What a studio costs in Dubai, and why the off-plan one costs more
The studio price distribution, the areas at each end of it, and the gap between off-plan and completed units measured area by area.
The median studio in this dataset sold for 680K at 38 sqm. Around that median the range is wide, and most of the spread comes from two things a listing rarely puts side by side: which area the studio is in, and whether it has been built.
The price range
450K
10th percentile
680K
Median
823K
75th percentile
1.2M
90th percentile
A studio is the cheapest way into the Dubai market on total price, and the entry point moves by more than a factor of four depending on where you look.
Where studios are cheapest
| Area | Median price | Median size | Median AED/sqm | Off-plan share | Sampled sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Warsan First | 310K | 44 sqm | 6,993 AED/sqm | 10% | 834 |
| Dubai Investment Park First | 383K | 35 sqm | 11,159 AED/sqm | 95% | 130 |
| Madinat Hind 4 | 435K | 39 sqm | 11,114 AED/sqm | 0% | 102 |
| Warsan Fourth | 452K | 38 sqm | 11,615 AED/sqm | 46% | 427 |
| Jabal Ali First | 550K | 38 sqm | 14,791 AED/sqm | 44% | 1,335 |
| Al Hebiah Second | 560K | 33 sqm | 16,604 AED/sqm | 78% | 769 |
And where they are dearest
| Area | Median price | Median size | Median AED/sqm | Off-plan share | Sampled sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Islands | 1.7M | 38 sqm | 43,755 AED/sqm | 89% | 101 |
| Palm Jumeirah | 1.4M | 47 sqm | 32,487 AED/sqm | 7% | 166 |
| Burj Khalifa | 1.4M | 44 sqm | 35,131 AED/sqm | 61% | 436 |
| Nad Al Shiba First | 1.4M | 36 sqm | 38,481 AED/sqm | 100% | 371 |
| Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah | 1.3M | 40 sqm | 30,891 AED/sqm | 99% | 570 |
| Marsa Dubai | 1.3M | 39 sqm | 36,188 AED/sqm | 61% | 895 |
Sizes across both tables sit within a few square metres of each other. The price difference is the address, with the rate per square metre carrying nearly all of it.
The off-plan gap
Most studio sales in this dataset are for units that do not exist yet, so the citywide median is weighted towards launch pricing. Comparing the two kinds of sale needs care, because off-plan launches cluster in newer outer districts where everything is cheaper, which would flatter completed stock for reasons that have nothing to do with completion.
Holding the area fixed removes that.
26
Areas with both kinds sampled
24
Off-plan dearer
+34%
Median gap on total price
+52%
Median gap per square metre
| Area | Off-plan median | Completed median | Gap | Per sqm gap | Sampled sales (off/done) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Investment Park Second | 773K | 390K | +98% | +85% | 72 / 56 |
| Nadd Hessa | 770K | 410K | +88% | +107% | 428 / 317 |
| Al Hebiah Fifth | 734K | 410K | +79% | +102% | 273 / 66 |
| Me'Aisem First | 665K | 375K | +77% | +74% | 1,405 / 383 |
| Al Warsan First | 540K | 305K | +77% | +104% | 87 / 747 |
The gap survives the area control in 24 of 26 areas, and it is wider per square metre than on total price. That second figure matters: a total-price gap on its own could mean off-plan studios are simply larger, and the rate per square metre closes that off.
Using this before an offer
Check the off-plan share of the area first. Where it runs high, the published median is close to a developer price list, and a completed unit will trade well under it.
Then compare against the same kind of sale. A resale studio benchmarked against an area median full of launch registrations will look like a bargain when it is simply a different product.
Then check the size. Studios in this dataset cluster tightly around 38 sqm, so a unit far from that is worth a second look at what is being counted as a studio.
Related reading: studios against one-bedrooms covers whether the next size up is better value, and the off-plan share by area shows how much of each area's market is launch pricing.
Data comes from Dubai Land Department historical sales records through 2026-10-06. It covers sales only (not rentals) and is market reference, not valuation or investment advice.