"Is that a good price?" is the question every buyer asks, and the one most often answered with a feeling. It has a real answer, and it takes three numbers, all from registered Dubai Land Department sales.
The three numbers
- The price per square foot of the home in front of you. The asking price divided by its size, or for a completed sale, the registered price divided by the size sold.
- The building's median price per square foot, over the past 12 months, for the same property type.
- The community's median price per square foot, over the same 12 months.
On its own, the first number means nothing. Set against the other two, it tells you where the home sits: below its own building, in line with it, or above it, and the same for the area around it.
A worked example
A one-bedroom apartment in Burj Khalifa sold on 14 September 2026 for AED 2,500,000, for 1,098 sqft. That is AED 2,277 per square foot. Now the context, over the 12 months to 7 October 2026:
| AED/sqft | |
|---|---|
| This sale | 2,277 |
| Burj Khalifa, all apartment sales (114 sales) | 2,927 |
| Downtown Dubai, all apartment sales (1,340 sales) | 2,475 |
This home sold about 22% below its own building's median and about 8% below its community's. Whatever the reason (floor, view, condition, or a motivated seller), the buyer paid less per foot than most buyers in that tower. Now you can say exactly why it looks like a strong price.
How to read the three together
- Below the building and the community: a strong price, or a unit with a reason to be cheaper. Find out which before you celebrate.
- Between the two: usually a fair price for the building.
- Above both: the seller needs to justify it, with a better floor, view or finish. The numbers give you the question to ask.
Always compare the same property type and a fixed window. A building's 12-month median and its all-time median can both be correct and still differ, so say which one you are using.
Run it on any home
The Deal page on KhaleejKeys sets any registered sale against a 12-month median price per square foot automatically. It uses the closest like-for-like comparison with at least 10 sales: the same building and bedrooms first, then the whole building, then the community, and it names which one it used and how many sales are behind it. Every building page shows its median. For a home that is listed rather than sold, our estimate tool gives an indicative range from comparable registered sales. Free, no sign-up.
Source: DLD completed ready-sale transactions, 400,000+ records. Figures to 7 October 2026. This guide is general information, not investment advice.