Emaar Dubai: Projects, Prices and Reliability (2026)

If you are looking at new-build property in Dubai, you will almost certainly come across Emaar. The developer behind Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall is still one of the most active players in the market, but a famous brand is not the same as a good investment. In this article we use 2026 transaction data from the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and our platform's project database to look at what Emaar builds, how its projects are priced against the Dubai average, and what the data says about handover reliability.

For conversions we use the ECB reference rate of 13 October 2026: 1 AED = EUR 0.2434 (HUF 88.67).

Who is Emaar?

Emaar Properties is a Dubai-based real estate developer listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM). It developed Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and the Downtown Dubai district around them, and over the past two decades it has built entire master communities such as Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Creek Harbour and Arabian Ranches.

What does our platform see? From Emaar's website and the DLD project register we currently track 229 Emaar projects or phases:

• 160 under construction (off-plan),
• 62 completed but still listed in the developer's portfolio,
• 7 newly announced or without a status.

Note that this is not Emaar's full history but its current portfolio and pipeline. Older towers handed over years ago (for example the apartments in Burj Khalifa) are not in this list, although they do appear in the DLD transactions.

Planned handover for the Emaar projects under construction is mainly 2028–2029 (47 and 63 records in our project database), with a smaller share in 2026–2027 and a few in 2030–2031.

Emaar's main communities

The table below shows DLD apartment transactions between 1 January and 13 October 2026 (sales and off-plan pre-registrations, apartments of 20–1,000 m²). The first four rows cover the whole community, all developers included, because Emaar is the dominant developer there. The last two rows include only projects identified by name as Emaar's, because many other developers also build in those areas.

In Emaar's villa and townhouse communities the price per deal is a better yardstick than price per m² (for villas the DLD often records the plot size):

All 2026 apartment deals that can be matched to Emaar by project name add up to 5,400, with a median of AED 26,249/m² (about EUR 6,390/m²), and 90% of them are off-plan. This is a lower bound, because some older Emaar towers trading on the secondary market cannot be matched by name.

To compare these figures with other districts, see our live Dubai property prices page and our guide to the best areas to buy property in Dubai.

Price level versus the Dubai average

Emaar does not compete in the budget segment. The Dubai apartment median in 2026 is AED 18,568/m² (about EUR 4,520/m²). Compared with that:

• Downtown Dubai: +58%
• Dubai Hills Estate: +38%
• Dubai Creek Harbour: +49%
• Emaar Beachfront: +106%
• Emaar South (Emaar projects): +14% – here Emaar's projects are also about 17% above the Dubai South average (AED 18,012/m²).

Price development is just as important. According to DLD data, median apartment prices per m² between 2023 and 2025:

So the three large Emaar communities outpaced the market over the last two full years. In 2026 the picture is more mixed: comparing the same period (1 January – 13 October), the Dubai Creek Harbour median rose 6.2%, while Downtown fell 2.7% and Dubai Hills Estate 2.0%, with the Dubai median essentially flat (18,556 → 18,568 AED/m²). Median changes are also affected by the mix of ready and off-plan units sold in a given year.

The gap between ready and off-plan apartments is significant in Emaar communities too (2026, median AED/m²):

On the rental side, the median annual rent per m² in 2026 DLD rental contracts is AED 1,642 in Downtown, 1,460 in Dubai Hills Estate and 1,339 in Dubai Creek Harbour. Against the median price of ready apartments this suggests a gross yield of about 6.2%, 6.0% and 5.4% – lower than, for example, the roughly 7.2% in JVC. An Emaar apartment is therefore more of a stable premium asset than a yield-maximising investment. To run your own numbers, use the ROI calculator.

Handover reliability

This is the question most buyers want answered, and the one where we need to be most careful. We currently see data for 41 Emaar projects in the DLD project register (30 active, 11 finished). These are mostly projects started after 2022, so the sample is small.

What the data shows:

• Finished projects: for 9 Emaar projects both the planned and the actual completion date are known. 8 of them were completed before the registered end date, by a median of 147 days. There was one exception: the "The Residence | Burj Khalifa" registration closed 630 days after its end date.
• Comparison: across all finished Dubai projects in the register (133), only 37% were completed on time or early, with a median delay of 123 days.
• Active projects: none of Emaar's 30 active projects is past its registered end date, while 147 of the other developers' 569 active projects (about 26%) already are.

Two important limitations: the DLD register shows the currently registered completion date, which the developer can amend, so it is not necessarily the originally promised date. And the sample only covers recent projects. The data therefore supports the view that Emaar has handed over its recent projects far more reliably than the market average, but it does not guarantee that a tower promised for 2029 will be delivered exactly on time.

Payment plans

We know the payment plan for 148 Emaar projects under construction. The most common structures are:

• 10/70/20 (10% on booking, 70% during construction, 20% on handover) – 95 projects, about 64%,
• 10/80/10 – 31 projects, about 21%,
• less often 20/60/20, 10/60/30 or 10/75/15.

95% of Emaar projects ask for a 10% down payment, whereas among other Dubai developers (where the data is known) 20% is the most common. According to our project database, however, Emaar typically does not offer post-handover instalments: 80–90% of the price must be paid by handover. Payments go into the project's escrow account and are released to the developer as construction progresses.

You can model your own schedule with the off-plan calculator, and for a comparison of the two routes we recommend our article on off-plan vs ready property in Dubai. Remember to budget about 6–8% in buying costs on top of the price, including the 4% DLD fee.

Pros and cons from an investor's perspective

Pros

• Based on the data, better handover discipline than the market average on recent projects.
• Complete, mature communities: schools, parks, retail, golf – which helps both letting and resale.
• Between 2023 and 2025 the main Emaar communities rose 17–22%, against 13.6% for the market.
• Liquid secondary market: in Downtown, 71% of apartment deals in 2026 involved ready units.
• Low entry down payment (10%).

Cons

• Significant price premium: 38–106% above the Dubai median in the main communities.
• Lower gross rental yield (about 5.4–6.2%) than mid-market districts.
• 80–90% of the price is due by handover, which ties up capital for longer.
• Large supply wave: in Dubai Creek Harbour 71% of 2026 apartment deals were off-plan, and many Emaar projects complete in 2028–2029 at the same time, which may weigh on rents.
• In 2026 the median price per m² eased slightly in Downtown and Dubai Hills Estate.

We cover the general risks of the Dubai market in detail in our article on Dubai property investment reviews and DLD data.

How to choose an Emaar project

1. Define your goal: rental yield, or capital growth and own use? The former points to ready property, the latter may justify off-plan.
2. Compare with the community's DLD median: if a new project's price per m² is far above the community median, ask what justifies the premium (view, brand, floor).
3. Check the handover year: a 2029 handover means four years of capital tied up without rental income.
4. Verify the project with the DLD: the registration number, escrow account and construction progress can be checked publicly.
5. Budget for the full cost: with a 10/70/20 plan, have funds for the 20% due on handover plus the buying costs.
6. Consider the visa: a property worth AED 2 million (about EUR 487,000) or more qualifies for the 10-year Golden Visa – starting prices in Dubai Hills Estate (about AED 1.4–1.65 million) are below this, while the median Downtown deal (AED 3 million) is above it.
7. Assess supply: how many units in the same community are being handed over in the same year?

Frequently asked questions

Is Emaar a reliable developer? According to the DLD project register, the vast majority of Emaar's recently finished projects (8 of 9) were completed before the registered end date, and none of its active projects is currently overdue. The sample is small, however, and past performance is no guarantee.

How much does an Emaar apartment cost in Dubai? List prices for projects under construction typically start from AED 1.4–1.65 million (about EUR 341,000–402,000) in Dubai Hills Estate and from AED 1.6–1.85 million in Dubai Creek Harbour. The 2026 DLD median deal value was AED 3 million in Downtown and AED 2.21 million in Dubai Hills Estate.

Is Emaar more expensive than other developers? Yes. The 2026 median of apartment deals matched to Emaar by name is AED 26,249/m², about 41% above the Dubai median of AED 18,568/m².

What payment plans does Emaar offer? Most often 10/70/20 or 10/80/10: a 10% down payment, with the rest paid during construction and on handover. Post-handover plans are rare.

Which Emaar community is the best investment? It depends on your goal. For rental yield, ready apartments in Downtown and Dubai Hills show the strongest figures (about 6%); for price growth, Dubai Creek Harbour posted the best year-on-year change in 2026 (+6.2%).

Summary

For the full picture – yield, costs, risks and the buying steps in one place – read our Dubai property investment guide 2026.

Emaar is a premium, reliable player in the Dubai market: its communities have outpaced the market since 2023, and according to the data its recent handovers have typically happened on time. This comes at a price: a 38–106% premium over the Dubai median, moderate rental yields, and most of the price payable before handover. An Emaar project can be a good choice if stability and quality matter more to you than maximum yield, but it is worth deciding project by project, checked against DLD data.

If you would like us to compare specific Emaar projects against your goals and budget, book a consultation.