Rental Yield Calculator Dubai
Quick answer:gross yield is annual rent ÷ price — but net, after the building’s service charge, is the number that decides. Free tool, no sign-up.
Why this asks for your building’s rate, not an average
Most yield calculators bake in a citywide service-charge assumption and quietly present the result as your return. Dubai does not work like that. Under Article 25 of Law No. 6 of 2019, each building’s charge is set per square foot, approved by RERA and published on Mollak— and the spread between buildings is wide enough to swing a net yield by whole percentage points.
So this tool refuses to guess. You look up the actual rate for the building you are considering — it takes a minute and it is public — and the yield you get back is specific to that property rather than to a fictional average one. The same discipline applies to buying costs: where the fees are genuinely ranges, the net-yield band shows the range instead of a midpoint pretending to be precise.
The other three property numbers
What buying costs in total is the purchase cost calculator; the monthly repayment is the mortgage calculator; and what a bank will lend you is the eligibility check.
4 Steps
How to use the calculator
Enter price and rent
Type the purchase price and the expected rent, monthly or annual — from a live listing or your tenancy contract.
Add the building's service charge
Enter the unit size and the RERA-approved service charge rate for that building, published on Mollak. This is usually the largest running cost and it differs per building.
Set costs and vacancy
Add any maintenance, insurance or management costs, and choose how many weeks of rent you expect to collect in a normal year.
Read gross against net
The tool shows the headline gross yield, the net income in dirhams, and the net yield — on the price alone or on price plus buying costs.
Common Questions
Dubai Rental Yield — FAQ
How do I calculate rental yield in Dubai?
Gross yield is the annual rent divided by the purchase price. Net yield subtracts the running costs first — the building's service charge, maintenance, insurance, management and any vacancy weeks — and divides by the price, or by price plus buying costs if you want the return on everything you actually invested. The calculator above does both.
What is the difference between gross and net rental yield?
Gross yield ignores costs; net yield is what you keep. In Dubai the gap is driven mostly by the service charge, which is set per building, approved by RERA and published on Mollak. Two apartments with identical rent and price can produce very different net yields purely because one building charges more per square foot than the other.
What is a good rental yield in Dubai?
Any single citywide number conceals more than it reveals, because service charges differ sharply between buildings and that difference lands directly in net yield. The honest method is to compare specific properties net-to-net: same rent assumptions, each building's own Mollak rate, the same vacancy allowance. Where tenant demand is strongest is covered in our best areas guide.
Do service charges affect rental yield?
Directly. Under Article 25 of Law No. 6 of 2019 your share of the building's costs is charged per square foot at a RERA-approved rate, and under Article 16(b) the owner pays it even when the property is rented out, unless the lease shifts it. Look the rate up on Mollak before you buy — it is the single most checkable driver of your net yield.
Is rental income taxed in Dubai?
The UAE levies no personal income tax on an individual's rental income, which is part of why net yields here compare well internationally. Your home country may still tax it — Indian residents, for example, declare worldwide income. Confirm your own position with a tax adviser.
Should yield be measured on the price or on the total invested?
Both views are useful. Yield on price is the market convention and makes listings comparable. Yield on price plus buying costs — around 7 to 10 percent extra in Dubai for DLD, agency and registration fees — tells you the return on the cash you actually deployed. The calculator offers both bases and carries the ranged fees through as a range.
Sources
- Service charges — Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned real property, Articles 16 and 25; RERA-approved budgets published on Mollak. Detail in our property management guide.
- Buying-cost basis (DLD 4%, agency 2% + VAT, trustee, title deed, NOC; 7–10% of price all-in) — the fee table in our Dubai real estate investment guide.
- Where tenant demand concentrates — our best areas to buy guide.
- Rents and prices vary by listing and negotiation; service-charge budgets are revised. Confirm current figures before you commit.
Want the numbers on a real shortlist?
Tell us your budget and goal. We will pull the Mollak rates, sanity-check the rents, and send you a shortlist compared net-to-net — free, within one business day.