ROI analysis of apartment in Aykon City: DLD data and real deals — 14.12.2025

1. Definition of the area and data structure

Actual location: According to DLD, transactions for “AYKON CITY” (including all towers, for example “AYKON CITY-TOWER B”) are recorded in the Business Bay area. The master project is not explicitly specified in the data, so transactions across the entire Business Bay district are used as a benchmark for comparison.

2. Transaction frequency, dynamics, and liquidity

1-bedroom apartments (1BR) in AYKON CITY enjoy stable demand: the number of registered transactions has ranged from 7 to 81 per quarter over the past 4 years. Peak activity was in the second half of 2022 (handover of new buildings); since then, annualized quarterly volumes have remained in the range of 17–53 transactions, which can be considered high liquidity for a single residential complex.

The total number of transactions over the last 12 months (for 1BR) is 84. This confirms sustained demand and fast turnover of stock within the project.

3. Purchase price dynamics for the project and the district

The average price per square metre for 1-bedroom apartments in AYKON CITY over the last 12 months amounted to 24,882 AED/m² (based on 84 transactions, with outliers for non-standard sizes and anomalous prices excluded).

In Business Bay, the comparable segment (1BR, apartment stock) over the same period shows an average price of 24,337 AED/m² across more than 5,000 transactions. Thus, AYKON CITY trades at a small premium of about 2% to the wider district.

Looking at the 3-year trend, there has been substantial price growth: in early 2022, average values in AYKON CITY were around 19,600–20,000 AED/m²; by mid‑2024 the project reached a peak of 33,000 AED/m² in certain quarters. However, the average level over the last year has stabilised in the 24,000–30,000 AED/m² range. A similar pattern is observed across Business Bay as a whole, where growth has been even more linear: from 14,000–15,000 AED/m² in 2021 to the current 24,000+ AED/m².

4. Rental market and yield

As of the last 12 months, there are no valid rental contracts (Res/Flat, 1BR) for AYKON CITY in the open DLD data — most likely due to the recent completion of the complex and a lag in the registration of new leased units. Similarly, there are no 1BR rental contracts for the entire Business Bay district in the sample for the last 12 months.

However, when the filter is expanded to all residential apartments (Residential, Flat, all room types), the average annual rental rate in Business Bay over the last year was 1,302 AED/m² (based on 16,309 valid contracts). This figure is an average across the entire district, covering all residential formats and unit sizes.

In terms of dynamics, rents in Business Bay have almost doubled since early 2021: from approximately 700–800 AED/m² to the current 1,300+ AED/m².

5. Yield (ROI) and fair price assessment

Since there is no valid rental data specifically for AYKON CITY 1-bedroom apartments, it is not possible to accurately assess yield at the building level. ROI can only be estimated at the district level (Business Bay, all residential apartments):

– District gross yield (ROI): 1,302 / 24,337 ≈ 5.4% per annum.
– Taking into account standard acquisition costs (around 7%): net yield falls to roughly 5.1% per annum.

“Fair price range” per m² to achieve a 7–8% ROI (district benchmark):

– For a target yield of 7%: 1,302 / 0.07 = 18,600 AED/m²;
– For a target yield of 8%: 1,302 / 0.08 = 16,300 AED/m².

Current average market prices exceed these levels by 30–50%. In practice, at prevailing prices an investor’s yield will be below the desired 7–8% investment “threshold”, and achieving it would require either a substantial increase in rents or a discount on the purchase price.

6. Conclusions and outlook

AYKON CITY is a highly liquid project with the bulk of sales occurring in 2022–2024, now stabilised at a market price slightly above the wider Business Bay level. Liquidity in the project is high, but the rental stream for 1-bedroom units is not yet reflected in DLD statistics — additional time will likely be needed for the building to appear in rental datasets. The investment yield potential at current prices is limited: district-level ROI is ≈5.1% per annum, below the target 7–8%. To reach a 7–8% level, investors would need either lower entry prices (~16,000–18,500 AED/m²) or further rental growth in Business Bay.