Is your Dubai salary enough?
Put in a monthly salary and who it has to support. You get what’s left after rent, the housing fee and school fees — from rents actually registered with the Dubai Land Department and fees published by KHDA, not guesses.
Everything paid monthly, including housing and transport allowances. UAE salaries have no income tax.
Enter a monthly salary to see what’s left after housing.
What a flat costs, by area
Median annual rent of registered contracts, data through 15 October 2026. The most-rented communities first; a dash means fewer than 30 contracts.
| Area | Studio | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom | 3-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of Dubai | 40,000 | 58,324 | 77,175 | 132,895 |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 48,000 | 70,000 | 95,000 | 150,000 |
| International City Phase 1 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 54,600 | 102,000 |
| Silicon Oasis | 40,973 | 54,810 | 75,256 | 110,000 |
| Business Bay | 65,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 | 186,750 |
| Dubai Marina | 60,375 | 90,000 | 140,000 | 215,000 |
| Discovery Gardens | 41,500 | 59,799 | 76,261 | — |
| Arjan | 46,000 | 68,000 | 93,500 | 150,000 |
| International City Phase 3 | 38,000 | 49,000 | 61,500 | 86,000 |
| Downtown Dubai | 72,000 | 115,000 | 180,000 | 300,000 |
| Dubai Sports City | 40,000 | 56,000 | 80,000 | 105,982 |
| Dubai Land Residence Complex | 38,000 | 51,000 | 65,000 | 91,000 |
| Al Furjan | 46,000 | 68,252 | 99,952 | 170,000 |
| Meydan One Community | 50,000 | 75,000 | 100,000 | 130,000 |
| International Media Production Zone | 37,800 | 56,000 | 78,000 | 90,000 |
| Town Square | 42,000 | 60,000 | 85,000 | 144,141 |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | — | 98,000 | 150,000 | 215,000 |
| DMCC Master Community | 56,000 | 80,000 | 120,000 | 140,000 |
| Barsha Heights | 60,000 | 66,150 | 88,000 | 120,336 |
| Dubai Hills Estate | 72,000 | 90,000 | 140,000 | 246,000 |
| Sobha Hartland | 66,000 | 86,000 | 140,000 | 190,000 |
| Dubai South Residential District | 40,000 | 53,000 | 80,000 | 145,000 |
| Palm Jumeirah | 90,000 | 147,000 | 205,000 | 290,000 |
| The Greens | 60,000 | 90,000 | 149,004 | 190,000 |
| Jumeirah Garden City | 58,154 | 73,000 | 95,000 | 150,000 |
| Dubai Investment Park First | 37,500 | 60,000 | 75,600 | 160,650 |
AED a year. 86 communities in the calculator; 25 shown.
School fees in Dubai
Median annual tuition by stage and curriculum, 2024–2025. The range under “All schools” runs from the cheaper quarter of schools to the dearer quarter.
| Stage | All schools | British | American | Indian | IB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KG (age 4–5) | 27,04814,010–48,780 | 42,500 | 29,399 | 12,672 | 56,796 |
| Primary (Grades 1–5) | 30,00715,175–55,006 | 47,500 | 33,678 | 15,093 | 64,939 |
| Middle (Grades 6–8) | 34,81317,318–66,496 | 58,438 | 39,000 | 18,490 | 75,368 |
| Secondary (Grades 9–12) | 38,86419,534–79,809 | 66,630 | 42,000 | 19,570 | 86,300 |
Is it a good salary in Dubai?
What’s left at each level, for a single person, a couple and a family:
About these numbers
Rents are the median annual rent of tenancy contracts registered in Ejari with the Dubai Land Department over the trailing 12 complete months, data through 15 October 2026, as aggregated by Dubai Data (CC BY 4.0). An area is listed for a home size only with 30+ registered contracts. Registered contracts include renewals, which the RERA rent cap holds down, so someone moving in now is usually quoted more — treat these as a floor. Areas are Dubai’s master-planned communities; older neighbourhoods such as Deira, Bur Dubai, Karama or Al Qusais are recorded differently and only appear in the Dubai-wide median. Shared rooms aren’t registered, so they aren’t here at all.
School fees are annual tuition for the 2024–2025 academic year from KHDA’s private schools open data , across 218 schools; each school counts once per stage. Uniforms, books, transport and registration fees are extra.
Housing fee: Dubai Municipality charges tenants 5% of the annual rent, billed monthly on the DEWA bill; it’s included in every monthly housing figure here. Food, transport, utilities, phone and insurance aren’t estimated — the amount left has to cover them.
Questions
How much is rent in Dubai?
Across all tenancy contracts registered in Dubai over the last 12 months, the median annual rent was AED 40,000 for a studio, AED 58,324 for a 1-bedroom and AED 77,175 for a 2-bedroom flat. With the 5% housing fee that is about AED 3,500, 5,103 and 6,753 a month. Registered contracts include renewals, so newcomers usually pay more.
How much are school fees in Dubai?
For 2024–2025, the median annual tuition at Dubai private schools was AED 30,007 in primary — about AED 15,093 at Indian-curriculum schools, AED 33,678 at American, AED 47,500 at British and AED 64,939 at IB schools.
What is the housing fee on the DEWA bill?
Dubai Municipality charges tenants a housing fee of 5% of the annual rent in their tenancy contract. It is collected through the DEWA bill in monthly instalments.
Why might I pay more than these rents?
The figures are signed contracts registered in Ejari, and they include renewals. Renewals are limited by the RERA rent cap, so the median across all contracts sits below what a landlord asks a new tenant today.