Investing in Dubai Hills means buying in a large Emaar community with its own park, golf course and mall, between Downtown and Dubai Marina. A ready 1-bedroom flat sells for a median of AED 1,530,000, about €374,000 or $417,000, and rents for about AED 90,000 a year, a gross yield of 5.5 to 6%. A square metre costs around AED 25,700, about €6,300: a little less than Business Bay and well above JVC. There are also townhouses and villas, which cost far more and yield a little less. Over the last year the price has barely moved and sales have almost halved. Here you buy green space, schools and services inside the community rather than a high yield, and where the home sits in the community, the type of home and the service charge change the result a lot. We help you choose the project and support you at every step of the purchase.
In this guide11 sections
- What Dubai Hills Estate is and where it is
- Property prices in Dubai Hills
- What a flat rents for and the yield
- Townhouses and villas in Dubai Hills
- Buying off-plan in Dubai Hills
- What to check in a Dubai Hills home
- Access and roads in Dubai Hills
- Dubai Hills compared with Business Bay, Downtown, Dubai Marina and JVC
- Investing in Dubai Hills from the UK or the US
- Things to keep in mind
- Frequently asked questions
| Dubai Hills figure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Community size | About 1,100 hectares, 2,700 acres | Emaar master plan |
| Sales | About 2,400, almost half the previous year | 12 months to September 2026 |
| Median price | About AED 25,700 per sq m | 12 months to October 2026 |
| 1-bedroom rent | AED 90,000 a year, about $24,500 | 12 months to October 2026 |
| Median service charge | AED 200 per sq m a year | 2026 budgets |
| Registered homes | Over 21,000 flats in 77 towers and over 5,000 villas | October 2026 |
What Dubai Hills Estate is and where it is
Dubai Hills Estate is a residential community of about 1,100 hectares within Mohammed Bin Rashid City, between Downtown and Dubai Marina, along Al Khail Road. Its main developer and master developer is Emaar, which planned the whole area: neighbourhoods of low and mid-rise towers, townhouse and villa communities, an 18-hole golf course and a large central park. In DLD records it does not appear as Dubai Hills but within the official area Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid. That is the name to use if you look up its deals in the public data.
What sets it apart from other areas is everything it has inside. Emaar’s plan includes 1.45 million square metres of parks and open space, a 180,000 sq m central park with running and cycling paths, play areas, a skate park and an outdoor gym, 54 km of cycle routes, three schools and a 282,000 sq m mall with about 650 shops and restaurants. There is also a 24-hour hospital and several clinics.
The DLD register counts over 21,000 flats in 77 towers and over 5,000 villas and houses. Among the flats, almost all are 1-bedroom, 45%, and 2-bedroom, 38%. Studios are only 4%, far fewer than in areas such as Business Bay or JVC.
Dubai Hills has no metro. It is an area for getting around by car: Emaar puts it at about 15 minutes to Downtown or Dubai Marina and about 20 to the international airport, depending on the time and where you are in the community.
Property prices in Dubai Hills
Over the last 12 months, homes in Dubai Hills sold at a median of about AED 2,385 per square foot, about AED 25,700 per square metre, about €6,300 or $7,000. A square metre is 10.76 square feet, the unit everything is advertised in in Dubai.
Here the gap between new and ready is small. Off-plan, the median is around AED 2,450 per square foot, and for ready homes about AED 2,250. Almost half of sales are off-plan. Ready homes selling for almost the same per metre as new ones is not the norm: in Business Bay, for example, new costs over 40% more per metre.
Since 2021 the median for flats has gone from about AED 15,900 to about AED 25,700 per square metre, 60% more. Over the last year, though, it has stayed practically flat. And far fewer homes are selling: about 6,500 sales were registered in 2024, about 3,850 in 2025 and about 2,400 in the last 12 months. That is how prices have moved, not a forecast: they can rise, stall or fall, and each building moves at its own pace.
What a flat rents for and the yield
This table matches the median rent for each type of flat with what a ready flat of the same type costs in Dubai Hills:
| Type | Typical size | Rent per year | Price of a ready home | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 42 m² | AED 72,000 €17,600 | AED 960,000 €235,000 | 7.5–8% |
| 1 bedroom | 68 m² | AED 90,000 €22,000 | AED 1,530,000 €374,000 | 5.5–6% |
| 2 bedrooms | 103 m² | AED 140,000 €34,200 | AED 2,450,000 €599,000 | 5.5–6% |
| 3 bedrooms | 162 m² | AED 247,000 €60,400 | AED 4,000,000 €978,000 | 6–6.5% |
1, 2 and 3-bedroom flats yield between 5.5 and 6.5%. Studios come out higher, but there are very few and the figure rests on very few sales, so treat it with caution. 1 and 2-bedroom flats share the area’s rentals almost equally, and in total over 6,000 contracts were registered in Ejari in 12 months, counting the villa communities.
Costs come off the gross yield. The main one is the service charge, which in Dubai Hills buildings has a median of AED 200 per square metre a year. This is how a 1-bedroom flat works out:
| AED | € | $ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual rent of a 1-bedroom flat | AED 90,000 | €22,012 | $24,506 |
| Service charge, 68 sq m at AED 200/sq m | AED −13,600 | €−3,326 | $−3,703 |
| What you keep before management and empty periods | AED 76,400 | €18,686 | $20,803 |
Approximate figures, for illustration only.
On a price of AED 1,530,000, that AED 76,400 is almost 5% before management, empty months and maintenance. Also ask whether the building bills chiller separately. Try other figures in the rent estimator, which already has a 1-bedroom flat in Dubai Hills set up with its price. If you want to let by the night, see the guide to the holiday home permit. How much the fee weighs in other areas is in the guide to service charges by area.
Townhouses and villas in Dubai Hills
Dubai Hills has two markets. Flats, which make up most sales and rentals, and houses: townhouse and detached villa communities, almost all with 3 to 5 bedrooms, built around the golf course and the park.
| Home | Median price | Median rent per year | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-bedroom flat | AED 2,450,000 | AED 140,000 | 5.5–6% |
| 3 to 5-bedroom townhouse | AED 5,250,000 to 5,500,000 | AED 260,000 to 270,000 | 4.7–5.1% |
| 3 to 5-bedroom detached villa | Few sales registered as villas | AED 415,000 to 450,000 | Depends on each home |
A townhouse costs more than twice as much as a 2-bedroom flat and yields a little less, around 5% gross. In return, the service charge per metre is usually lower, because each owner maintains their own home and the community mainly covers roads, security and green areas. Detached villas rent for over AED 400,000 a year, but few sales are registered as villas, about 70 in 12 months, so there is no reliable median price or yield: each house is looked at on its own.
One point matters more here than elsewhere. From AED 2,000,000 in property you can apply for the 10-year Golden Visa, and in Dubai Hills the median ready 2-bedroom flat is already above that figure. The requirements are in the guide to the Golden Visa through property.
Buying off-plan in Dubai Hills
In Dubai Hills almost everything is built by the same developer. The community’s company, Dubai Hills Estate L.L.C., has 56 projects in the DLD registry, 19 of them still under construction, and accounts for the vast majority of the area’s sales. Smaller developers build on individual plots. In 2026, up to October, only one new project was registered in the area, with 33 homes, against fifteen in JVC. For you that cuts both ways:
- The community plan is well defined, with parks, schools and shops already running, and one party responsible for the whole.
- Towers keep handing over. With 19 projects under construction, there will be handovers close to each other in the coming years, and in the first months after each handover more flats tend to be looking for tenants.
Buying off-plan lets you pay gradually during construction under a payment plan. In exchange, you wait for handover to let it. Everything you pay goes into the project’s escrow account and the purchase is registered in Oqood. Try a 60/40 plan in the off-plan calculator, which already has an AED 1,530,000 example, the median price of a ready 1-bedroom flat. The differences in price, payments and rent between both options are in the guide to off-plan vs ready property in Dubai.
Before booking, check the developer and the project as explained in the guide to choosing a Dubai developer. We present Dubai Hills projects that suit your budget and go through the contract with you before you book.
What to check in a Dubai Hills home
Two homes of the same size in Dubai Hills can perform very differently. These are the differences that matter most:
| What to look at | What to check | Why it matters in Dubai Hills |
|---|---|---|
| Location within the community | Whether it faces the park or the golf course, or Al Khail Road | A tower by the golf course and one by the motorway are registered in the same area |
| The service charge | The approved fee for the building or the villa community | In Dubai Hills it ranges from about AED 30 per sq m in some villa communities to over 320 in others |
| The chiller | Whether cooling is billed separately and how much it costs | It adds to fixed costs and is not part of the service charge |
| The type of home | Flat, townhouse or detached villa | Entry price, rent and yield all change |
| Handover | Planned date and how many towers hand over nearby at once | With many handovers together, more flats compete for tenants at first |
The service charge is the best example. The building median is AED 200 per square metre, but the area has villa communities below 35 and others above 320. Check the specific building’s fee in the DLD index before doing the numbers.
Look at which side of the community it is on too. A home by the park or with golf views does not sell or let the same as one facing Al Khail Road, even if the latter is easier to get in and out of by car. The Dubai Hills median mixes them all, so always compare with homes in the same building or similar ones.
Access and roads in Dubai Hills
With no metro, the roads matter a lot. The community relies on Al Khail Road and Umm Suqeim Street, and the RTA has completed and has under way several projects in the area:
- Mall access. In 2020 the RTA completed 13 bridges with direct entries and exits from Al Khail Road and Umm Suqeim Street.
- Umm Suqeim Street inland. In May 2025 the RTA had the upgrade between Al Khail Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road 70% complete, with an 800-metre tunnel, and expected that stretch to go from almost 10 minutes to under 4. Dubai Hills is one of the areas it serves.
- Umm Suqeim Street towards the coast. In April 2026 the RTA awarded the upgrade between Jumeirah Street and Al Khail Road, which it expects to cut that journey from 20 to 6 minutes.
Better access usually helps demand in an area, but there is no way to know how much it will show in prices or rents. Treat it as a plus, not a promise.
Dubai Hills compared with Business Bay, Downtown, Dubai Marina and JVC
This is how Dubai Hills sits next to other areas where people buy to let:
| Area | Price, AED per sq m | 1-bedroom rent per year | Gross yield | Service charge, AED per sq m a year | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Hills Estate | 25,661 | AED 90,000 | 6–6.5% | 200 | No |
| Business Bay | 26,716 | AED 85,000 | 5.5–6% | 215 | Yes, Red Line |
| Downtown Dubai | 31,075 | AED 115,000 | 5–5.5% | 204 | Yes, Red Line |
| Dubai Marina | 24,800 | AED 90,000 | 5.5–6% | 176 | Yes, Red Line and tram |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 16,006 | AED 70,000 | 6–6.5% | 184 | No |
Per square metre, Dubai Hills costs a little less than Business Bay and well below Downtown, with a 1-bedroom rent similar to Dubai Marina and a slightly better yield. Against JVC it costs much more per square metre and its yield is similar, but it has a park, golf, schools and shops inside, and a slightly higher service charge. What it does not have is a metro. If you want the highest yield on a small budget, see the guide to investing in JVC. If you prefer a central tower district with a metro, the one on investing in Business Bay. Figures for other areas are in the guide to rental yields by area. What suits you depends on your budget and whether you want income or growth.
Investing in Dubai Hills from the UK or the US
Buying in Dubai Hills is the same wherever you live: the purchase is registered with the DLD in your name and can be done remotely. What changes is the currency, how you send money and what you declare at home. If you do not travel to sign a step, you will need a power of attorney, and as the UAE is not part of the Apostille Convention it is legalised in a chain: notary, your foreign ministry, the UAE embassy and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is explained in the guide to the power of attorney to buy in Dubai, and how to move the money in the guide to sending money to Dubai.
Investing in Dubai Hills from the UK
A ready 1-bedroom flat at AED 1,530,000 is about $417,000. In pounds it depends on the day’s rate, as the dirham is pegged to the dollar and the pound-dirham rate moves with the pound-dollar rate. UK residents normally pay tax on foreign rental income, so the rent goes on your return to HMRC. Dubai is 4 hours ahead of the UK in winter and 3 in summer.
Investing in Dubai Hills from the US
With the dirham pegged to the dollar, that flat is about $417,000 and there is no currency risk. As a US citizen or resident you report the rent to the IRS, and if your foreign accounts exceed $10,000 you file an FBAR. New York and Miami are 9 hours behind Dubai in winter and 8 in summer.
From anywhere else
The purchase is the same. For what you declare at home, ask a tax adviser in your country.
Things to keep in mind
- Dubai Hills is an Emaar community with a park, golf, schools and a mall inside, between Downtown and Dubai Marina.
- A ready 1-bedroom flat is around AED 1,530,000 and rents for about AED 90,000 a year.
- Flats yield 5.5 to 6.5% gross; townhouses a little less.
- Ready homes sell for almost the same per metre as new ones.
- Over the last year the price has barely moved and sales have almost halved.
- There is no metro: it is an area for getting around by car.
- A ready 2-bedroom flat usually reaches the Golden Visa minimum.
- Check the developer, the escrow account and the contract before booking.
If Dubai Hills fits what you are looking for, we present projects that suit your budget, resolve your questions with the developer’s team and support you through the booking, payments and registration. And if you want to let it long term once it is handed over, we find you a tenant.
Frequently asked questions
Is investing in Dubai Hills worth it?
It depends on what you are after. It has rental demand, a park, golf and schools inside, with a gross yield of 5.5 to 6% on a 1-bedroom flat. Over the last year the price has held and far fewer homes have sold.
How much does a flat in Dubai Hills cost?
Over the last 12 months, the median ready flat sold for about AED 960,000 for a studio, AED 1,530,000 for a 1-bedroom, AED 2,450,000 for a 2-bedroom and AED 4,000,000 for a 3-bedroom.
How much does a flat in Dubai Hills rent for?
The median annual rent is about AED 72,000 for a studio, AED 90,000 for a 1-bedroom, AED 140,000 for a 2-bedroom and AED 247,000 for a 3-bedroom.
What yield does Dubai Hills give?
Gross, 5.5 to 6.5% for 1, 2 and 3-bedroom flats and around 5% for townhouses. After the service charge, a 1-bedroom flat keeps almost 5%.
How much is the service charge in Dubai Hills?
The building median is AED 200 per square metre a year. Some villa communities are below AED 35 and others above AED 320, so always check the specific one.
Does Dubai Hills have a metro?
No. It is an area for getting around by car, via Al Khail Road and Umm Suqeim Street, about 15 minutes from Downtown and Dubai Marina.
Who is the developer of Dubai Hills?
Emaar is the community’s main developer and master developer. Most projects are registered with the DLD under the company Dubai Hills Estate L.L.C.
Is Dubai Hills or Business Bay better?
They cost about the same per square metre and Dubai Hills yields slightly more. Business Bay is central and has a metro; Dubai Hills has a park, golf, schools and villas, but you need a car.
Does a Dubai Hills home qualify for the Golden Visa?
Yes, if it is worth at least AED 2,000,000. In Dubai Hills the median ready 2-bedroom flat is already above that figure.
Can I invest in Dubai Hills from the UK?
Yes. You buy remotely, pay by transfer into the escrow account and declare the rent to HMRC if you are UK resident.
Can I invest in Dubai Hills from the US?
Yes. Paying in dollars carries no currency risk. You report the rent to the IRS and file an FBAR if your foreign accounts exceed $10,000.
