Dubai’s real estate market recorded a total transaction value of AED 49.05 billion in October 2026, supported by 16,466 transactions across off-plan, ready, and land segments.
Compared with September 2026, when the market recorded AED 43.64 billion across 15,248 transactions, October delivered a 12.4% increase in value and an 8.0% increase in transaction volume. This represents an additional AED 5.41 billion in traded value and 1,218 more transactions, reflecting stronger market activity during the month.
Total sales transactions also increased from 10,622 in September to 11,431 in October, representing a 7.6% monthly increase. The average transaction value rose from approximately AED 2.86 million to AED 2.98 million, indicating that transaction values grew faster than the number of deals.
Year-on-year, however, October 2026 remained below October 2025, when the market recorded AED 73.12 billion. This represents a 32.9% decline in total transaction value, equivalent to approximately AED 24.07 billion. The comparison highlights the significant difference between the two periods, despite the improvement recorded in October compared with September.
Land emerged as the largest segment by value, contributing 44.3% of total market transactions, despite representing only 15.7% of transaction volume. This highlights the considerable influence of high-value land transactions on October's overall market performance.
Ready properties recorded the highest number of transactions at 7,079, representing 43.0% of market activity, narrowly ahead of off-plan properties with 6,795 transactions, or 41.3%.
However, off-plan continued to dominate actual sales activity, accounting for 6,579 sales transactions, equivalent to 57.6% of all sales transactions during October.
Off-Plan Market Performance
Total Value: AED 13.91 billion
Share of Monthly Total: 28.4%
Transactions: 6,795
Share of Transactions: 41.3%
Sales Transactions: 6,579
The off-plan market recorded AED 13.91 billion in total transaction value, representing 28.4% of Dubai's monthly market total. Flats remained the dominant category, generating AED 9.38 billion, or 67.4% of total off-plan value.
Off-plan recorded 6,795 transactions, representing 41.3% of total market activity. Within sales transactions specifically, off-plan accounted for 6,579 sales, equal to 57.6% of all sales transactions in October, reinforcing its position as the leading sales segment.
Ready Market Performance
Total Value: AED 13.41 billion
Share of Monthly Total: 27.3%
Transactions: 7,079
Share of Transactions: 43.0%
Sales Transactions: 3,511
Ready properties contributed AED 13.41 billion, representing 27.3% of Dubai's total market value. Flats remained the largest category, generating AED 9.29 billion, or 69.2% of ready transaction value.
Together, flats and villas represented approximately 90.7% of ready property value, highlighting the dominant contribution of residential properties within the completed market.
The ready segment recorded 7,079 transactions, representing 43.0% of total market activity, making it the largest segment by number of transactions.
Ready sales transactions reached 3,511, accounting for 30.7% of all sales transactions during October. The difference between total transactions and sales activity reflects the significant contribution of mortgages and gifts within the ready market.
Land Market Performance
Land transactions reached AED 21.73 billion, representing 44.3% of Dubai's total transaction value in October 2026.
The land segment recorded 2,592 transactions, accounting for 15.7% of total transaction volume. Land sales transactions stood at 1,341, representing 11.7% of total sales transactions during the month.
Land emerged as the single largest contributor to Dubai's total real estate transaction value, exceeding both the off-plan and ready segments individually.
The top 10 land areas recorded AED 7.20 billion, representing 33.1% of total land transaction value. Al Rowaiyah First was the clear leader, generating AED 2.62 billion, equivalent to 12.1% of the entire land market. Palm Jabal Ali followed with AED 1.35 billion, while Barsha Heights contributed AED 600 million.
The highest individual land transaction of October was the AED 600 million transaction in Barsha Heights.
On the Micro Level
Transaction Type - Excluding Land
Excluding land, sales remained the dominant transaction type, contributing AED 20.34 billion, or 74.4% of total ex-land transaction value.
Off-plan sales were particularly strong, generating AED 13.04 billion, equivalent to 93.8% of total off-plan value. Gifts contributed AED 612.31 million, or 4.4%, while mortgages accounted for AED 256.97 million, representing 1.8%.
Ready property sales contributed AED 7.30 billion, representing 54.4% of ready value, while mortgage transactions reached AED 4.63 billion, equivalent to 34.5%. Gift transactions accounted for another AED 1.49 billion, or 11.1%.
Combined mortgage transactions across off-plan and ready properties reached AED 4.89 billion, while gifts contributed AED 2.10 billion.
Studio and one-bedroom flats continued to dominate off-plan apartment demand. One-bedroom apartments recorded 2,275 transactions, followed closely by studios with 1,955 transactions. Together, these categories accounted for 4,230 transactions, representing approximately 76.0% of the off-plan flat transactions in the bedroom breakdown.
In the ready market, one-bedroom flats also led with 1,260 transactions, followed by two-bedroom apartments with 799 transactions and studios with 591 transactions. One-bedroom apartments and studios together represented approximately 63.5% of the ready flat transactions in the bedroom breakdown, compared with 76.0% in off-plan.
Villas
Off-plan villa demand was concentrated in larger family homes, with four-bedroom villas leading at 254 transactions, representing 45.8% of the off-plan villa transactions in the bedroom breakdown.Three-bedroom villas followed with 148 transactions, while five-bedroom villas recorded 137 transactions.
Together, three, four, and five-bedroom villas accounted for 539 transactions, or approximately 97.1% of the off-plan villa activity represented in the data.
In the ready villa market, three-bedroom villas were the most active category, recording 174 transactions, representing 56.1% of the ready villa transactions in the bedroom breakdown.
Four-bedroom villas followed with 97 transactions, or 31.3%, while two-bedroom villas recorded 25 transactions.
Market Insights & Outlook
October 2026 demonstrated a market that regained momentum compared with September, even as total transaction value remained significantly below the same month last year.
The 12.4% month-on-month increase in transaction value, combined with an 8.0% rise in transaction volume and a 7.6% increase in sales transactions, indicates a broader improvement in market activity. However, the 32.9% year-on-year decline reflects the substantial gap between October 2026 and the higher transaction values recorded in October 2025.
One of the most important developments during the month was the dominant contribution of land transactions. At AED 21.73 billion, land accounted for 44.3% of total market value, demonstrating how large land deals can significantly influence aggregate market performance. The substantial contributions from Al Rowaiyah First, Palm Jabal Ali, and Barsha Heights illustrate the importance of high-value land activity in shaping monthly results.
Off-plan remained the leading segment for property sales, recording 6,579 sales transactions, representing 57.6% of all sales transactions. Activity was supported by established investment destinations such as Business Bay and Jumeirah Village Circle, alongside developing locations including Madinat Al Mataar, Dubai Land Residence Complex, and Jabal Ali Industrial Second.
Demand for smaller apartments remained a defining feature of the off-plan market, with studios and one-bedroom units representing approximately 76.0% of the flat transactions in the bedroom breakdown. At the same time, four and five-bedroom villas accounted for a substantial portion of off-plan villa activity, indicating different demand patterns across apartment and villa categories.
The ready market recorded the largest overall transaction count at 7,079 transactions, reflecting activity across sales, mortgages, and gifts. Jumeirah Village Circle led by transaction volume, while Business Bay, Palm Jumeirah, and Burj Khalifa dominated the rankings by value.
The ready market also remained considerably more dispersed than off-plan, with its top 10 areas accounting for 24.8% of transactions, compared with 45.1% in off-plan. This points to a wider distribution of activity across established residential communities.
Mortgage transactions also remained significant within the ready segment, reaching AED 4.63 billion, or 34.5% of ready transaction value, highlighting the important contribution of financing-related transactions to the completed property market.
At the luxury end, individual sales continued to demonstrate the scale of Dubai's premium property market. The AED 79 million villa transaction at Zaya in The World, the AED 55 million flat transaction at Balqis Residence, and the AED 600 million land transaction in Barsha Heights were among the month's most notable deals.
Overall, October 2026 presented a mixed but important picture of Dubai's real estate market. The monthly improvement in value and transaction activity suggests renewed momentum, while the year-on-year decline shows that trading levels remained below the exceptional figures recorded in October 2025.
October's figures demonstrate that Dubai's property market continues to support substantial activity across different price points and property types, although the distinction between land, off-plan sales, and completed properties remains essential when assessing the market's underlying performance.
Data Source: Dubai Land Department
