Al Maryah
Island
Abu Dhabi's financial district, in two price tiers.
Al Maryah Island is the core of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the emirate's financial free zone, set between the old city and Al Reem Island. Office towers, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (open since 2015) and hotel residences share a small island, and the residential stock is small too: ADREC counts 1,153 apartments and 17 villas, with 758 more apartments in the pipeline to 2030. Al Maryah is a named freehold investment area.
It is really two markets on one register. Reportage's Vista towers sell compact flats: Vista 2 traded at a median AED 635K and AED 1,393 per sq ft between January and 2 October 2026. Branded towers sell at about three times the rate per foot (our calculation): St. Regis Residences at a median AED 8.15M and AED 4,242 per sq ft, Jumeirah Residences at AED 4,921 per sq ft. Abu Dhabi's transaction register (ADX) recorded 434 sales in total, 71% off-plan.
Because the island is part of ADGM, its homes are exempt from the 0% rent renewal cap that has applied to most of Abu Dhabi since 2 June 2026.
2026 was the year branded residences arrived. ADX recorded 434 sales worth AED 3.28bn between January and 2 October, already above the AED 1.87bn of all 2025, with St. Regis Residences the most traded project and Jumeirah Residences, launched in January 2026, already at 38 sales. ADREC reports Al Reem and Al Maryah together at AED 10.5bn of sales in H1 2026, up 153%. Rents on registered contracts were close to flat: studios +1.5% and 1-beds +0.8% year on year in the latest quarter. Citywide, Cushman & Wakefield saw average prices ease 1% quarter on quarter in Q2 2026.
Data as of October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this guide.
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Illustrative imageRight for you.
Not right for everyone.
Al Maryah Island is a strong recommendation for the right profile. It's also wrong for investors whose objective doesn't match what the zone delivers. Here is our honest read.
- You have AED 600K to 1.1M for a compact city flat and will check the rent in finished buildings before you buy
- You want a branded residence in Abu Dhabi's financial district and have AED 4.5M or more
- You want rent you can review at renewal: ADGM is outside Abu Dhabi's 0% renewal cap
- You want a Golden Visa from one property: one-bedroom sales, mostly branded, had a median of AED 4.75M (for an off-plan unit, at least AED 2M must already be paid)
- You want to walk to work in ADGM and to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
- You expect a branded flat to yield like a studio: branded towers are why the area yield is 4.3% while studios run about 7.1%
- You want a villa or a garden: there are 17 villas on the island
- You want a beach
- You need a large resale market: 124 ready-home sales in nine months
The towers
that trade.
ADX medians for January to 2 October 2026, all bedroom types together. Branded towers and the Vista towers sit in different price bands; compare like with like.
What is being built,
and when.
What we actually think about Al Maryah Island.
For income, we would look at the small units, with care. ADX's registered contracts show studios at about AED 70K a year and 1-beds at about AED 86K, giving 7.1% and 8.2% gross against ADX segment prices of about AED 986K and AED 1.06M. Those rents come from finished, let buildings. The cheapest studios on the register in 2026, at Vista 2 (median AED 635K), are still off-plan and have no rent record of their own, so do not divide AED 70K by AED 635K and expect that yield. At the 2026 one-bedroom median of AED 4.75M, mostly branded, the registered 1-bed rent gives about 1.8% gross (our calculation). The area as a whole yields 4.3% gross because branded towers pull the average price up. All figures are gross, before service charges, vacancy and fees.
Branded residences are a different purchase. St. Regis, Jumeirah and the Four Seasons hotel residences sold at medians of AED 8.15M to 10.0M this year, at AED 4,200 to 5,200 per sq ft. Buyers pay for the brand, the service and the address, and the rent they fetch is a much smaller share of the price. Buy them for use and long-term value, and do not count on rent to carry them.
Supply is small. ADREC counts 758 apartments in the pipeline to 2030 on top of 1,153 existing ones. That supports resale values, but it also means fewer deals: 434 in nine months, most of them off-plan.
How much does a flat on Al Maryah Island cost?
Between January and 2 October 2026 ADX recorded a median AED 648K for a studio, AED 4.75M for a one-bedroom, AED 8.42M for a two-bedroom and AED 12.29M for a three-bedroom. The 1-bed and larger medians are pulled up by branded towers such as St. Regis and Jumeirah; Vista 1 flats sold at a median AED 1.02M.
What rental yield can I expect on Al Maryah Island?
ADX puts the area at 4.3% gross in the latest quarter (as shown 4 October 2026). Studios run about 7.1% and 1-beds about 8.2% on ADX segment prices; branded towers return less, which pulls the area figure down. All figures are gross, before service charges, vacancy and fees. The 1-bed figure is measured on a segment price of about AED 1.06M; the 2026 one-bedroom median was AED 4.75M because most 1-bed sales were branded, and a branded 1-bed returns far less. ADX divides registered rents by its own segment sale price, which can sit well below today's medians; at the median prices on this page the same rents give a lower gross yield.
Does the Abu Dhabi rent freeze apply on Al Maryah Island?
No. Since 2 June 2026 Abu Dhabi caps rent renewals at 0%, but ADGM areas, Al Maryah Island and the ADGM part of Al Reem, are exempt (ADREC H1 2026).
Can foreigners buy on Al Maryah Island?
Yes. Al Maryah is one of the nine named investment areas on the official UAE government list, under Abu Dhabi Law No. 19 of 2005 as amended in 2019. Sales register on DARI with a 2% registration fee.
Which property qualifies for the Golden Visa here?
Abu Dhabi grants the Golden Visa for property worth AED 2M or more. If it is mortgaged, AED 2M of equity must be held; for off-plan, at least AED 2M must already be paid. Confirm with ADREC before you rely on it. Branded residences pass the value test on their own; Vista studios do not.
Data as of October 2026
- ADX Interact area analysis: Al Maryah Island, 1 Jan to 2 Oct 2026; 2025 full year
- ADX Interact rental yields: Al Maryah Island (registered rent contracts), Latest quarter as shown 4 Oct 2026
- ADREC Abu Dhabi Real Estate Market Report H1 2026 (stock, pipeline, ADGM sales, rent freeze), H1 2026
- Cushman & Wakefield MarketBeat Residential Abu Dhabi Q2 2026, Q2 2026
- Gulf News: Jumeirah and Emirates Developments to launch branded homes on Al Maryah Island (253 units), January 2026
- Middle East Construction News: Reportage announces Al Maryah Vista 2, Launch announcement
- u.ae: Expatriates buying property in the UAE (Abu Dhabi investment areas), Page updated 28 Sep 2026
- Abu Dhabi Golden Visa for real estate investors (ADDED), Page dated 24 Sep 2026
- Mubadala: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi opening, 2015
- Al Tamimi: ADGM expands into Al Reem Island, Read October 2026
- Construction Review Online: Abu Dhabi to Dubai high-speed rail, 2026
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