Tools · True Cost Calculator

The true cost of buying in Dubai.

Map your exact upfront capital and first-year carrying costs — every fee, deposit and monthly obligation — before you commit to a property. Adjust anything; the numbers move with you.

The sticker price is the smallest number you’ll pay.

SETUP · ONE-TIMEEVERY MONTH=YEAR ONECash + carry,eyes open
Who is moving?
How many children?
2 children
Does your employer cover insurance & schooling?Big lever
Visa setup
Home
Property type
Where you'll live
Rent paid inCashflow
Schooling
Getting around
Home help
Your Year One in Dubai
AED 705,000 – 1,260,000

One-time setup plus twelve months of living. A planning range, not a quote.

Cash you need on Day 1
Setup + your first rent cheque. A one-cheque landlord? It’s far more.
AED 200,000 – 390,000

The Setup

One-time, before you’ve unpacked

Temporary home while you waitAED 15,000 – 40,000
Flights & shipping your life overAED 15,000 – 45,000
Golden Visa & medical (4 people)AED 14,000 – 26,000
Housing deposit, agency & EjariAED 18,000 – 27,000
Utility, cooling & telecom depositsAED 3,000 – 6,000
Furnishing your homeAED 40,000 – 85,000
Car: down-payment, plates & insuranceAED 30,000 – 45,000
School registration & assessmentAED 10,000 – 20,000
“Dubai happens” buffer (10%)AED 14,000 – 29,000
Setup subtotalAED 160,000 – 325,000

The Running Cost

Every month, once you’re here

Rent (family-suburb villa)AED 14,000 – 22,000
School fees, 2 childrenAED 13,000 – 18,000
Groceries & householdAED 4,000 – 6,500
Transport & fuelAED 3,000 – 4,500
Utilities & telecomAED 2,000 – 3,500
Chiller / district coolingAED 500 – 1,500
Health insuranceAED 1,600 – 4,000
Home help (part-time)AED 1,500 – 2,500
Flights home (per year, averaged)AED 1,500 – 3,000
The Dubai tax — lifestyle & diningAED 5,000 – 12,000
Monthly subtotalAED 46,000 – 78,000
ⓘ Buying instead of renting?

Switch “Home” to Buy and the setup swaps rent deposits for acquisition costs — DLD 4%, agency, trustee & mortgage fees, plus your down-payment; rent becomes service charges and maintenance.

This is a map, not a contract. Costs fluctuate and life happens — these ranges are realistic current averages, deliberately not lowballed, to help you land with open eyes.

Book a Strategy Call

No email required — the breakdown is yours to keep.

Want this itemised breakdown in your inbox to share with your spouse or co-founder? I’ll send it over.

No spam, no sales calls — just your breakdown.

Why you can plan on this

A planning map, not a brochure.

01

Every fee, not just the price

DLD 4%, agency, trustee and mortgage fees, the deposit and your down-payment — the acquisition costs a listing quietly leaves off the sticker.

02

Ranges, deliberately not lowballed

Realistic current averages for setup and monthly running costs, so you plan against the real number — not the optimistic one used to close you.

03

Buy or rent, your terms

Toggle the housing, area, schooling, transport and help — and watch the year-one figure move with the life you'll actually live here.

An indicative planning aid on cost — not a quote, valuation or financial advice. Costs fluctuate; these are realistic current averages, deliberately not lowballed. Your exact figure is built with you on a strategy call.

Market reports · free

The whole market this sits in — Q2 2026.

33,179 homes actually sold at a median of AED 1,713/sqft. Registered sales, community by community — read the full report.

Read the report →