ROI analysis of apartment in Rimal 1: DLD data and real deals

1. Definition of the area and data structure

Actual location: Rimal 1 is located in the Marsa Dubai area (according to DLD data), with the master project being Jumeriah Beach Residence – JBR. The building name is consistent between the filters and the DLD database. For the purposes of comparative analysis, we will use benchmarks for the Marsa Dubai (JBR) area.

Sales data structure: The DLD database records 33 transactions for 1-bedroom (1BR) apartments in Rimal 1. For Marsa Dubai the sample is significantly larger – for each of the last 12 quarters there have been between 700 and 1,500 transactions per quarter (for all 1BR units).

2. Sales and price dynamics for the apartment

For 1BR units in Rimal 1, the dynamics of the average price per square metre over recent quarters (actual DLD transactions) are as follows:

– Q2 2025: 17,377 AED/m²
– Q4 2024: 16,668 AED/m²
– Q1 2024: 22,848 AED/m²
– Q4 2023: 14,022 AED/m²
– Q3 2023: 10,321 AED/m²
– Q1 2023: 11,775 AED/m²
– Q4 2022: 11,039 AED/m²
– Q2 2022: 9,462 AED/m²

The average price over the last 12 months for the building: 17,377 AED/m².

For comparison, across the entire Marsa Dubai (JBR) area, the average price over the last 12 months for 1BR units is 25,898 AED/m².
In the current quarters, the area shows the following range: 23,389–26,993 AED/m² (2024–2025).

Conclusion: Rimal 1 (1BR) is selling noticeably cheaper than the area average (around 33% below the average 1BR price in Marsa Dubai). This may be related to the age of the building, condition of the fit-out, or other building characteristics. Overall, there are no signs of extremely low liquidity for the building: transactions are recorded every quarter.

3. Rental rate dynamics

There are no valid rental contracts in the DLD database from 2021 onwards (using the filters: Residential, 1BR, area from 10 m² and annual rent above 1,000 AED) either for Rimal 1 itself, or for the JBR master project, or even for the wider Marsa Dubai area. Checks across the largest districts also do not yield a sample for 1BR units in the current period.

This may mean:
– either no new 1BR leases have been registered in DLD (which is common for older residential buildings in JBR),
– or incomplete data is being submitted, or units are rented out very rarely.

4. ROI and “fair” price calculation

Since there is not a single confirmed 1BR rental contract in DLD over the last 12 months for the building, the master project, or the area, it is not possible to correctly calculate either the average annual rent level or the ROI based on DLD statistics. Accordingly, it is impossible to objectively determine an investment “fair value” purchase range targeting a 7–8% annual yield. Without rental data, there is no basis for making any percentage estimates or recommending discounts/premiums to reach a target yield.

5. Summary and outlook

Rimal 1 is located in a large, highly liquid area – Marsa Dubai/JBR – with stable demand for transactions involving 1-bedroom apartments. Over the past 2 years, the price per m² has increased significantly (from 9,000–11,000 to 17,000+ AED/m²). Nevertheless, even with this growth, apartments in Rimal 1 are selling substantially below the area benchmark.

It is not possible to assess the investor’s actual yield using DLD data: the database does not record new 1BR leases (the rental market may be operating mainly on long-term contracts and renewals without new registrations). For a buyer, this means that the current price dynamics for the building are rather favourable for entry (there is visible growth and liquidity), but it is impossible to rely on yield calculations or compare with target rates of 7–8% without rental data.