Direct answer
Which Dubai areas currently screen for high rental yield?
In PropertyStellar's current publishable-community screen, the highest gross PSF benchmarks were Deira at 10.44%, Al Qusais 1 at 10.29%, Remraam at 8.40% and Discovery Gardens apartments at 8.20%. These are unpaired median new-rent PSF divided by median closed-sale PSF—not net yields, valuations, live availability or promised returns.
Official sources: Real Estate Data · Service Charge IndexWritten by Arjun Mehta, Property Investment Analyst, Property Stellar. Reviewed by Omar Al Mansouri, Dubai Real Estate Investment Consultant · UAE Real Estate Market Specialist. Updated 15 September 2026. Read our editorial policy and research methodology.
Reviewed by Omar Al Mansouri · Transaction evidence extracted 15 September 2026
The screen used closed sales through 10 September 2026 and new rental contracts through 11 September 2026. Most rows use a six-month window; a twelve-month fallback is shown where the six-month sample did not reach the method's minimum evidence threshold.
A high area benchmark is only a discovery signal. The investment decision still depends on the exact building, unit, purchase price, achievable rent, service charge, vacancy, maintenance, management, finance and exit risk.
Current high-yield area screen
| Community / scope | Gross screen | Window | Closed sales | New rentals | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deira · all residential | 10.44% | 6 months | 37 | 6,792 | Medium |
| Al Qusais 1 · all residential | 10.29% | 12 months | 82 | 3,185 | Medium |
| Remraam · all residential | 8.40% | 6 months | 87 | 374 | Medium |
| Discovery Gardens · apartments | 8.20% | 6 months | 486 | 1,632 | High |
| Za'abeel 1 · apartments | 7.88% | 6 months | 54 | 30 | Medium |
| Trade Center Second · all residential | 6.80% | 12 months | 32 | 77 | Medium |
| Dubai Festival City · all residential | 6.78% | 12 months | 40 | 227 | Medium |
| Dubai Investment Park · apartments | 6.78% | 6 months | 680 | 330 | High |
| Al Furjan · apartments | 6.76% | 6 months | 1,079 | 1,639 | High |
| Dubai Studio City · apartments | 6.58% | 6 months | 628 | 529 | High |
The screen found 90 publishable communities after applying minimum sample and sanity rules. The table shows the ten highest numerical results, not the ten “best” places to invest. Mixed scopes and fallback windows are displayed because hiding them would create false comparability.
How the yield was calculated
| Stage | Rule |
|---|---|
| Preferred formula | Median new annual rent per sq ft ÷ median closed-sale price per sq ft × 100 |
| Preferred window | Latest six months relative to each source table's maximum date |
| Fallback | Use twelve months if either side of the six-month evidence is below 30 records |
| Medium confidence | At least 30 valid closed sales and 30 valid new rentals |
| High confidence | At least 100 valid closed sales and 100 valid new rentals |
| Sanity range | Suppress a calculated result outside 2%–12% |
| Property scope | Use the dominant residential type when supported; otherwise all qualifying residential records |
The current six-month sale cutoff is 11 March 2026 and the rental cutoff is 12 March 2026. The twelve-month cutoffs are 10 and 11 September 2025. The extraction is reproducible with `SEO_2026/extract_current_yield_evidence.py` and does not modify the runtime database.
What the screen does not measure
| Not measured | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Service charges | They directly reduce owner income and vary by project, use and year |
| Vacancy and letting friction | A high headline rent is not earned during empty periods |
| Maintenance, insurance and management | Recurring costs differ by building, unit condition and operating model |
| Unit matching | The median rent and median sale are not necessarily the same bedroom, size, building or unit |
| Finance and transaction costs | Leverage can improve or damage the investor's cash return |
| Future growth and liquidity | Historic contracts do not predict appreciation or ease of resale |
DLD's Service Charge Index is the official place to check RERA-approved charges for a specific jointly owned project, use and year. Apply the exact building figure before describing a gross screen as a net return.
Official source: Service Charge IndexWhy some familiar areas are not in this top-ten table
The legacy article named JVC, Dubai Marina, Business Bay, International City and Dubai Silicon Oasis without publishing a calculation. This evidence-led table does not preserve names merely because they are commonly marketed. An area can fall outside the top ten because its current ratio is lower, its mapped evidence is insufficient, or a different scope/window is required.
Absence is not a negative investment recommendation. It only means the community did not place in this specific screen. For example, Dubai Silicon Oasis had a publishable 6.50% apartment screen from 680 closed sales and 2,217 new rentals, but ranked below the ten rows shown.
Turn an area screen into a unit decision
| Step | Evidence | Reject or pause when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Match the unit | Building, bedroom, size, furnishing, condition and contract type | The comparison relies only on an area-wide number |
| 2. Verify the price | Several recent relevant registered sales | The deal depends on one unusually low record |
| 3. Verify achievable rent | Comparable new contracts, not asking ads | Projected rent has no achieved evidence |
| 4. Calculate net income | Service charge, vacancy, maintenance, management and insurance | Missing costs are silently set to zero |
| 5. Check title/status | DLD title and property-status evidence | The legal unit or seller cannot be validated |
| 6. Stress the exit | Flat/negative price and longer-vacancy cases | The decision only works with best-case growth |
Frequently asked questions
What is a high rental yield in Dubai?
It is relative to the property type, building, price, risk and costs. Use gross yield only as a screen, then compare net income after service charges, vacancy, maintenance, management and insurance.
Does a 10% area benchmark mean my apartment will earn 10%?
No. The table divides unpaired median new-rent PSF by median closed-sale PSF for a community scope. The exact unit can differ by building, size, layout, furnishing, condition, service charge and achieved rent.
Why use price per square foot instead of median price?
PSF reduces some distortion from different unit sizes. It does not fully match bedroom, building, view or quality, so the result remains a screening benchmark rather than a valuation.
Are these DLD figures?
No. The table comes from PropertyStellar's transaction warehouse derived from public-market transaction pages and may contain source or mapping errors. DLD Real Estate Data is the official starting point for independent reproduction.
Official source: Real Estate DataWhich cost usually changes gross yield most?
That depends on the property, but the exact service charge, vacancy and realistic maintenance/management assumptions should never be omitted. Check the project-level service charge rather than using an area average.
Official source: Service Charge IndexPrimary-source register
Official pages used for this review
Continue with the right guide
Important: These are historical gross screening benchmarks from unpaired community medians, not net yields, valuations, live availability or investment advice. Verify the exact unit, title/status, price, achieved rent, service charge and all costs.
Move from area to exact property
Build a shortlist, then test net return
Use the area screen for discovery. Require unit-matched sale and rent evidence, project service charge and downside scenarios before treating any property as high yield.