Dubai South home sales in eight months of 2026 top the whole of 2025

Dubai South registered 12,428 residential sales between January and August 2026. That is 27 per cent above the 9,788 deals logged over the whole of 2025. The data comes from the Anarock Dubai South Residential Micro-Market Report, which tracks the area from 2020.

Sales value for the eight months was Dh15.9 billion, about four-fifths of the Dh19.6 billion booked in 2025. The report says no full year it covers had a higher number of transactions.

Smaller homes and off-plan lead

Studios and one-bedroom apartments made up about three-quarters of deals. Studios took 45 per cent of sales, against 19.5 per cent in 2025. One-bedroom homes added 31 per cent. Apartments overall were 94.5 per cent of sales volume, against 31 per cent in 2020.

Off-plan homes were 94 per cent of volume, compared with 73 per cent in 2020. Resales were under 6 per cent.

Prices, rents and yields

The average price was Dh1,656 per square foot, against Dh650 in 2020. The average deal size fell to Dh1.28 million from Dh2.57 million at the 2023 high. Anarock links this to the larger share of smaller, cheaper units, not a broad price correction.

Average annual rent rose to Dh82,063 from Dh34,534 in 2020. Gross yields averaged 3.9 per cent in 2025: 4.3 per cent for apartments, 3.4 per cent for townhouses and 3 per cent for villas. Those figures exclude service charges, vacancies and transaction costs. The report warns that yields could be squeezed during 2026 and 2027 should property values climb faster than rents.

Supply and airport expansion

Anarock counts 38,116 units due for handover from 2027 to 2029, over 3.5 times the 10,813 delivered since 2016. Handovers are expected to peak in 2028 at 16,094 units.

The report also cites the Dh128 billion Al Maktoum International Airport expansion, approved in April 2024. It targets 2032 for the opening of the first phase, and warns that timelines can shift.

Anarock says sales value could reach about Dh23.9 billion in 2026 if the pace holds. It calls this a directional projection, not a formal forecast.

For buyers, studios and one-bedroom units dominate activity in Dubai South, and nearly all sales are off-plan.

Khaleej Times reported the findings on 26 October 2026.