What new tenants really pay in Downtown Dubai in 2026

These are the rents new tenants signed for, on leases starting between 1 August and 31 October 2026.

• Studio: AED 65,000 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 60,000 to AED 75,000. Based on 170 new leases.
• One bedroom: AED 102,500 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 90,000 to AED 120,000. Based on 965 new leases.
• Two bedrooms: AED 161,870 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 145,000 to AED 200,000. Based on 790 new leases.

The middle rent is the one in the middle of the list: half of the leases were signed for less and half for more. The middle half leaves out the cheapest quarter and the most expensive quarter of leases.

The flats behind these figures had a middle size of 518 sq ft for studios, 867 sq ft for one-bedroom flats and 1,284 sq ft for two-bedroom flats.

From tenancy contracts registered with Dubai Land Department, which publishes them as open data. We used the Rent Contracts file dated 9 November 2026. It shows no names and no flat numbers.

What we counted:

• new leases only for the figures above (renewals are shown further down);
• residential flats let as one unit, on contracts of about a year or more;
• leases starting between 1 August and 31 October 2026;
• Downtown Dubai as DLD files it, under the area name “Burj Khalifa”.

The sums are ours, not DLD’s. To look up the leases in one building yourself, see How to check what tenants really pay in your building in Dubai.

Lower than a year ago, though a little higher than in July and August. The first comparison is the middle rent on new leases starting from August to October 2025 against the same three months of 2026.

• Studio: AED 76,500 a year earlier, AED 65,000 now. That is AED 11,500 or 15% lower.
• One bedroom: AED 120,000 a year earlier, AED 102,500 now. That is AED 17,500 or 14.6% lower.
• Two bedrooms: AED 200,000 a year earlier, AED 161,870 now. That is AED 38,130 or 19.1% lower.

The fall is not only because cheaper buildings joined the list. 26 buildings had at least five new one-bedroom leases in both periods. The middle rent was lower in every one of them.

Month by month in 2026, the middle rent on a new one-bedroom lease was highest from January to March and lowest in July and August. It has risen a little since.

• January: AED 125,000
• February: AED 125,000
• March: AED 125,000
• April: AED 115,000
• May: AED 110,000
• June: AED 107,000
• July: AED 100,000
• August: AED 100,000
• September: AED 102,500
• October: AED 104,860

Our figures describe leases already signed. They are not a forecast.

More than new tenants. A year ago they paid less. These are the middle rents on leases starting between 1 August and 31 October 2026.

• Studio: AED 74,000 on renewals (65 leases), AED 65,000 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 9,000 less, which is 12.2% below the renewal figure.
• One bedroom: AED 110,000 on renewals (413 leases), AED 102,500 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 7,500 less, which is 6.8% below the renewal figure.
• Two bedrooms: AED 168,253 on renewals (358 leases), AED 161,870 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 6,383 less, which is 3.8% below the renewal figure.

The flats are not quite alike. The renewed one-bedroom flats had a middle size of 906 sq ft, the newly let ones 867 sq ft. Per square foot the two were almost level: a middle of AED 123.1 a year on renewals and AED 121.0 on new leases.

A year earlier it was the other way round: a new one-bedroom lease cost 6.7% more than a renewal, AED 120,000 against AED 112,500. Since then the middle rent on new leases has fallen to AED 102,500, while the middle renewal has stayed close to where it was, at AED 110,000.

Decree No. (43) of 2013 limits how much the rent may rise at a renewal. It deals with increases only. If you are renewing, check what new tenants signed for in your own building before you agree a figure. The free Rent Check shows it. For the rules, see When can my landlord increase the rent in Dubai?

A great deal. 24 Downtown Dubai buildings had at least ten new one-bedroom leases in the three months. Their middle rents ran from AED 80,000 in the lowest building to AED 165,000 in the highest.

These are the eleven buildings with the most new one-bedroom leases, with the middle rent in each. The names are as DLD records them.

• 29 Boulevard: AED 100,000 (53 leases)
• Burj Royale: AED 95,000 (48 leases)
• Act One | Act Two: AED 110,000 (45 leases)
• Burj Views: AED 90,000 (45 leases)
• DD Stand Point: AED 95,000 (42 leases)
• Grande: AED 115,000 (41 leases)
• Bellevue Towers: AED 90,000 (33 leases)
• DD Boulevard Central: AED 90,000 (27 leases)
• Forte: AED 100,000 (26 leases)
• RP Heights: AED 105,000 (26 leases)
• Upper Crest: AED 80,000 (26 leases)

The records do not say why one building costs more than another. Size, age, facilities and position inside Downtown Dubai all differ. So compare a flat with its own building, not with the Downtown Dubai figure. Our free Rent Check does that in one step. For the same figures in four other areas, see What new tenants really pay in Business Bay in 2026, What new tenants really pay in Dubai Marina in 2026, What new tenants really pay in JLT in 2026 and What new tenants really pay in JVC in 2026.

Everything the lease register does not record, and a few leases we could not use.

• Whether the flat was furnished, its floor, its view and its condition.
• How the rent was paid, such as the number of cheques.
• Advert prices. An advert shows what a landlord hopes to get.
• Flats with three or more bedrooms, and hotel units. This guide covers studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats.
• Leases registered after 9 November 2026. Some leases that started in October may still be added.
• The building name on about 23% of the new leases, which DLD leaves blank. Those leases count in the Downtown Dubai figures but not in the building list.

Use the Downtown Dubai figure as a first test, then check the building. If the rent you are asked for is above the middle half for that kind of flat, for example above AED 120,000 for a one-bedroom flat, ask the agent what explains it.

Then look up the flat’s own building in the Rent Check. If you are renewing, compare your rent with what new tenants in your building signed for, as question 4 explains.

Price the flat from what new tenants signed in its own building, and use the Downtown Dubai figure as a second check.

• If the flat has stood empty, read Apartment not renting in Dubai? What to change first.
• If you are an agent, see How to price a rental listing in Dubai: a guide for agents.

Flats for rent on distress.ae are listed by agents only, at or below the Rent Check figure, and listing is free for agents. Tenants see approved flats on the For rent page.