CRESCO RESEARCH
On the median ready flat sold in Dubai in September 2026, a seller with no mortgage keeps $319,891 of $326,753. Here is every fee in dollars, and the one tax that can follow you home.
In September 2026 the median ready flat in Dubai sold for $326,753. The median American existing home sold for $417,500. On the Dubai sale, a seller with no mortgage pays $6,862 in agency commission and VAT on the usual terms and keeps $319,891. That is 97.9 per cent of the price.
The Dubai side of the bill is small. The tax side is where Americans get caught, because Dubai does not tax an individual on the gain but the IRS can. This page covers the Dubai costs, in dollars. Our companion page covers the US tax bill when you sell.
| Charge | Dubai rule | On a $326,753 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Agency commission | Market convention of 2 per cent. Not regulated, so negotiable | $6,535 |
| VAT on commission | 5 per cent | $327 |
| DLD transfer fee | The DLD schedule says 2 per cent from the seller and 2 per cent from the buyer. The buyer usually pays all 4 per cent | $0 on usual terms. $6,535 if you pay your 2 per cent |
| Developer NOC | Set by each developer | Not published by the DLD |
| Registration trustee fee | $1,089 plus VAT on sales of AED 500,000, about $136,147, or more | Modelled as a buyer cost, as on our cost to buy page |
| Dubai tax on the gain | No tax for an individual selling property held personally | $0 |
| You pay, usual terms | $6,862 | |
| You keep | $319,891 |
Median ready flat sold in Dubai in September 2026, no mortgage. Dirhams converted at the fixed peg of 3.6725 and rounded to the dollar. Sources: Dubai Land Department fee schedule, Cresco analysis of the DLD transaction register.
Two lines deserve care. On paper the 4 per cent transfer fee is split evenly. In practice the buyer almost always pays all of it. It is still a negotiation, so put it in the sale agreement. The DLD does not say who pays the trustee fee either. Agree that in writing too.
A mortgaged sale adds at least three costs. The UAE Central Bank and the DLD set them.
On the median flat, with a balance above the cap and assuming you pay all of them, your bill on usual terms rises to about $10,182. If you owe more than the sale price, you must cover the difference before the deal can close, because the buyer's money clears the loan on the day.
| September 2026 | Dubai | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $326,753, ready flats | $417,500, existing homes of all types |
| Source | Dubai Land Department register | National Association of Realtors |
| Kind of figure | Sold, registered sales | Sold, closed sales |
| Sales pace | 2,429 ready flat sales in the month | 3.99 million a year, seasonally adjusted annual rate |
Both are sold prices, not asking prices. Dubai figure in dollars at 3.6725.
The US median is 27.8 per cent higher. That is not a like for like gap. The Dubai figure is flats only, while the US figure includes single family houses, which are usually larger. Our Dubai versus US price per square foot page compares the two markets on a per square foot basis.
The usual terms applied to the September median for each flat size. Commission of 2 per cent plus 5 per cent VAT, no mortgage, and the buyer pays the transfer fee.
| Flat | Ready sales | Median price | Commission and VAT | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 536 | $149,762 | $3,145 | $146,617 |
| 1 bed | 988 | $285,909 | $6,004 | $279,905 |
| 2 bed | 665 | $544,789 | $11,441 | $533,348 |
| 3 bed | 200 | $898,570 | $18,870 | $879,700 |
Ready flat sales, Dubai, September 2026. Dollars at 3.6725, rounded. Source: Dubai Land Department transaction register, Cresco analysis.
The dirham is pegged to the dollar at 3.6725, so the dollar value of an agreed price does not move between signing and transfer.
Dubai does not tax an individual on the gain. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide gains, so a profitable Dubai sale can still mean a US bill. Our page on US tax when selling Dubai property works through it with a dollar example. To check the price you are being offered against real sales in the same building, see our guide to checking what a Dubai property sold for.
Fee sources. The Dubai Land Department pages for property sale registration and for the sale of a mortgaged property, the DLD eNOC guide, and UAE Central Bank Regulation 29/2011, Appendix 2, all read on 16 October 2026. Central Bank caps are before VAT. VAT is 5 per cent.
Dubai prices. The DLD transaction register extracted on 12 October 2026, September 2026 rows. Sales only, residential usage, property type Unit, at or above AED 500 per square foot, which gives 9,608 sales. This page keeps the Flat subtype and ready status only: 2,429 ready flats out of 8,804 flats sold.
US price. The National Association of Realtors existing home sales release of 13 October 2026, September 2026, median price for all housing types. It is sold data. It is not the same kind of home as the Dubai figure.
Limits. Dirhams are converted at 3.6725 and rounded to the dollar, so some lines differ from the dirham figures by a dollar. The 2 per cent commission is a convention, not a regulated rate. Developer NOC fees are not published by the DLD and are not in any total. The DLD does not assign every fee to buyer or seller, so the usual terms here are an assumption to confirm in your agreement. A fixed rate loan can cost more to break. This page is information, not legal, tax or financial advice. The same figures in dirhams are on our Dubai site.
On the usual terms, about 2.1 per cent of the price: a 2 per cent agency commission plus 5 per cent VAT on it. On the September 2026 median ready flat that is $6,862 on a $326,753 sale. A mortgage adds about $3,296 more at the Central Bank cap, plus the bank letter and any fixed rate break cost.
The DLD schedule splits it 2 per cent each. In practice the buyer usually pays all of it. Your 2 per cent on the median ready flat would be $6,535.
Not for an individual selling property held personally. The United States can still tax the gain, because it taxes citizens on worldwide income.
Yes. The DLD lists a legal power of attorney among its documents when someone acts for a party at the transfer.
The transfer itself takes about 25 minutes at a trustee centre. The paperwork before it takes longer, and the building eNOC alone takes 3 to 5 working days.
Cresco Real Estate is a Dubai brokerage registered with RERA under office registration number 34288, with a United States office at 1800 N Vine St Suite 346, Los Angeles CA 90028. We read the full Dubai Land Department register every month. If you want these numbers for a specific community or a specific budget, ask us.
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