Dubai
Maritime City
A sea-facing peninsula next to old Dubai.
Dubai Maritime City is a reclaimed peninsula between Port Rashid and the Dubai Drydocks, with the old city of Bur Dubai directly behind it. It started life as a maritime business district and is now becoming a residential waterfront, with towers facing the open Gulf and the city skyline.
Almost everything here is new. Of the 1,478 sales registered between January and September 2026, 99% were off-plan, worth AED 5.0bn in total. Danube, Beyond and DAMAC lead the launches, alongside branded towers.
Prices are set by those launches. Flats sold at a median AED 3,199 per sq ft, studios at a median AED 1.38M and one-bedrooms at AED 2.54M.
Dubai Maritime City had a strong start to 2026 and then slowed with the off-plan market. Registrations fell from 939 in Q1 to 320 in Q2 and 219 in Q3, while the median flat price held near AED 3,200 per sq ft (DLD Q1 3,159, Q2 3,291, Q3 3,206). Citywide, ValuStrat counted off-plan registrations in August 40.4% lower than a year earlier.
Data as of September 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this guide.
Illustrative image
Illustrative imageRight for you.
Not right for everyone.
Dubai Maritime City 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 want a sea-facing new-build flat close to central Dubai, with AED 1.4M to 4.3M to invest
- You are buying off-plan with a payment plan and can hold through construction and beyond
- You want to be near Bur Dubai, DIFC and Downtown more than near the Marina
- You accept that the district is still being built and will change around you for years
- A one-bedroom at a median AED 2.54M is above the AED 2M Golden Visa threshold; for an off-plan unit, confirm eligibility with DLD first
- You need rental income soon: there is too little completed stock to measure a yield
- You want to resell before handover at a profit; sales slowed sharply after Q1 2026
- You want a villa or townhouse; the district is all towers
- You want a finished neighbourhood with schools and shops on foot today
The launches
selling in Maritime City.
The busiest projects of 2026 with DLD medians. Price per square foot varies by more than AED 1,000 between them (our calculation), so compare the payment plan, handover date and view of each unit alongside the headline price.
What is being built,
and when.
What we actually think about Dubai Maritime City.
The appeal is location. Maritime City puts you on the water a few minutes from Bur Dubai, DIFC and Downtown. The Dubai Metro Gold Line, approved in April 2026 with a completion target of 2032, includes a station at Mina Rashid next door.
The price already counts on that future. Off-plan flats sold at a median AED 3,202 per sq ft, while the handful of completed flats that traded sold for AED 1,751 to 2,350 per sq ft. Part of that gap is newer product and better views, and part is the premium for a story that still has to be built. There is not yet enough rent data to measure a yield, so we do not quote one.
If you buy here, buy for the long term, choose an open sea view that cannot be built out, and pick a developer whose handover record you have checked. Selling before completion is harder now that sales volumes have fallen.
How much does an apartment in Dubai Maritime City cost?
DLD medians for January to September 2026: studio AED 1.38M, one-bedroom AED 2.54M, two-bedroom AED 4.29M and three-bedroom AED 6.79M. One in ten flats sold for AED 1.37M or less.
Is Dubai Maritime City freehold for foreign buyers?
Yes. Foreign buyers can own apartments here freehold, registered with the Dubai Land Department, and almost all 2026 sales were off-plan apartments sold by developers.
What rental yield can I expect?
We cannot measure one yet. Only 16 ready flats sold in 2026, too few to set a reliable price against Ejari rents. Ask us for the rent on a specific completed building if you are comparing.
How is Maritime City connected?
By road through Port Rashid to Bur Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Road. The Dubai Metro Gold Line, approved in April 2026 with a 2032 completion target, includes a station at Mina Rashid next to the peninsula.
Did prices fall here in 2026?
The median flat price held near AED 3,200 per sq ft through the year, but sales volumes fell from 939 in Q1 to 219 in Q3 (DLD). With fewer buyers, resale before handover is harder than in 2025.
Data as of September 2026
- Dubai Land Department open data, sales transactions, 1 Jan to 30 Sep 2026
- ValuStrat VPI via Khaleej Times, August 2026
- Dubai Media Office, Dubai Metro Gold Line approval, 22 April 2026
- Dubai Media Office, Al Shindagha Corridor, 11 May 2025
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