Dubai Commercial Property Sales Jump 124% to AED 25.1 Billion in Nine Months of 2026

3 October 2026

Dubai sold AED 25.1 billion of commercial property, offices and shops, in the first nine months of 2026. That is 124.1% more than the AED 11.2 billion recorded in January to September 2025, according to Dubai Land Department (DLD) data published by Al Bayan on 3 October 2026. Buyers closed 4,901 deals, and the nine-month total is already 38.6% above the whole of 2025, when commercial sales reached AED 18.1 billion. Offices accounted for AED 20.1 billion, of which AED 16.1 billion was off-plan, and Business Bay alone generated AED 10 billion.

The headline numbers

In DLD statistics, commercial property covers two asset types: offices and retail units (shops). In January to September 2026 the segment grew both in value and in the number of transactions. Here is how the period compares with earlier results.

The number of deals rose by about 21% year on year, while value more than doubled. The average commercial deal therefore became much larger: about AED 5.1 million in 2026 against about AED 2.8 million a year earlier, based on the DLD totals. Al Bayan describes the nine-month result as a record jump for the segment, achieved three months before the end of the year.

Offices: AED 20.1 billion, mostly off-plan

Offices generated AED 20.1 billion from 3,695 transactions. Off-plan offices, units sold before completion, accounted for AED 16.1 billion across 2,363 deals, and ready offices for AED 4 billion across 1,332 deals. An analysis of the same DLD data by Al Masdar Al Akari, reported by Arabian Business on 2 October 2026, puts the off-plan share at about 80% of office sales value and 64% of transactions.

The shift to off-plan is recent. According to the same analysis, off-plan office sales in the first half of 2026 alone, about AED 13.1 billion, exceeded the combined total for 2019 to 2025, when 1,821 off-plan office deals were worth AED 5.48 billion.

September was the strongest month of the third quarter. Office sales reached AED 1.85 billion across 419 transactions, up about 62% in value from AED 1.14 billion in August and up about 54% from AED 1.2 billion in September 2025. Off-plan offices made up AED 1.32 billion of the September total across 265 deals.

Shops: AED 4.9 billion

Retail units added AED 4.9 billion from 1,206 deals. Off-plan led here too, with AED 3.4 billion across 708 deals, against AED 1.5 billion across 498 deals for ready shops.

The segment values are rounded in the source, so they add up to AED 25 billion rather than AED 25.1 billion.

Where buyers went: Business Bay first

Business Bay led office sales by a wide margin with 1,100 deals worth AED 10 billion. That is about 40% of the AED 25.1 billion commercial total, which Al Bayan describes as a record share, and, by Arabian Business’s calculation, 49% of office sales value with 29.8% of office transactions.

The ranking shows two different markets. Trade Center Second and Dubai Maritime City produced large sums from a small number of high-value deals. TECOM Site A and JLT recorded hundreds of transactions at under AED 3 million on average.

Deal sizes

At the top of the market, 277 office and retail deals in January to September exceeded AED 20 million each. The largest were a shop in Motor City sold for AED 72 million, an off-plan office unit in Business Bay for AED 70 million and an off-plan office in TECOM Site A for AED 62 million.

Most office buyers, however, worked with much smaller budgets. Al Masdar Al Akari breaks down office deals by price as follows:

• below AED 1 million: 8.2% of deals;
• AED 1 million to AED 2 million: 28.2%;
• AED 2 million to AED 5 million: 40.6%, the most common range;
• AED 5 million to AED 10 million: 9.6%;
• AED 10 million to AED 20 million: 6.6%;
• above AED 20 million: 6.9%.

In total, 68.8% of office deals were priced between AED 1 million and AED 5 million.

What drives the numbers

Al Bayan links the growth to local and international companies expanding in Dubai and to demand for high-quality offices in prime locations, including DIFC and Business Bay. The newspaper also notes that demand held up despite the geopolitical situation in the region. New Grade A supply is still under construction: in September, main works started on Aldar’s DIFC tower with more than 60,000 sq m of Grade A offices, scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2028. On the residential side, Dubai recorded 335 home sales of USD 10 million or more in January to August 2026.

What this means for companies in Dubai

The statistics do not change any rule, fee or licensing procedure. For business owners who are choosing or buying premises, they are useful in a few practical ways.

• Licence address. A mainland trade licence in Dubai is tied to a registered business address, usually a leased office with an Ejari-registered tenancy contract. Free zones offer desk and office packages on their own premises. Most offices sold in 2026 are off-plan, so they cannot serve as a licensed address until handover.
• Budget. Two thirds of office purchases were between AED 1 million and AED 5 million. In TECOM Site A and JLT the average deal was about AED 2.8 million, in Business Bay about AED 9.1 million.
• Off-plan checks. Before paying for an off-plan unit, check that the project is registered with DLD and that payments go to the project escrow account.
• Buying through a company. If the office will be held by a company, set up the company and its corporate bank account before the purchase. Banks assess financing for commercial property case by case; our guide to mortgages in the UAE for residents and non-residents explains how they look at applicants.

How Atlant Capital can help

Atlant Capital helps entrepreneurs and investors set up companies in Dubai, on the mainland or in a free zone. We match the licence to your activity, explain what each option requires in terms of office space, prepare the documents and take the application through to the issued licence with our company setup service. After registration we help open a corporate bank account, which you will need before buying an office in the company’s name, and arrange residence visas for founders and staff.

Conclusion

Dubai commercial property sales reached AED 25.1 billion in January to September 2026, up 124.1% year on year and 38.6% above the full 2025 total. Offices brought AED 20.1 billion, four fifths of it off-plan, and Business Bay led with AED 10 billion from 1,100 deals. Most office purchases were in the AED 1 million to AED 5 million range.

Source: Al Bayan, Arabian Business.

FAQ

How much commercial property was sold in Dubai in 2026?

Dubai sold AED 25.1 billion of offices and shops in 4,901 deals between January and September 2026, according to Dubai Land Department data. That is 124.1% more than the AED 11.2 billion of the same period in 2025 and 38.6% more than the full 2025 total of AED 18.1 billion.

Which area leads Dubai office sales in 2026?

Business Bay led with 1,100 office deals worth AED 10 billion in January to September 2026, about 40% of all commercial sales value and 49% of office sales value. It was followed by Trade Center Second with AED 1.7 billion, TECOM Site A with AED 1.5 billion, JLT with AED 1.4 billion and Dubai Maritime City with AED 1 billion.

What share of Dubai office sales is off-plan?

Off-plan offices accounted for AED 16.1 billion of the AED 20.1 billion office total in January to September 2026, about 80% of value and 64% of transactions. Off-plan office sales in the first half of 2026 alone, about AED 13.1 billion, exceeded the combined total for 2019 to 2025.

How much does an office in Dubai cost to buy?

Most office deals in January to September 2026 were priced between AED 2 million and AED 5 million (40.6%), followed by AED 1 million to AED 2 million (28.2%). The average office deal was about AED 2.8 million in TECOM Site A and JLT and about AED 9.1 million in Business Bay.