Dubai property sales fall 40.1% in October 2026 as developer sales decline
Dubai Real Estate Market Report · October 2026
Dubai recorded AED 34.75 billion in sales; the median price per sqft fell 2.4% year on year, while transaction count rose 4.9% from September.
By Fateh Al Msaddi, Founder, DXBinteract · Updated 3 November 2026 · Figures retrieved 3 November 2026
Dubai October 2026 key figures; all property types. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Metric | October 2026 | Year-on-year change / prior share | Month-on-month change / prior share |
|---|
| Sales transactions | 11,898 | -40.1% | +4.9% |
| Sales value | AED 34.75 billion | -41.3% | +16.9% |
| Median sale price per sqft | AED 1,636/sqft | -2.4% | -1.2% |
| Primary share of sales count | 63.8% | 70.0% in October 2025 | 64.2% in September 2026 |
| Primary share of sales value | 55.2% | 65.0% in October 2025 | 52.5% in September 2026 |
Dubai recorded 11,898 property sales worth AED 34.75 billion in October 2026 across all property types, according to DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records. Sales count fell 40.1% year on year but rose 4.9% from September. The median sale price was AED 1,636/sqft, down 2.4% year on year. Primary purchases accounted for 63.8% of sales.
Sales value fell 41.3% year on year
Dubai’s October 2026 all-property sales value was AED 34.75 billion, down 41.3% from AED 59.20 billion in October 2025, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
The reduction in spending was close to the fall in transaction count. The median price per sqft moved much less, falling from AED 1,677 to AED 1,636. Lower turnover is therefore the clearer annual signal; these aggregates do not show a comparable decline in the value of every Dubai property.
All-property sales comparison; monthly snapshots. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Metric | October 2025 | September 2026 | October 2026 |
|---|
| Sales transactions | 19,850 | 11,340 | 11,898 |
| Sales value (AED) | 59,199,001,192 | 29,732,290,359 | 34,748,053,255 |
| Median price (AED/sqft) | 1,677 | 1,656 | 1,636 |
Sales rose 4.9% month on month, while median AED/sqft eased 1.2%
Dubai recorded 558 more all-property sales in October 2026 than in September 2026, taking the total from 11,340 to 11,898; sales value rose 16.9%, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
The median price per sqft declined from AED 1,656 to AED 1,636. More spending alongside a lower median unit rate is consistent with changes in the size, category or mix of transactions. The aggregate data cannot establish which factor caused the divergence, and one month does not establish a sustained recovery.
Developer purchases accounted for 63.8% of transactions
Dubai primary sales—purchases directly from developers—numbered 7,596 in October 2026, or 63.8% of all-property sales, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
Primary sales count fell 45.3% from 13,896 in October 2025. Resales fell 27.7%, from 5,954 to 4,302. The developer share of transaction count consequently declined from 70.0% to 63.8%.
Dubai October 2026 sales channels; all property types. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Channel | Sales count | Count share | Sales value (AED) | Value share | Median AED/sqft |
|---|
| Primary | 7,596 | 63.8% | 19,165,186,779 | 55.2% | 1,667 |
| Resale | 4,302 | 36.2% | 15,582,866,477 | 44.8% | 1,549 |
Primary is a seller classification, not a construction-status label. A developer can sell completed stock, and resale can include properties still under construction. These figures therefore do not measure the off-plan share.
Apartments led sales count; villas had a lower median unit rate
Dubai recorded 8,901 apartment sales and 1,329 villa sales in October 2026, with respective median prices of AED 1,667/sqft and AED 1,355/sqft, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
Dubai October 2026 property categories. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Category | Sales count | Sales value (AED) | Median sale price (AED) | Median AED/sqft |
|---|
| Apartment | 8,901 | 15,506,378,551 | 1,143,737 | 1,667 |
| Villa | 1,329 | 8,953,658,400 | 4,072,118 | 1,355 |
| Townhouse | 649 | 2,020,173,319 | 2,994,000 | 1,575 |
| Commercial | 543 | 2,278,120,599 | 2,117,344 | 2,277 |
| Plot | 476 | 5,989,722,387 | 5,556,441 | 468 |
The villa median sale price was AED 4,072,118, compared with AED 1,143,737 for apartments. A lower villa rate per sqft alongside a higher ticket price can reflect differences in property size and the transactions included; it does not establish better value for any particular property.
Townhouses are reported separately: 649 sales with a median price of AED 1,575/sqft. They are not merged into the villa figures. Category-level annual changes are omitted because the saved comparison snapshots do not establish consistent category treatment; the historical villa-price baseline also conflicts with the separate prior-year row.
Marsa Dubai led value; Al Barsha South Fourth led count
Dubai’s October 2026 area ranking placed Marsa Dubai first by value at AED 1.78 billion and Al Barsha South Fourth first by count at 838 sales, for apartments, villas and commercial property only, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
Top five supplied DLD areas by sales value; October 2026; Apartment, Villa and Commercial only. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Rank | DLD area as recorded | Sales value (AED) |
|---|
| 1 | Marsa Dubai | 1,776,384,885 |
| 2 | Business Bay | 1,743,371,587 |
| 3 | Al Rowaiyah First | 1,097,330,453 |
| 4 | Palm Jumeirah | 1,033,417,258 |
| 5 | Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid | 1,015,270,941 |
Top five supplied DLD areas by sales count; October 2026; Apartment, Villa and Commercial only. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Rank | DLD area as recorded | Sales count |
|---|
| 1 | Al Barsha South Fourth | 838 |
| 2 | Dubai South | 784 |
| 3 | Wadi Al Safa 3 | 509 |
| 4 | Business Bay | 457 |
| 5 | Jabal Ali First | 457 |
These tables use a narrower population than the headline: they exclude townhouses, plots and buildings. No area share of the all-property total is calculated. Names are retained as recorded because a DLD district can contain several communities; a district total should not be presented as a total for one smaller neighbourhood.
New apartment leases had a median annual rent of AED 67,815
Dubai recorded 17,545 new apartment rental contracts in October 2026 at a median annual rent of AED 67,815, while 17,691 apartment renewals had a median of AED 60,000, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
Dubai October 2026 recorded rental contracts; date basis unspecified. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Property type | Contract type | Contracts | Median annual rent (AED) | Median annual AED/sqft |
|---|
| Apartment | New | 17,545 | 67,815 | 95 |
| Apartment | Renewal | 17,691 | 60,000 | 77 |
| Commercial | New | 2,440 | 113,271 | 120 |
| Commercial | Renewal | 3,221 | 89,800 | 86 |
| Villa | New | 1,035 | 214,618 | 70 |
| Villa | Renewal | 790 | 200,000 | 60 |
New and renewal contracts are separate populations. Their median-rent gap is not a measure of the increase faced by an individual renewing tenant. Rental growth rates are withheld because some supplied annual-change fields do not reconcile with the saved prior-year figures; the underlying contract date basis is also unspecified.
Supply activity recorded 6,969 launched units and 2,201 deliveries
Dubai’s October 2026 supply summary recorded 6,969 units launched across 19 projects and 2,201 units delivered across 10 projects, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
Dubai October 2026 supply activity. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Stage | Units | Projects |
|---|
| Launched | 6,969 | 19 |
| Delivered | 2,201 | 10 |
A launch adds to the development pipeline; a delivery describes completion activity. The difference between these totals is not unsold stock, and neither figure establishes absorption. Projects delivered in October may have sold in earlier periods.
Balqis Residence led October’s apartment ranking at AED 55 million
Dubai’s corrected October 2026 apartment-sales ranking was led by Balqis Residence – Beach Villas at Palm Jumeirah, at AED 55 million, according to the confirmed DXBinteract ranking.
Five most expensive apartment sales, October 2026; confirmed ranking; prices displayed in whole AED millions. Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records| Rank | Project | Area | Price (AED million, rounded) |
|---|
| 1 | Balqis Residence – Beach Villas | Palm Jumeirah | 55 |
| 2 | W Residences Dubai – The Palm | Palm Jumeirah | 54 |
| 3 | Orla By Omniyat | Palm Jumeirah | 49 |
| 4 | One Sankari West Tower | Business Bay | 46 |
| 5 | Mercedes-Benz Places/Binghatti | Downtown Dubai | 36 |
The first three entries were in Palm Jumeirah, followed by One Sankari West Tower in Business Bay and Mercedes-Benz Places/Binghatti in Downtown Dubai. Prices are displayed in whole millions, rather than as exact transaction amounts; these high-value sales are not representative prices for their locations.
The supplied villa-sale list was led by an AED 97 million transaction
Dubai’s October 2026 supplied villa-sale list was led by AED 97 million in Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
The next listed villa transactions were AED 79 million in World Islands and AED 78 million in Palm Jumeirah. These are entries in the supplied list, not all-time records or representative prices for those areas.
Lower annual turnover does not describe every property’s price
For buyers and sellers, the 40.1% annual drop in sales count is an activity measure. The 2.4% decline in median AED/sqft describes the transactions completed, not the price change of an unchanged property. Monthly sales growth and annual contraction can both be true because the comparison periods differ.
For landlords and tenants, October’s rental evidence is most useful when new contracts and renewals remain separate. For investors, neither a rental median divided by a sales median nor a citywide change establishes an achievable property return. Costs, vacancy and comparable-property evidence are required for that assessment.
Frequently asked questions
How many properties were sold in Dubai in October 2026?
Dubai recorded 11,898 sales worth AED 34.75 billion across all property types in October 2026. Sales count fell 40.1% from October 2025 but rose 4.9% from September 2026, according to DXBinteract analysis of DLD records.
What was Dubai’s median property price per sqft in October 2026?
The all-property median sale price was AED 1,636/sqft, down 2.4% year on year and 1.2% month on month. Apartment and villa medians were AED 1,667/sqft and AED 1,355/sqft respectively; townhouses were reported separately.
How much of Dubai’s October 2026 sales came from developers?
Primary purchases from developers accounted for 7,596 sales, or 63.8% of the all-property total. Resales numbered 4,302; primary versus resale is a seller classification and does not establish the off-plan share.
Which Dubai areas led property sales in October 2026?
Marsa Dubai led the supplied value ranking at AED 1.78 billion, while Al Barsha South Fourth led transaction count with 838 sales. These are recorded DLD areas and the rankings cover apartments, villas and commercial property only.
What were Dubai apartment rents in October 2026?
New apartment contracts had a median annual rent of AED 67,815 across 17,545 contracts; renewals had a median of AED 60,000 across 17,691 contracts. These separate groups do not measure the rent increase faced by an individual tenant.
Methodology, coverage and source
Source: DXBinteract analysis of Dubai Land Department (DLD) records.
Coverage is the October 2026 monthly reporting period, 1–31 October. Figures were retrieved on 3 November 2026; the source does not state an actual last-registration timestamp, so retrieval is not presented as a confirmed data cutoff. Figures may change when the source is refreshed.
Headline sales count, value, price per sqft and channel shares cover all property types. Area rankings cover Apartment, Villa and Commercial only. Sales are counted transactions, not a stated unit count. Prices are medians, not averages; medians are not added or averaged across categories. Currency is AED and area is sqft. Overall market totals take precedence over independently rounded category and channel values.
Annual headline comparisons use the saved October 2025 all-property row; monthly comparisons use September 2026. Category annual comparisons and conflicting rental changes are withheld. DLD area names are retained without unverified community remapping. Rental contract date basis is unspecified. Launches and deliveries describe separate supply stages, and notable deals refer only to the supplied list.
Apartment ranking updated on 3 November 2026 using a confirmed DXBinteract ranking: the anomalous Marina Pinnacle entry was excluded and Mercedes-Benz Places/Binghatti was included in fifth place. This correction applies to the notable-sale ranking; headline aggregates retain their separately supplied source figures.
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