# What $1M to $100M buys in Dubai: 12 months of DLD sales by budget

> What buyers actually got in Dubai for $1M to $100M over 12 months: deals, property types, areas, size and price per sq ft from DLD data.

Page: https://continentalclub.ae/articles/what-1m-to-100m-buys-in-dubai-dld-data/ · updated 2026-10-31 · Continental Club Property LLC, Dubai real estate brokerage, RERA ORN 31933

As of October 2026, a $1 million budget in Dubai corresponded to 15,478 residential sales in the AED 2.938m–4.407m range during the 12 months ending 27 October 2026; 62.6% were apartments and 33.7% were villas or townhouses. At $5 million, purchases were much more mixed: apartments accounted for 43.0% of 833 sales, land for 30.9%, and villas or townhouses for 24.6%. At $10 million and above, the register combines apartments, villas, residential land and, occasionally, entire buildings, so the median area is not a direct description of one standard home. These are descriptive statistics from Dubai Land Department records, not investment advice or a valuation.

## Dubai residential sales by budget: 12-month snapshot

The figures below cover residential sales registered with Dubai Land Department from 28 October 2025 to 27 October 2026. The year 2026 is incomplete: the latest included registration date is 27 October 2026. Each budget basket means the target amount plus or minus 20%, calculated from the transaction value recorded at registration rather than an asking price.

The USD rate used for the baskets is AED 3.6725 per $1.

| Budget basket | Transaction range, AED | Sales | Off-plan | Median price, AED | Median area, ft² | Median AED/ft² |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $1m ±20% | 2,938,000–4,407,000 | 15,478 | 68.0% | 3,506,086 | 1,550 | 2,266 |
| $2m ±20% | 5,876,000–8,814,000 | 3,797 | 55.4% | 6,883,005 | 2,392 | 2,855 |
| $5m ±20% | 14,690,000–22,035,000 | 833 | 43.0% | 17,149,254 | 6,447 | 2,660 |
| $10m ±20% | 29,380,000–44,070,000 | 311 | 48.6% | 34,561,636 | 7,082 | 4,849 |
| $20m ±20% | 58,760,000–88,140,000 | 86 | 46.5% | 70,000,000 | 13,410 | 5,168 |
| $50m ±20% | 146,900,000–220,350,000 | 11 | 54.5% | 171,036,254 | 25,536 | 7,951 |
| $100m ±20% | 293,800,000–440,700,000 | 5 | 40.0% | 356,232,500 | 34,392 | 9,014 |
| From $30m | 110,175,000–500,000,000 | 35 | 42.9% | 171,036,254 | 31,201 | 7,337 |

Sorting areas below by number of recorded sales is a way to show where more transactions appeared in this basket. It is not a ranking of districts, projects, homes or developers. “Off-plan” here means a registration recorded as Off-Plan Properties; “ready” means Existing Properties and can include a first sale of a completed property by a developer.

This snapshot does not include a like-for-like comparison with an earlier period, and the register does not show rent, floor, view, parking allocation, tenant status or a full layout. A registered median is therefore a reference point for a basket, not a valuation of a particular unit.

## What $1 million and $2 million bought

### $1 million: apartments and villas/townhouses both appeared frequently

The $1 million basket contained 15,478 transactions. Apartments made up 9,691 sales, or 62.6%; villas and townhouses made up 5,221 sales, or 33.7%. Residential land accounted for 539 transactions. The median registered sale price was AED 3,506,086, the median recorded area was 1,550 ft², and the median rate was AED 2,266 per ft².

Off-plan sales formed 68.0% of this basket, while 32.0% were recorded as ready. Areas with the largest number of transactions were Al Khairan First with 1,378 sales, Palm Deira with 1,304, Al Yelayiss 1 with 1,228, Business Bay with 881, Dubai Investment Park Second with 813, Wadi Al Safa 5 with 720, Marsa Dubai with 645 and Al Yufrah 1 with 638.

- An off-plan two-bedroom apartment in Altan, Al Khairan First, registered at AED 3,375,888 for 1,435 ft² in February 2026.
- An off-plan two-bedroom apartment in Ocean Bay by Samana Developers, Palm Deira, registered at AED 3,496,433 for 1,492 ft² in November 2025.
- A ready three-bedroom villa or townhouse in REEM – MIRA OASIS COMMUNITY PHASE 2, Al Yelayiss 1, registered at AED 3,700,000 for 3,716 ft² in December 2025.

For a buyer asking what can $1 million buy in Dubai, the practical answer is not one universal property type. Recorded purchases included apartments, villas or townhouses, and a smaller number of land transactions. To compare current budget options by area rather than rely on a citywide median, use the pages with [Dubai district prices and DLD sales](/location/), then compare listings through [buy an apartment in Dubai: prices by area](/apartments-in-dubai/).

### $2 million: the share of land rises

The $2 million basket had 3,797 transactions. Apartments remained the largest type at 2,015 sales, or 53.1%. Villas and townhouses represented 1,294 sales, or 34.1%, while residential land reached 458 transactions, or 12.1%. The median price was AED 6,883,005; the median area was 2,392 ft²; the median price per ft² was AED 2,855.

Off-plan represented 55.4% of sales. Marsa Dubai had 281 transactions, followed by Palm Deira with 255, Saih Shuaib 1 with 239, Wadi Al Safa 3 with 223, Palm Jumeirah with 211 and Burj Khalifa with 180. Registered project names with larger counts included LUNAYA with 231 sales and Nad Al Sheba Gardens Phase 11 with 110.

- A ready three-bedroom apartment in Palace Beach Residence, Marsa Dubai, registered at AED 7,300,000 for 1,846 ft² in December 2025.
- An off-plan four-bedroom villa or townhouse in LUNAYA, Saih Shuaib 1, registered at AED 6,575,000 for 2,154 ft² in April 2026.
- A ready residential land transaction in The Wilds 3, Wadi Al Safa 3, registered at AED 7,056,481 for 4,504 ft² in February 2026.

## What $5 million bought: apartments, land and villas in one basket

The direct answer to “what do people actually buy for $5m in Dubai: villas, penthouses or land?” is: all of those categories appeared, but apartments were the largest group in the register. Of 833 transactions, 358 were apartments (43.0%), 257 were residential land (30.9%), 205 were villas or townhouses (24.6%), 10 were entire buildings and 3 were recorded as penthouses.

The median sale price was AED 17,149,254, median recorded area 6,447 ft² and median rate AED 2,660 per ft². Ready properties formed 57.0% of the basket and off-plan sales 43.0%. Areas with more registered transactions were Marsa Dubai with 81, Palm Jumeirah with 78, Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid with 71, Nad Al Shiba First with 70, Wadi Al Safa 3 with 44 and Saih Shuaib 1 with 42.

- An off-plan three-bedroom apartment in The Residences at the Dubai Beach Edition, Marsa Dubai, registered at AED 17,436,317 for 3,184 ft² in April 2026.
- An off-plan three-bedroom apartment in OCEAN HOUSE, Palm Jumeirah, registered at AED 17,047,828 for 3,237 ft² in May 2026.
- A ready land transaction in Golf Place ll, Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, registered at AED 19,400,000 for 7,433 ft² in November 2025.

From this price level upward, the median area and AED-per-ft² figures are mixed measures. For villas and land, the recorded procedure area may be land area rather than internal built area. Entire buildings also enter the same basket. That is why a buyer looking only for an apartment should not read the AED 2,660 per ft² median as an apartment-only price. For a separate citywide apartment comparison, see [prices for apartments in Dubai](/apartment-prices-in-dubai/).

Penthouses are not reliably separable from all other apartments in the register. Only records whose bedroom field says PENTHOUSE are counted as such, and there were only three in this basket. A search for “penthouse Dubai price” should therefore be checked property by property, not inferred from the recorded penthouse count.

## $10 million and $20 million: higher values, still mixed property types

The $10 million basket included 311 transactions. Apartments accounted for 175 sales, or 56.3%; land represented 74 sales and villas or townhouses 53. The median transaction price was AED 34,561,636, median recorded area 7,082 ft² and median rate AED 4,849 per ft². Ready sales were 51.4%, narrowly above off-plan at 48.6%.

Jumeirah First had 51 recorded sales in this basket, Palm Jumeirah had 36, Wadi Al Safa 3 had 31, Jumeirah Second had 27 and Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid had 25. The larger project counts included Solaya (1,2,3) with 29 sales and Peninsula Dubai Residences – Tower 2 with 17.

- An off-plan four-bedroom apartment in Solaya (4,6), Jumeirah First, registered at AED 33,816,000 for 4,605 ft² in March 2026.
- A ready villa or townhouse in Palm Jumeirah, with no project name recorded, registered at AED 34,600,000 for 7,082 ft² in November 2025.
- An off-plan seven-bedroom villa or townhouse in Karl Lagerfeld Villas By Taraf, Wadi Al Safa 3, registered at AED 36,960,000 for 11,826 ft² in December 2025.

The $20 million basket had 86 sales. Apartments were 37 transactions, or 43.0%; land was 28, or 32.6%; villas and townhouses were 21, or 24.4%. Its median price was AED 70,000,000, the median recorded area was 13,410 ft², and the median rate was AED 5,168 per ft².

Palm Jumeirah had 20 transactions, Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid 14, Jumeirah Second 9, World Islands 7 and Wadi Al Safa 3 had 6. Off-plan made up 46.5% of transactions, with ready sales at 53.5%.

- An off-plan four-bedroom apartment in The Alba Residences by Omniyat, Palm Jumeirah, registered at AED 64,000,000 for 6,681 ft² in April 2026.
- A ready villa or townhouse in FAIRWAY VISTAS, Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, registered at AED 73,000,000 for 13,071 ft² in February 2026.
- An off-plan six-bedroom villa or townhouse in ZAYA ZUHA ISLAND, World Islands, registered at AED 68,575,000 for 24,193 ft² in February 2026.

A $10 million villa in Dubai is therefore not the only transaction pattern in this range. Apartments recorded more sales at $10 million, while at $20 million apartments, land and villas/townhouses each had material shares. Buyers who want a completed home can narrow the search through the [catalogue of ready apartments](/en/ready/); those considering villas and townhouses can review the [villa and townhouse catalogue](/villas-in-dubai/).

## From $30 million: $50 million and $100 million are isolated transactions

The $50 million basket had 11 transactions and the $100 million basket had only 5. These are isolated transactions, not a market sample from which to generalise median property characteristics; the medians shown for these two baskets in the table are indicative only.

The broader basket from $30 million to AED 500 million contained 35 sales. Land accounted for 14 transactions, apartments for 13, villas or townhouses for 4 and entire buildings for 4. Ready transactions represented 57.1% and off-plan 42.9%. The median registered sale price was AED 171,036,254, with a median recorded area of 31,201 ft² and AED 7,337 per ft².

Jumeirah Second had 6 sales in this range; Palm Jumeirah had 5; Jumeirah First, Jabal Ali First and Wadi Al Safa 4 each had 3. Aman Residences Dubai appeared in 5 transactions, while 14 sales had no registered project or building name.

- An off-plan five-bedroom apartment in Peninsula Dubai Residences – Tower 2, Jumeirah Second, registered at AED 210,000,000 for 21,812 ft² in February 2026.
- A ready land transaction in Palm Jumeirah, with no project name recorded, registered at AED 195,000,000 for 27,158 ft² in December 2025.
- A ready land transaction in Wadi Al Safa 4, with no project name recorded, registered at AED 361,346,052 for 1,129,206 ft² in July 2026.

These examples show why the highest-budget medians cannot be read as a typical home specification. A land transaction of 1,129,206 ft² and an apartment transaction of 21,812 ft² can sit in the same broad price range but answer entirely different buyer requirements.

## Purchase costs, residence and transaction process

The property price is not the full cash budget. Registration-related charges and trustee office costs can apply in a purchase, and their treatment depends on the transaction structure. Before reserving a property, use the [Dubai property purchase cost calculator](/dubai-property-fees-calculator/) to model the relevant DLD and trustee-office expenses for the particular price. The calculator is a planning tool; final amounts and payment instructions should be confirmed for the specific transaction.

Property ownership alone should not be treated as an automatic visa result: documentation, property status and personal circumstances affect the process, and the current Golden Visa requirements should be confirmed with DLD and GDRFA before a purchase is planned around them. The [2026 Dubai Golden Visa guide](/how-to-get-a-dubai-golden-visa-in-2026-long-term-residence-in-the-uae/) explains the general route. For individual immigration, tax or legal conclusions, speak with an appropriately qualified specialist.

For off-plan purchases, the registration may be referred to as *oqood*, the official pre-registration record for an off-plan property. The sale figures labelled off-plan include registrations recorded as Off-Plan Properties. The register does not separate an initial developer sale from an assignment or resale within that category.

A broker can explain the recorded sales, help shortlist properties, prepare transaction documents and accompany the purchase process. The broker does not accept or exchange client money, open accounts, issue loans, or provide tax and legal opinions. Payments should follow the documented route for the developer’s escrow account or the trustee office. If financing is part of the plan, a bank decides its own eligibility and terms; see the guide to [mortgages for non-residents in Dubai](/dubai-mortgage-for-non-residents/).

See also: [buying several units or a whole floor](/articles/bulk-purchase-multiple-units-dubai/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What can $1 million buy in Dubai?

In the AED 2.938m–4.407m basket, there were 15,478 sales. Apartments represented 62.6%, villas or townhouses 33.7%, and the median recorded sale price was AED 3,506,086.

### Where were more $1 million transactions registered?

Al Khairan First recorded 1,378 sales, Palm Deira 1,304 and Al Yelayiss 1 had 1,228. This is transaction volume, not a quality ranking.

### What did buyers purchase for around $2 million?

Of 3,797 sales, 53.1% were apartments, 34.1% villas or townhouses and 12.1% land. The basket’s median transaction price was AED 6,883,005.

### Are $5 million purchases mainly villas or penthouses?

Neither category alone dominated. Apartments made up 43.0% of 833 sales, land 30.9%, villas or townhouses 24.6%, and only three records were explicitly marked PENTHOUSE.

### What was the median price for the $10 million basket?

The median registered transaction price was AED 34,561,636 across 311 sales. Apartments accounted for 56.3% of those transactions.

### Does the $20 million median area describe a villa?

No. The 13,410 ft² median includes apartments, land and villas or townhouses. Recorded area for land and some villas can be plot area rather than internal area.

### What did the $100 million basket contain?

The $100 million ±20% basket contained five isolated transactions within the AED 293.8m–440.7m range, so no general conclusion should be drawn from them. One registered land transaction in Wadi Al Safa 4 was AED 361,346,052; one off-plan apartment transaction in Aman Residences Dubai was AED 422,000,000.

## Discuss a purchase in Dubai

If you are considering a purchase, arrange a free consultation to go through the property, the transaction steps and the documents.

## Links

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How to cite: "What $1M to $100M buys in Dubai: 12 months of DLD sales by budget — Continental Club Property, 2026-10-31, https://continentalclub.ae/articles/what-1m-to-100m-buys-in-dubai-dld-data/"