Dubai service charges in numbers
Source: the DLD service charge index (Mollak) — RERA-approved owners’ association budgets, budget year 2026. A building’s total is the general and reserve funds excluding additional charges, as shown on the DLD portal.
Service charges by community, 2026
| Community | Buildings | AED/sq ft | AED/m² | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 169 | 17.07 | 184 | 3–43 |
| Dubai Marina | 104 | 16.31 | 176 | 4–40 |
| Dubai Land | 102 | 12.52 | 135 | 3–24 |
| Meydan | 96 | 19.12 | 206 | 4–27 |
| Business Bay | 83 | 19.95 | 215 | 5–54 |
| Silicon Oasis | 59 | 13.77 | 148 | 4–19 |
| Motor City | 54 | 15.90 | 171 | 6–23 |
| Dubai Sports City | 50 | 15.75 | 169 | 4–28 |
| Liwan | 44 | 12.94 | 139 | 4–21 |
| Damac Hills | 44 | 3.47 | 37 | 3–26 |
| International City | 43 | 12.81 | 138 | 4–21 |
| Al Furjan | 40 | 14.09 | 152 | 12–18 |
| Arjan | 38 | 15.67 | 169 | 6–22 |
| DMCC Master Community | 37 | 16.42 | 177 | 11–28 |
| Dubai South | 36 | 17.21 | 185 | 4–25 |
| Dubai Investment Park | 34 | 12.15 | 131 | 5–27 |
| Dubai Production City | 29 | 18.89 | 203 | 12–23 |
| Burj Khalifa District | 25 | 28.67 | 309 | 16–49 |
| The Greens | 25 | 14.88 | 160 | 6–23 |
| Downtown Dubai | 24 | 18.98 | 204 | 16–61 |
| Dubai Hills Estate | 24 | 18.53 | 199 | 3–30 |
| Damac Hills 2 | 22 | 3.87 | 42 | 3–25 |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | 19 | 21.07 | 227 | 16–36 |
| Discovery Gardens | 19 | 16.04 | 173 | 12–21 |
| Al Barari | 14 | 20.55 | 221 | 18–26 |
| Palm Jumeirah | 13 | 16.90 | 182 | 3–45 |
| Majan | 12 | 14.50 | 156 | 11–21 |
| Nshama | 11 | 4.44 | 48 | 4–18 |
| International City Ph 2 & 3 | 11 | 13.67 | 147 | 10–17 |
| Jumeirah Village Triangle | 11 | 18.65 | 201 | 15–21 |
| Dubai Health Care City Phase 1 | 10 | 17.69 | 190 | 9–31 |
| Dubai Studio City | 10 | 18.67 | 201 | 16–24 |
| Barsha Heights | 9 | 17.37 | 187 | 13–20 |
| Town Square | 8 | 15.42 | 166 | 3–22 |
| Jumeirah Golf Estates | 8 | 15.01 | 162 | 15–23 |
| Dubai Industrial City | 7 | 9.56 | 103 | 4–16 |
| Culture Village | 7 | 16.39 | 176 | 4–34 |
| Sobha Hartland | 7 | 18.57 | 200 | 6–22 |
| Dubai Science Park | 6 | 16.85 | 181 | 15–31 |
| Jumeriah Beach Residence - JBR | 5 | 20.10 | 216 | 5–45 |
| Mirdif | 5 | 12.37 | 133 | 5–13 |
| Wasl 1 | 5 | 15.73 | 169 | 16–17 |
Median annual charge per sq ft across residential buildings in the community (≥5 buildings). Click a header to sort.
Median charge per sq ft by year, AED
Median across residential buildings with an approved budget in each year.
Largest management companies, 2026
| Management company | Buildings | Median, AED/sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 163 | 5.13 |
| KAIZEN OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES L.L.C | 148 | 14.73 |
| STRATUM OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES L.L.C | 124 | 15.64 |
| EMAAR COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT (L.L.C) | 105 | 17.62 |
| DH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 83 | 15.25 |
| V C M COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT | 81 | 19.43 |
| KINGFIELD OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES | 67 | 15.31 |
| EDACOM OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 53 | 15.95 |
| PROVIS OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES L.L.C | 51 | 14.47 |
| DEYAAR COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 50 | 17.73 |
| PRIME OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES L.L.C | 45 | 14.07 |
| HIGHRISE OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES | 44 | 14.61 |
| S G COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | 43 | 17.99 |
| BETTER COMMUNITIES OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT | 34 | 16.45 |
| SYMBIOSIS OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES | 30 | 16.13 |
By number of residential buildings with an approved budget; median charge across their buildings.
What the charge is made of, 2026
| Category | Average, AED/sq ft | Buildings |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities Services | 4.78 | 1,596 |
| Shared Services | 3.80 | 207 |
| Services | 3.35 | 1,635 |
| Maintenance | 3.31 | 1,636 |
| Master Community | 1.42 | 1,467 |
| Reserved Fund | 1.22 | 1,623 |
| Management Services | 1.04 | 1,621 |
| Improvement | 0.68 | 860 |
| Insurance | 0.37 | 1,527 |
Averages by budget category: maintenance, utilities, management, reserve fund, insurance, master community and others.
Most expensive buildings to maintain
| Building | Community | Manager | AED/sq ft | AED/m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Residences Dubai - Residences with Pool & Elevator | Jumeirah Second | H & H DEVELOPMENT L.L.C | 118.30 | 1,273 |
| Private Residences Dubai - Penthouse | Jumeirah Second | H & H DEVELOPMENT L.L.C | 117.00 | 1,259 |
| Private Residences Dubai - Residence with elevator | Jumeirah Second | H & H DEVELOPMENT L.L.C | 116.56 | 1,255 |
| Private Residences Dubai - Residences | Jumeirah Second | H & H DEVELOPMENT L.L.C | 115.61 | 1,244 |
| Private Residences Dubai - Townhouses | Jumeirah Second | H & H DEVELOPMENT L.L.C | 111.56 | 1,201 |
| Palme Couture - Palme Couture | Palm Jumeirah | STRATUM OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES L.L.C | 78.12 | 841 |
| One At Palm Jumeirah - ONE AT PALM JUMEIRAH | Palm Jumeirah | CLARITY OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 68.73 | 740 |
| Burj Khalifa - Armani Residences | DownTown Dubai | EMAAR COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT (L.L.C) | 61.36 | 660 |
| Affini, A Tribute Portfolio Residence | Dubai Health Care City Phase 2 | S G COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES | 58.16 | 626 |
| Oia Residence | Al Hebiah First | EDACOM OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 57.99 | 624 |
| Burj Khalifa - The Residences | DownTown Dubai | EMAAR COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT (L.L.C) | 55.22 | 594 |
| Mr.C Residences Jumeirah | Jumeirah Second | ALTA OWNER ASSOCIATION SERVICES L.L.C | 54.73 | 589 |
| Bvlgari Residence | Jumeira Bay | DH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 54.03 | 582 |
| Dorchester Collection Dubai - Dorchester Collection Dubai | Business Bay | CLARITY OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 53.95 | 581 |
| Fairmont The Palm - Fairmont Heritage Place | Palm Jumeirah | SAGA INTERNATIONAL OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES L.L.C | 51.22 | 551 |
Cheapest buildings to maintain
| Building | Community | Manager | AED/sq ft | AED/m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl Jumeirah - Pearl Jumeirah - PEARLJ - Under Construction - Residential | Pearl Jumeira | DH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 3.02 | 33 |
| Emerald Hills | Dubai Hills Estate | EMAAR COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT (L.L.C) | 3.02 | 33 |
| Living Legends Villa Community | Legends | KAIZEN OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES L.L.C | 3.03 | 33 |
| Damac Hills 2 - Damac Hills 2 - Madinat Hind 4 - Permised,Vacant - Residential | Damac Hills 2 | LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 3.04 | 33 |
| Fairways - Fairways | Dubai Hills Estate | EMAAR COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT (L.L.C) | 3.04 | 33 |
| Tulip Park | Jumeirah Village Circle | ADVENTUS OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 3.04 | 33 |
| Damac Hills - Damac Hills - Al Hebiah Third - Permised,Vacant - Residential | Damac Hills | LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 3.05 | 33 |
| Damac Hills - Damac Hills - Al Hebiah Third - Permised,Vacant - Residential | Damac Hills | LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 3.07 | 33 |
| Damac Hills - Damac Hills - Al Hebiah Third - Permised,Vacant - Residential | Damac Hills | LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 3.07 | 33 |
| Damac Hills - Damac Hills - Al Hebiah Third - Permised,Vacant - Residential | Damac Hills | LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 3.09 | 33 |
| La Mer - La Mer - North - Vacant - Residential | LA MER | DH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 3.09 | 33 |
| Damac Hills - Damac Hills - Al Hebiah Third - Permised,Vacant - Residential | Damac Hills | LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 3.10 | 33 |
| Jumeirah Park - Jumeirah Park - Royal Park - Permised - Residential | Jumeirah Park | DH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 3.11 | 33 |
| Damac Hills - Damac Hills - Al Hebiah Third - Permised,Vacant - Residential | Damac Hills | LUXURY OWNER ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES CO. L.L.C | 3.11 | 33 |
| Pearl Jumeirah - Pearl Jumeirah - PEARLJ - Vacant - Residential | Pearl Jumeira | DH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT L.L.C | 3.12 | 34 |
Charges below AED 3/sq ft are excluded as incomplete budgets.
Data: Dubai Land Department registries (sales transactions and Ejari rental contracts). Updated 2026-10-05. Free to reuse with attribution to Continental Club Property (CC BY 4.0). JSON: service.json. Methodology ↗
More in this section: Market overview · Weekly report · Area performance · Top luxury sales · Off-plan vs ready · Rental analysis · Top developers
About this data and how to use it
How much does it cost to own an apartment in Dubai after the purchase? Service charges are the biggest recurring cost, and they vary threefold between communities. This page is built from the registry of owners’ association budgets approved by RERA and published by the Dubai Land Department: the median annual charge per square foot and per square metre for every major community, the trend over the last five years, the breakdown by budget category (maintenance, utilities, management, reserve fund, insurance, master community), and the most and least expensive buildings to maintain.
How to use these figures
Multiply the charge per sq ft by your apartment’s area to estimate the annual bill: a 1,000 sq ft apartment in a community at AED 15/sq ft costs about AED 15,000 a year. Charges are set per building and approved annually, so always check the specific building’s budget before buying — our area pages link to building-level data. DLD publishes budgets with a delay, so the latest complete year is shown. Net rental yields on this site are not adjusted for service charges; use this page to do that yourself.