Data to
Short-term rental yields in Dubai
At an assumed 70% occupancy, the median building's modelled short-term yield is 9.8% against 6.4% on a lease: 1.5× the lease.
Median modelled short-term yield
9.8%
At an assumed 70% occupancy, not a measurement: no Dubai source publishes nights booked per building.
- Median nightly rate
- AED 647
- Lease gross yield
- 6.4%
- Short-term vs lease
- 1.5×
- Buildings · areas
- 348 · 33
Medians across buildings, one bedroom type each. Nightly rates are asking rates for the next 12 months; both yields use the same purchase benchmark.
Every area, ordered by buildings with a nightly rate Of the 10 areas with most buildings, Sobha Hartland yields most (11.9%) and Downtown Dubai least (7.8%)
Modelled yield is the modelled short-term yield: nightly rate at an assumed 70% of nights booked, after platform fee, cleaning and utilities, before service charge; deltas are vs the Dubai median (9.8%). Nightly rate is the median asking rate, with the same rate over floor area beneath it. Short-term vs lease is that modelled revenue over the registered lease rent · Showing 20 of 33 areas
Short-term against the lease The median building earns AED 44,431 a year above its lease
- Break-even occupancy, against the 70% assumed
- 48%
- Short-term vs lease
- 1.5×
- Buildings where short-term beats the lease
- 348 of 376
The assumptions behind these figuresThe assumptions behind these figures
- Occupancy is assumed at 70% of nights, not measured: no Dubai source publishes it per building. Nightly rates are sampled asking rates for 7-night stays over the next 12 months, not achieved bookings.
- Net of platform fees, cleaning and utilities.
- A self-managed unit, with no management fee.
- The surplus over the lease leaves out furnishing, deposits, permits, owner service charges and finance.
- Medians across the 348 buildings where the nightly let beats the lease; the rest are left out of every figure on this page.
Check landlord permission and current DET holiday-home requirements before operating. Read the cost model
Top 10 buildings by short-term vs lease, all of Dubai Azizi Riviera Beachfront - Tower B leads at 2.24× its lease
The top 10 of 348 buildings, each at its highest-premium bedroom type, at an assumed 70% occupancy. Short-term vs lease is modelled short-term revenue after costs over the registered lease rent; break-even is the occupancy at which the two pay the same; modelled yield is the modelled short-term yield, before service charge. A premium says the letting strategy beats the lease, not that the building is worth buying.
Common questions
- What does a short-term rental earn in Dubai?
- The median building asks AED 647 a night. At an assumed 70% occupancy, after platform fees, cleaning and utilities, that models to a 9.8% modelled short-term yield, against a 6.4% lease gross yield at the same price, across 296 buildings with a purchase benchmark. Data to 2 Nov 2026.
- Does short-term letting beat a yearly lease in Dubai?
- In 348 of 376 buildings with a sampled nightly rate, modelled short-term revenue after costs tops the registered lease: short-term vs lease is 1.5× at the median, at an assumed 70% occupancy. The remaining buildings earn more on a yearly lease and are left out of this page’s figures. Data to 2 Nov 2026.
- Which Dubai area earns most from short-term rentals?
- Of the 10 areas with most buildings, Sobha Hartland has the highest median modelled short-term yield, 11.9% at an assumed 70% occupancy, across 15 buildings and 349 listings. Data to 2 Nov 2026.
- What occupancy does a holiday home need to cover the lease?
- The median building breaks even on its registered lease at 48% occupancy, after platform fees, cleaning and utilities, across 348 buildings. Below that, renting a unit to let it short-term loses money before furnishing and permits. Data to 2 Nov 2026.
- Is the occupancy measured?
- No. No Dubai source publishes per-building occupancy, so every annual figure here is modelled at a stated 70% occupancy from sampled asking rates for 7-night stays over the next 12 months, not from achieved bookings. Source: public Airbnb search and Dubai Land Department open data.
Source: Dubai Land Department open data and public Airbnb search. Nightly rates are asking rates, not registered records. Data to .
Dubai short-term rental record, by area
- Record type
- City-level short-term market record
- Data date
- Evidence base
- 6,939 sampled listings across 348 buildings in 33 areas
- Sources
- Public Airbnb search results joined to Dubai Land Department sale transactions and Ejari rental contracts
- Canonical record
- /short-term/apartments/dubai
Cite as: Dubai Wealth Index. “Short-term rentals in Dubai, by area.” Data to 2 Nov 2026. https://dubaiwealthindex.com/short-term/apartments/dubai