What new tenants really pay in Dubai Marina in 2026

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

• Studio: AED 60,000 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 53,000 to AED 66,000. Based on 289 new leases.
• One bedroom: AED 85,000 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 71,000 to AED 100,000. Based on 1,500 new leases.
• Two bedrooms: AED 130,000 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 105,000 to AED 155,000. Based on 978 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 446 sq ft for studios, 815 sq ft for one-bedroom flats and 1,329 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;
• the part of DLD’s area “Marsa Dubai” that it files under the master project “Dubai Marina”. Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Harbour and Bluewaters are filed apart and are not counted.

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 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 70,000 a year earlier, AED 60,000 now. That is AED 10,000 or 14.3% lower.
• One bedroom: AED 96,000 a year earlier, AED 85,000 now. That is AED 11,000 or 11.5% lower.
• Two bedrooms: AED 145,000 a year earlier, AED 130,000 now. That is AED 15,000 or 10.3% lower.

The fall is not only because cheaper buildings joined the list. 34 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 in January and February and lowest in August. It has risen a little since.

• January: AED 100,000
• February: AED 100,000
• March: AED 95,000
• April: AED 85,000
• May: AED 88,000
• June: AED 85,000
• July: AED 83,000
• August: AED 80,000
• September: AED 82,000
• October: AED 85,000

For comparison, Savills found that apartment rents in Dubai Marina from July to September 2026 were 12.8% lower than a year earlier, as reported by Khaleej Times on 13 October 2026. Our figures describe leases already signed. They are not a forecast.

As much as new tenants, or a little more. A year ago they paid less. These are the middle rents on leases starting between 1 August and 31 October 2026.

• Studio: AED 60,000 on renewals (94 leases), AED 60,000 on new leases. The two figures are the same.
• One bedroom: AED 90,000 on renewals (699 leases), AED 85,000 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 5,000 less, which is 5.6% below the renewal figure.
• Two bedrooms: AED 137,655 on renewals (595 leases), AED 130,000 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 7,655 less, which is 5.6% below the renewal figure.

The flats are not quite alike. The renewed one-bedroom flats had a middle size of 865 sq ft, the newly let ones 815 sq ft. Per square foot the two were almost level: a middle of AED 104.0 a year on renewals and AED 103.2 on new leases.

A year earlier it was the other way round: a new one-bedroom lease cost 7.6% more than a renewal, AED 96,000 against AED 89,250. Since then the middle rent on new leases has fallen to AED 85,000, while the middle renewal has stayed close to where it was, at AED 90,000.

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. 30 Dubai Marina buildings had at least ten new one-bedroom leases in the three months. Their middle rents ran from AED 68,000 in the lowest building to AED 147,306 in the highest.

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

• Bay Central West and Central Towers: AED 80,000 (82 leases)
• Elite Residence: AED 75,500 (58 leases)
• Princess Tower: AED 75,000 (56 leases)
• Silverene: AED 95,000 (51 leases)
• Sulafa Tower: AED 70,000 (48 leases)
• MAG218: AED 70,000 (43 leases)
• Park Islands: AED 92,500 (41 leases)
• DAMAC Heights: AED 102,500 (38 leases)
• Marina Living: AED 95,000 (36 leases)
• Botanica: AED 81,000 (34 leases)

The records do not say why one building costs more than another. Size, age, facilities and position inside Dubai Marina all differ. So compare a flat with its own building, not with the Dubai Marina figure. Our free Rent Check does that in one step. For the same figures in two other areas, see What new tenants really pay in Business Bay 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, hotel apartments, and homes in Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Harbour and Bluewaters. This guide covers studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats in Dubai Marina.
• Leases registered after 9 November 2026. Some leases that started in October may still be added.
• The building name on about 34% of the new leases, which DLD leaves blank. Those leases count in the Dubai Marina figures but not in the building list.

Use the Dubai Marina 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 100,000 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 Dubai Marina 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.