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Emirates · Expenses · 28 August 2026 · 5 min read

What an apartment in Dubai costs each year

Service charges, cooling and utility bills, with figures from our catalogue.

The purchase price is not the whole cost of owning an apartment in Dubai. There are annual expenses, but you can work them out before the purchase.

The main item: service charge

Service charge: the cost of running the building, including cleaning, security, lifts, the pool, gym, building insurance and property management. It is calculated not per apartment but by area: a set number of dirhams per square metre per year.

Across 1,615 projects in our catalogue where the charge has been published, the figures are as follows:

Service charge	AED per m² per year
Lowest	12
Market median	170
Highest	840

What this means in practice: a 75 m² apartment at the market-median service-charge rate costs about AED 12,750 a year, or around AED 1,062 a month. That is before water, electricity and internet.

It is easier to look at the annual total rather than dirhams per square metre. This is what three common apartment sizes cost at three charge levels.

Area	Low charge	Median	High charge
45 m²	540 AED	7 650 AED	37 782 AED
75 m²	900 AED	12 750 AED	62 969 AED
120 m²	1 440 AED	20 400 AED	100 751 AED

The difference between the outer columns comes not from the apartment size but from the amenities in the courtyard and on the roof. A heated pool, spa, concierge and secure parking all draw on the same budget, and every owner pays for them, even those who never use them.

Three buildings, three charges

Projects from our catalogue. The third charge is almost four times the first, because of what is inside the building, not the size of the apartment.

Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)

Helvetia Residences

A standard building in a residential area: lifts, security, a courtyard pool. Nothing more.

service charge AED 129 per m² per year

Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT)

Binghatti Flare

The market median: a gym, parking and maintained grounds.

service charge AED 172 per m² per year

Dubai Healthcare City Phase 2

The Ritz-Carlton Residences

A branded residence: hotel-style service, concierge, spa. The higher level of service is immediately apparent in the bill.

service charge AED 484 per m² per year

What determines the charge

What’s inside the complex

A rooftop pool, spa, concierge and secure parking: each item adds to the shared budget.

Number of floors

A high-rise with four lifts costs more to run than an eight-storey building.

Management company

With a reputable developer, the charge is usually higher, but the building still looks new after 10 years.

Other expenses

Electricity and water

DEWA. For an apartment that is not occupied full time, the amounts are small; with year-round occupancy and air conditioning, the summer bill is noticeably higher than the winter one.

Cooling

District cooling. In some developments, cooling is supplied centrally and billed separately. There is a fixed component, which you pay even when no one lives in the apartment.

Internet and television

A fixed provider tariff.

Rental management

If you do not rent it out yourself: usually a share of the annual rent.

What most often comes as a surprise

The buyer usually sees the charge in advance. There are four common surprises, but you can identify all of them before the purchase if you ask.

The charge rises

In the first year, the building runs on the developer’s budget; after that, the owners’ association sets the charge. Look not at the published figure but at how it has changed in nearby buildings managed by the same company.

The previous owner’s debt

In a resale transaction, unpaid charges remain attached to the apartment. Obtain a no-debt certificate before signing, not afterwards.

Cooling billed separately

Chiller-free means cooling is already included in the charge. If the listing does not say so, you will receive a second bill with a fixed component, payable even for an empty apartment.

Parking

In some buildings, a parking space is registered as a separate unit and carries its own charge. One apartment does not always come with one free parking space.

What to ask before buying

Amount of the charge

The amount for the development and how it is calculated.

Cooling

Centralised cooling or individual air conditioning in the apartment.

What is included

What the charge covers and what is paid separately.

Charge history

How it has changed in nearby buildings by the same developer in recent years.

The service charge is the only expense you pay even for an empty apartment. Include it in your yield calculation before buying, not afterwards.

The service charge is listed for each project in the catalogue, where the developer has published it.

Art Estate editorial team

Article dated 28 August 2026 · updated 31 August 2026

If you quote this article, a hyperlink to this page is required: art-estate.top/stati/soderzhanie-kvartiry-v-dubae/

Figures in this article are calculated from our new-development catalogue whenever the website is built and reflect developers' published information. This is not an offer or investment advice: check the documents for the specific project on the date you buy.