Community market reading
Dubai South: May 2026 market reading
May recorded 1,251 off-plan apartment registrations against 57 completed apartment transfers.
New apartment registrations dominated May.
The report put the average May off-plan apartment sale at AED 992,590 and the average completed apartment sale at AED 884,094. These are not matched homes, so the difference is not an off-plan premium. Villa and townhouse activity was much smaller, with 12 completed transfers and 15 off-plan registrations. The reported residential price measure moved −0.10% for the month and +8.14% over 12 months.
The transaction groups are not matched homes.
A transaction-count share for apartments only. It does not measure occupied homes, demand for rent or the share of transactions by value.
How this is calculated
(1,251 off-plan apartment registrations) ÷ (57 completed plus 1,251 off-plan apartment transactions) × 100. Calculated from the reported counts below, rounded to one decimal place.
The figures below refer to the stated reporting period.
Dubai South figures reported for May 2026. No April report was supplied for this reading.
| Measure | May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Reported monthly residential price change | −0.10% |
| Reported 12-month residential price change | +8.14% |
| Reported gross residential rental yield | 6.01% |
| Completed apartment transfers | 57 |
| Off-plan apartment registrations | 1,251 |
| Completed villa/townhouse transfers | 12 |
| Off-plan villa/townhouse registrations | 15 |
Compare the actual building and payment schedule.
The apartment market drove this month's totals
The two apartment categories together recorded 1,308 transactions. Villas and townhouses recorded 27 across their completed and off-plan categories. That imbalance makes the apartment split central to this May reading; it does not mean the smaller home categories are unimportant to an individual buyer.
A large registration count cannot establish how quickly an existing owner could sell. These reports do not provide time on market, unsold supply or repeat-sale evidence. Those would be needed to turn the activity reading into an exit assessment.
Do not turn the average ticket gap into a premium
The average off-plan apartment ticket exceeded the completed-home average by AED 108,496. The cohorts are not matched for size or building, so the gap is a starting point for a comparison, not a measured premium. The modest monthly price decline and positive annual measure should remain separate from those average transaction values.
A buyer comparing an existing home with a launch needs the exact building, completion stage, unit size and total payment schedule on one sheet. The May transaction split shows where activity was recorded; it does not identify current stock or establish which home offers better value.
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