Dubai, UAE: Bayut and dubizzle, the UAE’s leading property portals, have released their latest analysis of Dubai’s most searched areas for property rentals in H1 2025. The data reflects the rental market entering a phase of healthy stabilisation, with long-term rents showing more measured shifts and short-term rentals continuing to attract steady demand. As new inventory enters the market, rental pressure is gradually easing, offering tenants greater choice and flexibility.
Trends for Long-Term Property Rentals in Dubai
Six months after the launch of the Smart Rental Index, Bayut’s data suggests that long-term rental prices are showing promising signs of stability. While growth has been recorded in several areas and segments, the rate of change has become steadier.
- Affordable apartment rents have increased by 7%, but certain units in Bur Dubai and Deira have reported decreases of 6.19%. Mid-range apartment rentals have experienced 1% to 6% hikes in annual rates. Interestingly, asking rents for luxury apartments have generally decreased by 1% to 5%. Certain units in Dubai Marina and Downtown Dubai, however, have reported up to 3% increase in annual rent.
- Affordable villa rentals have surged by up to 9% in the prominent districts. Asking rents for mid-tier villas have generally risen by up to 7%, with the exceptions being 3 and 4-bed units in Al Furjan, and 4 and 5-bed units in JVC, which have recorded rent decreases of up to 13%. Luxury villa rentals have surged by up to 53%, with 5-bed units in Dubai Hills Estate reporting the highest price hikes subsequent to the influx of new inventory in Palm Hills, Golf Place Terraces and Maple. The 4-bed luxury villas, on the other hand, have reported a decrease of 1% to 9% across the board. The continued demand and lack of extensive supply has meant that villa rentals have remained competitive for landlords.
- Bur Dubai and Arjan have been popular for affordable apartment rentals, while DAMAC Hills 2 and Mirdif were preferred for villas. In the mid-tier segment, JVC and Business Bay have stood out for apartment rentals, with Al Furjan and JVC attracting the most interest from tenants for villa rentals. For luxury properties, Dubai Marina and Downtown Dubai have maintained their status as prime choices for apartments, while Dubai Hills Estate and DAMAC Hills were top picks for luxury villas.
Short-Term Rentals: Consistent Demand, Area-Specific Growth
Dubai’s short-term rental market continues to expand across all pricing segments, with demand remaining strong for both monthly and daily rental formats—particularly in lifestyle-centric, centrally located neighbourhoods.
Monthly Short-term Rentals.
- Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai and Meydan City emerged as the top three luxury areas for monthly apartment rentals, with average rents ranging between AED 7.18k and AED 16.31k per month. In the villa segment, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Hills Estate remained the most desirable addresses, underlining continued interest in waterfront and upscale suburban living. Monthly rent for high-end villas in these areas ranged between AED 93.33k and AED 171.43k.
- Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) dominated the mid-tier segment for monthly apartment rentals, with an average rent of AED 7.09k. Business Bay and Al Barsha also remained popular, offering a mix of studio to 2-bedroom layouts starting from AED 4.63k.
- Budget-conscious renters gravitated toward International City, Bur Dubai and Deira, where monthly apartment rents ranged from AED 3.08k to AED 12.99k. DAMAC Hills 2 (Akoya By DAMAC) remained popular for affordable villas, offering family-friendly units available for AED 12.96k to AED 15.75k per month, depending on the configuration.
Daily Short-term Rentals
- Downtown Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) and Dubai Marina remained the top choices for daily luxury apartment rentals, owing to their premium locations and exclusive amenities. Average daily rents ranged from AED 516 to AED 762. In the villa segment, Palm Jumeirah continued to lead, with average daily rents reaching AED 6.96k. A 14.59% increase highlights a sustained demand for waterfront living.
- Business Bay, JVC and Al Barsha were the most sought-after mid-tier areas, with average daily apartment rents ranging from AED 384 to AED 472. Notably, JVC saw a 5.6% increase in apartment rental rates, averaging AED 415 per day.
- For budget-friendly apartments, Bur Dubai, Deira and Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) remained popular. With a 5.34% dip in rental rates, Bur Dubai remained a popular choice for budget-friendly daily rentals. Deira and Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) followed closely with average daily rents between AED 206 and AED 269.
Commenting on the findings, Haider Ali Khan, CEO of Bayut and dubizzle, CEO of Dubizzle Group MENA and Board Member of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, said:
“Dubai’s rental market is starting to stabilise after a period of rapid growth. With over 72,000 new units expected this year, the pressure on rents is slowly starting to ease offering more breathing room and better choices for tenants. And with the rent-versus-buy debate picking up, especially now that prices are levelling out, we’re seeing more people take a serious look at homeownership. The First-Time Home Buyer initiative launched by DLD is also nudging renters to consider making that leap, offering access to exclusive units and attractive financing. This is where agents, backed by tools like TruBroker™, play a key role in helping people explore their options and make confident, well-informed decisions.”
About dubizzle:
Operating under the umbrella of Dubizzle Group Holdings Limited, dubizzle is the UAE’s largest and most trusted classifieds platform. With its intuitive interface and cutting-edge features, dubizzle has become the preferred marketplace for individuals and businesses seeking efficient transactions. The safe and reliable dubizzle services have made a key player in the megacity’s real estate, helping buyers, renters, property managers and investors to navigate and negotiate for their desired properties.
About Bayut:
Bayut is the uncontested market leader when it comes to real estate portals in the UAE. With 4000+ real estate agencies choosing Bayut as their advertising partner, with over 400 million page views per year. +87.2 million visits, Bayut has successfully established itself as the number one platform people trust when it comes to property search. A technology driven platform, Bayut is known to keep innovation at its core with updated, detailed transactional and advertised insights, extensive area and building guides, and revolutionary new products and features, allowing end-users to make the most well-researched decisions when searching for properties in the UAE. Since Bayut was established in 2008, the company has seen accelerated growth, by focusing on increasing not only the number of real estate partners it works with, but also obtaining substantial traffic growth to claim the status of market leaders in the competitive real estate portal landscape in the UAE, with an extensive portfolio across all seven emirates.