Calculators

What buying in Dubai actually costs to close

On a ready home bought through an agency, budget the deposit plus roughly 6% to 7% of the price in cash. None of it can be added to the mortgage.

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  • Rules checked 2026-08-25

Your details

What are you buying
Who is buying
This only affects how much a lender may advance, not the fees.
How are you paying
Is this your first Dubai property
Raised automatically if it falls below the loan-to-value ceiling for your case.
The law splits it 50/50 unless the contract says otherwise. Buyers are usually asked for all of it, so this starts at 100%.
A market norm, not a cap. VAT is added on top of whatever you enter.

Cash needed on registration day

AED 399,610

A 20% deposit of AED 300,000 plus AED 99,610 in fees, which is 6.6% of the price on top of the deposit.

  • DLD transfer fee (4%)AED 60,000Fixed by the Land Department's fee schedule, and charged on the value the DLD accepts for the sale, which it can reassess if the stated price looks under-stated.
  • Title deed and DLD admin feesAED 620Title deed certificate, map fee, property-type fee, plus the knowledge and innovation fees. AED 580 to 620 depending on the property type.
  • Registration trustee fee (incl. VAT)AED 4,200AED 4,000 + VAT at a sale value of AED 500,000 or more, AED 2,000 + VAT below it.
  • Agency commission (2% incl. VAT)AED 31,5002% plus VAT is the usual figure on a secondary-market purchase and is negotiable, often down to 1% to 1.5% on high-value deals. On an off-plan purchase the developer normally pays the agency, so the buyer's own commission line is usually zero.
  • Mortgage registration (0.25% of the loan)AED 3,2900.25% of the loan plus an AED 290 admin fee, paid to the Land Department when the mortgage is registered.
Fees, totalAED 99,610
Mortgage at 80% loan-to-valueAED 1,200,000

Since 1 February 2025 the transfer fee and the agency commission cannot be added to the loan, so every fee above is cash alongside the deposit.

How this works

  • The Land Department charges 4% of the sale value to register a transfer. The law splits that equally between buyer and seller unless the contract says otherwise, and in practice a Dubai buyer is usually asked to carry all of it, so the calculator defaults to 100% and lets you change the share.
  • Alongside the 4% sit fixed charges collected in the same transaction: the title deed certificate, the map fee, a property-type fee, and the knowledge and innovation fees. The calculator uses the top of that range so the total is never short.
  • The registration trustee charges AED 4,000 plus VAT at a sale value of AED 500,000 or more, and AED 2,000 plus VAT below it.
  • Agency commission is a market norm rather than a regulated cap: usually 2% plus VAT on a resale, negotiable, and normally paid by the developer rather than the buyer on an off-plan purchase.
  • If you are borrowing, registering the mortgage costs 0.25% of the loan plus a small admin fee, and your deposit is set by the Central Bank's loan-to-value ceiling for your buyer type.
  • Since 1 February 2025 the transfer fee and commission cannot be folded into the loan, because the loan-to-value cap is measured against the property value. They are cash on top of the deposit.

What it assumes

  • Fees are quoted at the published rate. The Land Department can assess its own value for the property if the stated price looks under-stated, and the fee follows that assessment.
  • Bank arrangement, valuation and insurance charges are excluded: they vary by lender and this page will not guess at them.
  • Conveyancing, developer NOC charges and any apportioned service charge are excluded for the same reason.
  • This is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice.

Rules last checked 2026-08-25. This is general information, not advice, and the calculation runs entirely in your browser. This page as plain markdown: /tools/dubai-purchase-costs.md.

The other calculators

MortgagesHow much deposit a Dubai mortgage needsYour loan-to-value ceiling, the deposit it implies, and the monthly repayment.ResidencyDoes this property qualify for a Golden VisaThe AED 2M threshold, what joint and mortgaged ownership change, and the route below it.RentingHow much your Dubai rent can legally riseThe legal cap on your renewal, from the Decree 43 bands and the DLD index average.

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