law's non-resident withholding rate is currently 0% and does not touch an individual's excluded real-estate income. |
None — not levied |
VAT on sale[4]A resale of a residential building is an EXEMPT supply under art.46(2) of the VAT Decree-Law — no VAT is charged on the sale price when an individual investor exits. (Bare land is likewise exempt under art. 46(3).) |
None — not levied |
Seller's agent commission[5]Same statutory basis as the buy-side line: remuneration is contractual under Bylaw 85/2006 arts.27-28, so no rate is computed; rendered as informational. |
No statutory rate — seller-side broker remuneration is likewise 'determined by agreement' (Bylaw 85/2006 art. 27); unregulated market practice, negotiated in the brokerage agreement. |
Sources
- [1]Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023, art. 1 definition (FTA-published translation) (as of 2026-07-24)
- [2]PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — UAE Individual, Other taxes (corroboration) (as of 2026-07-24, secondary source)
- [3]PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — UAE Corporate, Withholding taxes (corroboration) (as of 2026-07-24, secondary source)
- [4]Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on VAT (as amended), art. 46(2) (FTA-published) (as of 2026-07-24)
- [5]Bylaw No. (85) of 2006 Regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register, arts. 27-28 (DLD legislation compendium, official English) (as of 2026-07-24)
Totals
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Total acquisition cost | AED 44,720 |
| Effective acquisition cost | 4.47% of price |
| Annual holding cost (per year) | AED 0 |
| Total holding cost (5yr) | AED 0 |
| Rental yield after tax, before operating costs | 9.50% |
| Total exit cost | AED 0 |
| Net proceeds on exit | AED 1,000,000 |
| Total cost of ownership (5yr) | AED 44,720 |
Totals are computed on unrounded figures and then rounded for display — per-year × years arithmetic re-done on the rounded numbers can differ by a few units.
What "true cost" covers, and what it does not. This figure counts taxes, government fees and agent commissions only. It excludes operating costs: insurance, HOA or service charge, property management, maintenance and vacancy. Those are building-level commercial terms rather than public record, so they cannot carry a primary source, and this product does not print numbers it cannot cite. Total cost of ownership, the annual holding cost and the repatriation figures below are all on that same basis.
What actually gets home (exit & repatriation)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Capital invested (price + acquisition costs) | AED 1,044,720 |
| Expected sale price at exit | AED 1,000,000 |
| Total exit cost (incl. FIRPTA-credited taxes) | AED 0 |
| Net proceeds on exit | AED 1,000,000 |
| Profit repatriated vs invested capital | −AED 44,720 |
Net-of-tax result for a non-resident seller, built from the sourced exit-tax lines above (every figure links to its source). No capital controls restrict moving sale proceeds out of this jurisdiction. Reporting obligations and your own country's rules still apply — confirm with a licensed advisor. This is not tax or legal advice.
Also under way nearby
Rail, transit, employer campuses, zoning and infrastructure not yet delivered in this jurisdiction. No score or price impact is claimed here, only what is scheduled, dated, and sourced.
Dubai (Emirate)
Masterplan — Dubai Islands (formerly Deira Islands, Nakheel masterplan), Under construction, announced 2022-08-22.
Source: Nakheel (nakheel.com) — "Nakheel unveils master plan vision for Dubai Islands"
Dubai (Emirate)
Masterplan — Palm Jebel Ali (Nakheel mixed-use waterfront masterplan), Under construction, announced 2023-05-31.
Source: Nakheel (nakheel.com) — "Mohammed bin Rashid approves new futuristic masterplan for Palm Jebel Ali"
Dubai (Emirate)
Airport — Al Maktoum International Airport expansion (Dubai South), Under construction, construction under way since 2024-04-28.
Source: Dubai Media Office (mediaoffice.ae) -- official Government of Dubai press release
Dubai (Emirate)
Masterplan — Expo City Dubai Master Plan (Expo Hills, Expo Fields, Expo Business, Expo Downtown, Expo Forest), Announced, announced 2024-10-03.
Source: Dubai Media Office (mediaoffice.ae) — "Mohammed bin Rashid approves new master plan for Expo City"
Dubai (Emirate)
Masterplan — Dubai Creek Harbour — Dubai Square, Under construction, announced 2025-12-05.
This page presents sourced public information about property costs and taxes for Dubai (UAE) real estate — it is not tax or legal advice. Figures are accurate as of the dates shown next to each line and can change with new legislation. Always verify with a qualified UAE-licensed lawyer or tax advisor before transacting. This calculator covers foreign-vs-resident tax treatment only — it does not account for bilateral tax-treaty effects specific to your nationality. Property data on this site: Data source: Dubai Land Department open data.
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