Short-term rentals in Dubai Marina — arbitrage & buying

Rent to operate, or buy to operate?

Rental arbitrage

Start with annual short-term revenue after modelled operating costs, then subtract the annual lease. Compare break-even occupancy with your own occupancy scenario and replace the registered rent benchmark with your actual contract.

Buy to short-term let

Compare modelled operating revenue with the supported purchase benchmark. Add acquisition, furnishing, service charges and financing costs before assessing your own return. A missing buy yield means insufficient sales evidence; rental economics can still be shown.

These scenarios assume 80% occupancy and self-management. Surplus excludes furnishing, deposits, permits, owner service charges and finance. Sampled asks are not achieved bookings; building-level rental benchmarks may pool project contracts. Check landlord permission and current DET holiday-home requirements before operating.

Median short-term yield: 10.63%; Assumes 80% occupancy
Median AED/night/sqft: 0.93AED
Median premium vs lease: 1.7×

Buildings in Dubai Marina

Sorted by modelled revenue relative to the registered lease. Each row selects the bedroom with the highest ratio in that building; it is a screening scenario, not a forecast.

Building	AED/night/sqft	Premium	After lease / yr	Break-even occupancy	Buy yield
Marina Star · Studio	1.77	2.6×	AED 129,875	32.95%	13.03%
Trident Grand Residence · 3 bed	0.95	2.5×	AED 243,704	35.97%	11.75%
Park Island Bonaire · 2 bed	1.13	2.4×	AED 211,233	36.11%	14.83%
Ocean Heights · 2 bed	0.89	2.3×	AED 170,034	38.12%	14.29%
Sulafa Tower · 2 bed	0.83	2.2×	AED 142,906	39.76%	13.05%
Princess Tower · 3 bed	0.86	2.1×	AED 208,137	40.99%	11.94%
Bayside · 2 bed	0.77	2.1×	AED 139,326	42.64%	Insufficient sales evidence
The Residences at Marina Gate 1 · 1 bed	1.29	2.0×	AED 123,111	41.93%	11.59%
The Residence at Marina Gate 2 · 1 bed	1.29	2.0×	AED 119,482	42.96%	9.88%
DAMAC Heights · 2 bed	0.98	1.9×	AED 155,157	45.00%	11.38%
Zumurud · 2 bed	0.71	1.9×	AED 103,596	46.48%	Insufficient sales evidence
Bay Central 2 · 1 bed	1.11	1.8×	AED 76,071	45.60%	12.03%
Cayan Tower · 1 bed	1.11	1.8×	AED 102,902	45.71%	11.27%
Dubai Marina Mall Hotel · Studio	1.76	1.8×	AED 98,535	46.48%	11.87%
Elite Residence · 1 bed	0.81	1.8×	AED 65,689	48.07%	11.81%
Torch Tower · 2 bed	0.75	1.8×	AED 90,818	48.66%	11.21%
Stella Maris · 1 bed	1.33	1.8×	AED 107,051	47.44%	11.47%
Sky View Tower · 2 bed	0.74	1.8×	AED 97,514	48.85%	11.91%
Bay Central 1 · 1 bed	0.93	1.7×	AED 63,260	49.39%	9.15%
Continental Tower · 2 bed	0.64	1.7×	AED 83,166	50.71%	8.42%
West Avenue · 1 bed	0.94	1.7×	AED 61,284	50.43%	10.61%
Jumeirah Living Marina Gate · 1 bed	1.26	1.6×	AED 103,818	50.21%	10.15%
Studio One · 2 bed	0.97	1.6×	AED 80,433	52.48%	10.61%
VIDA Residences Dubai Marina · 2 bed	0.95	1.6×	AED 134,771	52.55%	7.15%
Silverene Towers B · 2 bed	0.91	1.6×	AED 89,892	52.82%	Insufficient sales evidence
Park Island Sanibel · 1 bed	0.81	1.6×	AED 60,437	53.23%	8.97%
Silverene Towers A · 2 bed	0.85	1.6×	AED 88,362	53.29%	8.08%
Sparkle Tower 3 · Studio	1.19	1.5×	AED 34,716	56.13%	10.65%
Sparkle Tower 2 · Studio	1.12	1.5×	AED 34,247	56.45%	10.53%
Sparkle Tower 1 · 1 bed	0.76	1.4×	AED 43,488	58.65%	7.39%
Botanica Tower-1 · 1 bed	0.70	1.4×	AED 34,390	59.69%	8.02%
LIV Residence · 1 bed	0.94	1.4×	AED 48,516	59.25%	Insufficient sales evidence
LIV Marina · 2 bed	1.05	1.4×	AED 88,668	59.14%	7.73%
Orra Marina · 1 bed	0.68	1.4×	AED 36,511	60.75%	8.40%
Park Island Fairfield · 1 bed	0.67	1.3×	AED 34,487	62.22%	6.80%
Park Island Blakely · 2 bed	0.59	1.2×	AED 28,754	68.66%	7.70%