Dubai Market Intelligence · Peak Trust Analytics

Dubai service-charge index by community

What owners pay in annual service charges across Dubai communities — AED per square foot per year, from official owners-association (Mollak) filings. The recurring cost of holding a home, before mortgage or rent.

Median service charge: AED 13.00; per sqft / year
Highest: AED 28.22; Bluewaters Island
Lowest: AED 1.06
Communities · 2023: 49

Annual service charge by community

Median AED per sqft across each community's buildings · financial year 2023

#	Community	AED / sqft	Range	YoY	Buildings
1	Bluewaters Island	AED 28.22	—	+8.5%	1
2	Burj Khalifa District	AED 27.02	1.74–39.56	+6.2%	18
3	Al Sufouh	AED 25.00	—	+0.8%	1
4	Al Barari	AED 22.49	22.15–22.84	+6.3%	2
5	Palm Jumeirah	AED 21.00	1.36–52.17	-10.6%	19
6	Jumeira Bay	AED 20.00	6.00–52.00	+2.4%	3
7	City Walk	AED 19.00	—	0%	1
8	Business Bay	AED 18.00	2.49–31.21	+4.5%	39
9	Barsha Heights	AED 17.77	15.53–19.00	+1.7%	4
10	The Greens	AED 17.63	15.00–20.00	+6.8%	6
11	Downtown Jebel Ali	AED 17.28	17.00–17.56	+18.7%	2
12	Dubai Marina	AED 17.08	1.74–24.23	+0.4%	38
13	Dubai HealthCare City	AED 17.00	11.00–17.00	+41.7%	3
14	Meydan	AED 15.67	1.01–21.37	+15.5%	24
15	Dubai Studio City	AED 15.53	—	+3.5%	1
16	Jumeirah Islands	AED 15.50	—	-11.4%	1
17	Dubai Science Park	AED 15.00	5.00–17.00	-6.2%	4
18	Dubai Water Front	AED 15.00	—	+15.4%	1
19	Al Furjan	AED 14.93	1.72–19.13	+4.8%	23
20	Dubai South	AED 14.34	3.00–18.82	+10.3%	13
21	Jumeirah Village Circle	AED 14.00	2.00–20.33	0%	41
22	Culture Village	AED 13.60	4.74–25.00	-15%	4
23	Dubai Hills Estate	AED 13.21	2.32–22.94	-4.2%	4
24	Dubai Sports City	AED 13.00	1.32–20.75	0%	33
25	Dubai Silicon Oasis	AED 13.00	9.00–18.00	+8.3%	38
26	Jumeirah Lakes Towers	AED 13.00	5.00–25.00	-7.1%	16
27	Jumeirah Golf Estates	AED 12.73	—	+111.5%	1
28	Jumeirah Village	AED 12.53	1.00–23.00	+7.9%	54
29	International City Ph 2 & 3	AED 12.00	—	0%	1
30	Dubai Production City	AED 11.55	2.98–15.20	-15.8%	8
31	Dubai Industrial City	AED 11.53	5.30–17.00	-11.3%	3
32	Mirdif	AED 11.00	—	+9.7%	1
33	Dubai Land	AED 10.93	1.00–21.00	+4.8%	91
34	International City	AED 10.76	8.00–13.20	-2.2%	20
35	Liwan	AED 10.52	2.00–13.46	-4.4%	4
36	Arjan	AED 9.90	1.10–12.00	-1.1%	6
37	Dubai World Trade Centre	AED 8.00	—	-2.7%	1
38	Dubai Investment Park	AED 5.89	1.67–18.27	-54%	5
39	Nshama	AED 5.00	3.00–22.00	0%	11
40	Falconcity of Wonders	AED 4.90	4.81–5.00	+22.6%	2
41	Dubai Health Care City Phase 1	AED 4.23	—	-35.3%	1
42	DMCC Master Community	AED 3.76	2.16–36.33	+47.1%	14
43	DownTown Dubai	AED 3.13	2.21–4.05	-82.1%	2
44	Motor City	AED 3.07	—	+2.3%	1
45	Damac Hills	AED 3.00	2.00–21.99	0%	17
46	Dubai Creek Harbour	AED 2.46	1.71–3.90	-47.2%	3
47	Silicon Oasis	AED 2.44	1.20–7.32	-3.7%	14
48	Jebel Ali Village	AED 1.10	—	—	1
49	Al Qouz	AED 1.06	—	—	1

Data computed by Peak Trust Analytics · Dubai market data powered by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) · Updated Oct 2026. Proprietary — not to be reused or redistributed without authorization. Not investment advice.

What a service charge is — and why it matters

In Dubai, every freehold apartment or villa in a managed development pays an annual service charge to its owners association — the pooled fund that keeps the building and community running: security, cleaning, chilled water for the AC, lifts, pool and gym upkeep, insurance, and a reserve fund for big future repairs. It is billed in AED per square foot per year and set through the Mollak system, which every RERA-approved community must file through.

It matters because it is the recurring cost of holding a home, separate from your mortgage or rent. On a 1,000 sqft apartment, AED 15/sqft is AED 15,000 a year — every year you own it. For a landlord it comes straight off your rental yield; for an owner-occupier it is a running cost to budget; for a buyer comparing two towers, it can be the difference that tips a decision.

How to read the table

AED / sqftThe median annual charge across all priced buildings in that community — a robust middle value, not skewed by one luxury tower.
RangeThe lowest to highest building charge in the community — a wide range means it depends heavily on which tower you buy in.
YoYChange versus the prior year. Rising charges (shown in red) mean a higher holding cost over time.
BuildingsHow many buildings were priced — more buildings means a more reliable community median.

Rule of thumb

Across Dubai the typical service charge is around AED 13.00/sqft. Mid-market communities (JVC, Dubai Marina, JLT) sit near AED 12–18; premium districts (Downtown, Palm Jumeirah) run AED 20–30+ for the extra amenities and prime-location upkeep. A charge well below its neighbours can signal deferred maintenance as often as a bargain.

Figures are community-level medians from official 2023 Mollak filings and are indicative — always confirm the exact service charge for a specific unit before you buy. This is general market information, not financial or investment advice.