Dubai
Sports City
Dubai's affordable apartment district.
Dubai Sports City was planned around sport: a cricket stadium, a championship golf course and sports academies, with apartment buildings and a few villa clusters around them, off Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road near Motor City and Jumeirah Golf Estates. Today it is best known as one of the cheapest places in Dubai to buy a flat with a pool and a gym.
Ready flats sold at a median AED 978 per sq ft between January and September 2026, and one flat sale in ten went for less than AED 499K (Dubai Land Department). Bayut named Sports City, with Dubai Silicon Oasis, the most popular affordable apartment area in the first half of 2026.
New schools are arriving. Queen Elizabeth's School Dubai Sports City opened for the 2026-27 academic year, and the GEMS School of Research and Innovation opened in 2025, both registered with KHDA.
Sports City was one of the few apartment markets ValuStrat recorded rising in 2026: apartment values were 4.2% higher year on year in August, the second best of its apartment communities, after a 1.4% gain in Q2. Transaction medians were softer: ready flats sold at a median AED 988 per sq ft in Q1 and AED 948 in Q3 (DLD), and quarterly sales fell from 885 to 539.
Data as of September 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this guide.
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Illustrative imageRight for you.
Not right for everyone.
Dubai Sports 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 have AED 500K to 1M and want one of the highest gross rents per dirham in Dubai from a ready flat
- You are comfortable owning in an older building and budgeting for maintenance and the odd vacant month
- Your tenants are young professionals and families who want space at a modest rent
- You want a family flat near new schools: the median 2-bed sold for AED 1.59M
- You plan to hold five years or more
- You want a prestigious address or a resale buyer pool at the top of the market
- You need a metro station: Sports City has none
- You want a new building with no maintenance surprises at the ready-flat price
- You need the AED 2M Golden Visa threshold from one flat
Where the new
supply is coming from.
The most traded residential projects from January to September 2026, all off-plan, with each project's DLD median price.
What is being built,
and when.
What we actually think about Dubai Sports City.
Sports City has one of the highest gross yields we measure in Dubai, at 7.9–8.1%, against a Dubai apartment average of about 7% reported by Cavendish Maxwell for H1 2026. The reason is the low purchase price: ready flats sold at a median AED 972 per sq ft from April to September while Ejari rents ran at a median AED 76 per sq ft a year. Much of the ready stock is older, with higher service charges and a greater risk of empty months between tenants. It is gross, before service charges, vacancy and fees.
That makes Sports City a good market for an investor who buys carefully. Look at the building's service charge history and its management before the view. A well-run older block at under AED 1,000 per sq ft can out-earn a new launch at AED 1,400.
The off-plan towers will lift the quality of the stock, and the new schools will help family demand. Price them against the ready market, which ValuStrat shows rising 4.2% over the year to August 2026 while its Dubai apartment index fell 5.3%.
How much does a flat in Dubai Sports City cost?
Between January and September 2026 the median studio sold for AED 586K, the median one-bedroom for AED 1.00M and the median two-bedroom for AED 1.59M (Dubai Land Department). One flat sale in ten was below AED 499K.
Why is the yield in Sports City so high?
Because purchase prices are low. Ready flats sold at a median AED 972 per sq ft from April to September 2026, and Ejari rents ran at AED 76 per sq ft a year, giving 7.9–8.1% gross. Much of the stock is older, with higher service charges and more vacancy risk, so the net return is lower than the headline.
Did Sports City prices rise or fall in 2026?
ValuStrat's valuation index showed apartment values up 4.2% year on year in August 2026. DLD transaction medians for ready flats eased from AED 988 per sq ft in Q1 to AED 948 in Q3. Medians move with the mix of buildings sold, so the index is the better guide to direction.
Are there schools in Dubai Sports City?
Yes. Queen Elizabeth's School Dubai Sports City opened for the 2026-27 academic year, and the GEMS School of Research and Innovation opened in August 2025.
Is there a metro in Sports City?
No. Access is by road, mainly Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Hessa Street.
Data as of September 2026
- Dubai Land Department open data, sales transactions, 1 Jan to 30 Sep 2026
- Dubai Land Department open data, Ejari rent contracts (flats), Registered 1 Jul to 30 Sep 2026
- ValuStrat VPI via Khaleej Times, August 2026
- ValuStrat Dubai Real Estate Review Q2 2026 (Zawya), Q2 2026
- Bayut H1 2026 via Entrepreneur Middle East, H1 2026
- Cavendish Maxwell H1 2026 (apartment yield), H1 2026
- KHDA, new private schools 2026-27, 2026-27 academic year
- Middle East Construction News, Hadley Heights 2 launch, Launch release
- Hadley Heights 2 project page (Property Finder): unit mix and Q4 2027 delivery, Read October 2026
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