What new tenants really pay in Dubai Sports City in 2026

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

• Studio: AED 39,000 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 36,000 to AED 42,000. Based on 680 new leases.
• One bedroom: AED 57,000 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 52,000 to AED 65,000. Based on 550 new leases.
• Two bedrooms: AED 80,000 a year. The middle half of leases ran from AED 70,000 to AED 93,000. Based on 225 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 440 sq ft for studios, 794 sq ft for one-bedroom flats and 1,213 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;
• each lease once (DLD’s file lists some leases twice), and no bulk deals (see question 6);
• Dubai Sports City as DLD files it: under the area name “Al Hebiah Fourth” and the master project “Dubai Sports City”. Tilal Al Ghaf is in the same DLD area and is 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 July. 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 43,000 a year earlier, AED 39,000 now. That is AED 4,000 or 9.3% lower.
• One bedroom: AED 60,000 a year earlier, AED 57,000 now. That is AED 3,000 or 5% lower.
• Two bedrooms: AED 85,000 a year earlier, AED 80,000 now. That is AED 5,000 or 5.9% lower.

The fall is not only because cheaper buildings joined the list. 31 buildings had at least five new one-bedroom leases in both periods. The middle rent was lower in 30 of them and higher in 1.

Month by month in 2026, the middle rent on a new one-bedroom lease was highest in February and lowest in July. It rose to AED 57,000 in August and has eased a little since.

• January: AED 62,000
• February: AED 62,500
• March: AED 61,000
• April: AED 60,000
• May: AED 57,500
• June: AED 58,000
• July: AED 56,000
• August: AED 57,000
• September: AED 56,850
• October: AED 56,500

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

About the same for a studio, and a little less for larger flats. A year ago the gap was much wider. These are the middle rents on leases starting between 1 August and 31 October 2026.

• Studio: AED 39,690 on renewals (408 leases), AED 39,000 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 690 less, which is 1.7% below the renewal figure.
• One bedroom: AED 55,000 on renewals (467 leases), AED 57,000 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 2,000 more, which is 3.6% above the renewal figure.
• Two bedrooms: AED 75,000 on renewals (215 leases), AED 80,000 on new leases. A new lease cost AED 5,000 more, which is 6.7% above the renewal figure.

A year earlier, a new one-bedroom lease cost 15.4% more than a renewal: AED 60,000 against AED 52,000.

Renewals move slowly because any increase is limited by Decree No. (43) of 2013. For the rules, see When can my landlord increase the rent in Dubai?

A great deal. 21 Dubai Sports City buildings had at least ten new one-bedroom leases in the three months. Their middle rents ran from AED 50,000 in the lowest building to AED 75,000 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.

• Golf Vista Heights: AED 67,500 (44 leases)
• Condor Golf Links 18: AED 75,000 (32 leases)
• Elite 10 Sports Residence: AED 54,000 (31 leases)
• Canal Residence West (Phase 1): AED 60,000 (30 leases)
• Elite 8 Sports Residence: AED 52,000 (24 leases)
• Elite 9 Sports Residence: AED 53,000 (20 leases)
• Stadium Point: AED 57,000 (19 leases)
• Elite Sports Residence: AED 50,000 (17 leases)
• Red Residence: AED 50,000 (16 leases)
• Canal Residence West 2: AED 62,000 (15 leases)

The records do not say why one building costs more than another. Size, age, facilities and position inside Dubai Sports City all differ. So compare a flat with its own building, not with the Dubai Sports City figure. Our free Rent Check does that in one step. For the same figures in five other areas, see What new tenants really pay in JVC in 2026, What new tenants really pay in JLT in 2026, What new tenants really pay in Dubai Marina in 2026, What new tenants really pay in Business Bay in 2026 and What new tenants really pay in Downtown Dubai 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, villas, and the homes of Tilal Al Ghaf. This guide covers studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats in Dubai Sports City.
• 40 new leases in Hera Tower that organisations signed on 1 August 2026 at identical rents: 28 one-bedroom flats at AED 87,000 a year and 12 studios at AED 65,000. Leases taken in bulk say little about what one tenant pays, so we left them out. The same building had 41 such leases a year earlier, which are left out of the comparison too.
• Leases registered after 9 November 2026. Some leases that started in October may still be added.
• The building name on about 2% of the new leases, which DLD leaves blank. Those leases count in the Dubai Sports City figures but not in the building list.

Use the Dubai Sports City 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 65,000 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, the renewal rules decide what your landlord may ask, not these figures.

Price the flat from what new tenants signed in its own building, and use the Dubai Sports City 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.