Downtown Dubai vs Business Bay: prices, rents and yields
Side-by-side registered figures over July – September 2026 — 446 sales in Downtown Dubai and 915 sales in Business Bay. Ready homes and off-plan sales are kept apart.
| Downtown Dubai | Business Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready homes · typical price per sqftJuly – September 2026 | AED 2,414/sqft · 346 sales | AED 1,809/sqft · 560 sales |
| Off-plan · typical price per sqftJuly – September 2026 | AED 3,769/sqft · 100 off-plan sales | AED 2,432/sqft · 355 off-plan sales |
| Three-year change · ready homesJuly – September 2023 to July – September 2026 | +20.5% · from AED 2,003/sqft, 596 sales | +12.4% · from AED 1,609/sqft, 693 sales |
| Yield before costs · ready homesOctober 2025 – September 2026, typical new-let rent over typical ready-home price, the same months | 5.4% · 1,453 sales, 5,710 new lets | 6.6% · 2,464 sales, 10,990 new lets |
| Recorded salesOctober 2025 – September 2026 | 2,511 · 42% off-plan | 6,336 · 61% off-plan |
Typical prices from recorded residential sales, with ready homes and off-plan sales kept apart; a higher figure is a higher recorded price, not a recommendation.
What the register shows
- Price. Ready homes over July – September 2026: Downtown Dubai AED 2,414/sqft and Business Bay AED 1,809/sqft. Downtown Dubai is 33% above Business Bay.
- Off-plan. Off-plan sales sit at 1.6× the ready-home typical price in Downtown Dubai and 1.3× in Business Bay, over the same July – September 2026.
- Three years. Since July – September 2023, ready-home typical prices moved +20% in Downtown Dubai and +12% in Business Bay.
- Two years. From Q4 2024 to Q3 2026, ready-home typical prices moved +0% in Downtown Dubai and -1% in Business Bay; the gap between Downtown Dubai and Business Bay was 32% in Q4 2024 and 33% in Q3 2026.
- Yield. Yield before costs on ready homes over October 2025 – September 2026, typical new-let rent over typical ready-home price: 6.6% in Business Bay and 5.4% in Downtown Dubai.
- Activity. Ready homes that changed hands in the twelve months to September 2026: 2,464 in Business Bay and 1,453 in Downtown Dubai.
Price by quarter · ready homes
| Downtown Dubai | Business Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | AED 2,587/sqft · 481 sales | AED 1,918/sqft · 831 sales |
| Q1 2026 | AED 2,578/sqft · 381 sales | AED 1,913/sqft · 639 sales |
| Q2 2026 | AED 2,377/sqft · 245 sales | AED 1,815/sqft · 434 sales |
| Q3 2026 | AED 2,414/sqft · 346 sales | AED 1,809/sqft · 560 sales |
| Change across these quartersfrom the first of these four quarters to the last, when both quarters have enough sales | -6.7% · Q4 2025 AED 2,587/sqft → Q3 2026 AED 2,414/sqft | -5.7% · Q4 2025 AED 1,918/sqft → Q3 2026 AED 1,809/sqft |
More quarters for Downtown Dubai, with a free account.
More quarters for Business Bay, with a free account.
Frequently asked questions
Which area has a higher typical price per sqft?
Over July – September 2026: Downtown Dubai had a typical ready-home price of AED 2,414/sqft (346 sales) and Business Bay had AED 1,809/sqft (560 sales). Downtown Dubai is 33% above Business Bay in that period.
Which area has the higher gross yield?
Over October 2025 – September 2026: Downtown Dubai had a gross yield of 5.4% (5,710 new lets, 1,453 ready-home sales) and Business Bay had 6.6% (10,990 new lets, 2,464 ready-home sales). This is a gross figure before service charges, financing and other costs.
How have prices moved over the past three years?
From July – September 2023 to July – September 2026, ready-home typical prices moved +20.5% in Downtown Dubai and +12.4% in Business Bay. Downtown Dubai was AED 2,003/sqft in July – September 2023. Business Bay was AED 1,609/sqft in July – September 2023.
Method
Prices are from registered residential sales (apartments, villas and townhouses) inside plausibility bounds. Ready homes (resales) and off-plan registrations are kept apart and never pooled: a blended figure moves when the mix of what sold changes, not only when prices change. A typical price is the median: half of sales were above it, half below. It appears only with 60 or more sales behind it; under that, the figure carries a red (i) marking it as thin. The three-month window ends with the last complete calendar month. The twelve-month window for rents and yields ends the same day. Yield before costs is the median new-let annual rent per sqft over the median ready-home sale price per sqft, the same months on both sides. Every figure states the record count it rests on.