New launches
Arancia Yards by Beyond The Yards from AED 1.01M Portside Square Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah from AED 2.30M Palm Central Private Residences - Frond N Palm Jebel Ali from AED 2.66M Azizi Abraham Downtown Jebel Ali from AED 505K Azizi Noura Jabal Ali Industrial Second from AED 522K Hado by Beyond Siora from AED 2.20M Kanyon by Beyond Dubai Maritime City from AED 2.71M Evelyn on the Park Town Square Dubai from AED 1.07M Terra Woods Madinat Al Mataar from AED 1.72M Salva The Heights The Heights Country Club & Wellness from AED 5.40M Avarra by Palace Business Bay from AED 2.80M Serenz by Danube Jumeirah Village Circle from AED 1.19M
Near-equal median prices; Maritime City dearer per foot, Dubai Islands far more supply.

Dubai Islands or Dubai Maritime City — Which Waterfront Market?

Dubai Islands costs about 11% more per purchase than Dubai Maritime City — a median AED 2,869,230 against AED 2,590,500 — yet Maritime City is about 10% dearer per square foot, at AED 3,159 against AED 2,861, according to the Dubai Land Department transaction register, off-plan sales January to 17 September 2026. Dubai Islands sells larger homes at a lower rate per foot. The other contrast is supply: Dubai Islands recorded sales across 110 developments, Maritime City across 42.

Correction Corrected 17 September 2026. The first version quoted an average of individual buildings' median prices as each community's median, while saying the figures were pooled across all sales. The prices below are now true medians of every recorded off-plan sale. On that basis Dubai Islands is about 11% dearer per purchase — the first version called the two almost identical — while Maritime City stays about 10% dearer per square foot.
Median price per sqft
2,861 vs 3,159
Dubai Islands vs Maritime City, AED
Recorded 2026 off-plan sales
Median price paid
AED 2,869,230 vs AED 2,590,500
Dubai Islands vs Maritime City
Recorded, not asking
Recorded off-plan sales
3,424 vs 1,694
110 vs 42 developments
2026 to date
Projects past their 2026 date
7 of 20 vs 1 of 4
Filed completion passed, not finished
As of 17 September 2026

Price and unit mix

Dubai Islands: 46% one-bedroom, 39% two-bedroom, 12% three-bedroom, almost no studios. Dubai Maritime City: 51% one-bedroom, 24% two-bedroom, 20% studios.

Maritime City's studio share is part of why its per-foot figure is higher; Dubai Islands' larger mix costs more per purchase but buys more space at a lower rate per foot.

Dubai Islands AED 2,861/sqft vs Maritime City AED 3,159/sqft.

Supply, delivery and escrow

Dubai Islands is the larger and more crowded market: 3,424 recorded sales across 110 developments, led by Hado By Beyond (619), The Meriva Collection (472), Ellington Sands I (278). Maritime City recorded 1,694 across 42, led by Breez by Danube (401), Kanyon By Beyond (307), Franck Muller Yachting (151).

7 of 20 Dubai Islands projects filed for 2026 are past that date and unfinished, against 1 of 4 in Maritime City. Of 2026 registrations, 18 of 28 on Dubai Islands and 11 of 13 in Maritime City hold an open escrow account. In the register, Dubai Islands is filed as Palm Deira and Maritime City as Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah.

Past their 2026 date: Dubai Islands 7 of 20, Maritime City 1 of 4.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure is from the Dubai Land Department transaction register, off-plan sales January to 17 September 2026, read on 17 September 2026. Prices are medians of what buyers actually paid, pooled across all recorded off-plan sales in each community — not asking prices and not an average of project averages. 'Past their 2026 date' counts projects whose filed completion date in the register has already passed without the project being recorded as finished; the register can lag a real site, so verify any single project in Dubai REST. Communities are matched to the register through their official DLD district names, listed on our district-names page.

The buildings behind these numbers

Every project we track in these areas, busiest first — each page has its payment plan, handover date and the prices actually paid.

Dubai Islands

All Dubai Islands projects →

Dubai Maritime City

All Dubai Maritime City projects →

Project vs project

  • Hado by Beyond vs The Meriva Collection Both are one-bedroom-led towers on Dubai Islands. Hado transacts at AED 3,153/sqft with handover in 2029; Meriva at AED 3,448 with handover in 2031. The two-year gap is the real decision.
Our verdict

Dubai Islands or Dubai Maritime City? Dubai Islands costs about 11% more per purchase (median AED 2,869,230 vs AED 2,590,500) but about 10% less per square foot (AED 2,861 vs AED 3,159), because it sells larger homes. It is also the far bigger market, with 110 developments against 42, and 7 of its 20 2026 projects are already past their filed date. Source: Dubai Land Department transaction register, off-plan sales January to 17 September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dubai Islands cheaper than Dubai Maritime City?

Per square foot, yes: AED 2,861 on Dubai Islands against AED 3,159 in Dubai Maritime City for recorded 2026 off-plan sales. Per purchase Dubai Islands is dearer — a median AED 2,869,230 against AED 2,590,500 — because its homes are larger, per the DLD register as of 17 September 2026.

Dubai Islands or Maritime City — which is better?

Dubai Islands offers more space per dirham and far more choice (110 developments) but more competing supply and a higher count of late 2026 projects; Maritime City is a smaller, pricier-per-foot market with a higher studio share.

What is Dubai Islands called in the DLD register?

Palm Deira. Dubai Maritime City is registered as Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah.

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