Apartment Sizes in Dubai: What You Get for the Money

Apartment sizes in Dubai vary far more than the bedroom count suggests. A one-bedroom can be 600 square feet or 1,100, at similar prices, in the same district.

Square footage, not bedrooms, is how the market actually prices property here.

Typical sizes

Newer buildings in outer communities tend to sit at the compact end. Older stock in established districts is often more generous for the same money.

Price per square foot is the comparison that works

Two one-bedroom apartments at AED 1.1 million are not the same purchase if one is 700 square feet and the other 950. Divide the price by the size and compare that number, then look at what the extra space actually is: a usable second living area, or a long corridor.

What the size figure includes

Advertised areas normally include balconies, and sometimes a share of common areas. Two apartments quoted at the same size can differ in usable space by a hundred square feet. Ask whether the figure is the built-up area or the suite area, and check the floor plan.

Layout matters more than the number

• Bedroom width: a room that fits a king bed and a wardrobe is a different proposition from one that fits only one.
• Kitchen: open kitchens make small apartments feel larger and are harder to let to families.
• Balcony depth: a narrow strip counts in the square footage and is unusable.
• Corridors: space you pay for and cannot use.

Size and rental yield

Smaller units typically produce higher yields per square foot, because rents do not fall in proportion to size. Larger units suit end users and appreciate differently. See rental yields by community.

Before you buy

Get the floor plan, not just the photographs, and visit at least two apartments of the same nominal size to calibrate. Our fees guide covers what a purchase costs beyond the price.

Browse homes for sale or ask us for floor plans.