Dubai added 24,800 residential units in the first half of 2026, a 37.6% year-on-year increase and the strongest half-year delivery period on record, according to Cavendish Maxwell's Dubai Residential Market Performance report.
Apartments accounted for roughly 18,900 of the completions, up 43% annually, with villas and townhouses contributing a further 5,900 units. Sales transactions reached 79,300, generating AED 221.4 billion in value, with off-plan deals comprising 74.8% of activity at 59,300 transactions.
Average sales prices reached AED 1,639 per sq ft, up 1.9% year-on-year, while annual rents climbed 7.8% to AED 75.7 per sq ft. Apartment gross yields averaged 6.9% citywide, with Dubai Investments Park leading at 9.7%. Ultra-luxury transactions – homes priced at AED 50 million and above – rose 12.7% to 160 deals. Mortgage activity grew 17.4% to AED 51.3 billion across 22,500 transactions.
Analysts at Cavendish Maxwell characterised the moderation in new launches – 124 projects versus 410 in 2025 – as a sign of market maturation rather than declining confidence.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer