Townhome and townhouse are the same thing in Dubai. The first is the American term and the second is what listings here mostly use, so if you are searching for townhomes you are searching for a slightly smaller pool than exists. Search both.

What the format actually is

A house of two or three floors, sharing side walls with its neighbours, with its own front door and usually a small garden. It sits between an apartment and a detached villa on price, space and privacy, and for most Dubai families it is the sensible middle.

Where the stock is

Almost all of it is in master communities built around the format rather than scattered through the city: Dubai Hills Estate, Arabian Ranches, Town Square, Damac Hills, Tilal Al Ghaf, The Valley, Al Furjan and Jumeirah Village Triangle. Each has a different price floor and, more importantly, a different amount still to be built.

What you gain and lose against an apartment

More space per dirham, usually markedly so, because you are further out.
Lower service charges, because there is no tower lobby, lift or pool deck to fund. Confirm the figure rather than assume it.
Worse liquidity. A tower apartment has a broad buyer pool. A specific townhouse in a specific community has a narrow one, and that shows when you sell.
More of your own maintenance. Your garden, your air conditioning, your roof.
A longer commute, which is the real price and the one people underestimate.

What to check

End or mid terrace. An end unit with a larger, more private plot commands a real premium and holds it better. Establish what you are paying for the position.
Which phase of the community, and what is still to be built behind you.
The school run, driven at 7.45 on a weekday.
The community fee and what it covers, particularly landscaping and shared pools.

More detail in our guide to buying a Dubai townhouse, and the off-plan houses we broker if you are buying new. See what is available to rent.