Office space guide · Dubai
Office space in Dubai
Asking rents for offices in Dubai run from AED 155 to 290 per sq ft a year (middle half of 12,807 listings, October 2026), with a median of AED 208. Leasing a typical 1,247 sq ft office costs about AED 250,000 a year at asking rent; offices for sale start from AED 420,000.
- Median asking rent
- AED 208
- per sq ft a year
- Buying from
- AED 420K
- asking price for 291 sq ft
- Typical unit size
- 1,247 sq ft
- about AED 250,000 a year
- Areas compared
- 22
- mainland and free zone
- Offices for rent
- 12,807
- advertised in Dubai on 4 October 2026
- Offices for sale
- 2,292
- advertised in Dubai on 4 October 2026
Rent by unit size
Median asking rent for each size of office advertised in Dubai. Small offices cost more per sq ft; large floors often come as shell and core.
| Unit size | AED per sq ft | Annual rent | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 600 sq ft | 228 | AED 88,000 | 1,471 |
| 600 to 1,000 sq ft | 185 | AED 150,000 | 2,764 |
| 1,000 to 2,000 sq ft | 183 | AED 250,000 | 5,133 |
| Over 2,000 sq ft | 253 | AED 990,000 | 3,439 |
Mainland or free zone
Median asking rent in the 16 mainland areas and the 5 free zone areas we track, then the cheapest and the dearest area.
- Mainland areas (16)AED 208160 to 286 per sq ft
- Free zone areas (5)AED 203140 to 286 per sq ft
- Dubai Silicon Oasis, lowest rentAED 10592 to 133 per sq ft
- DIFC, highest rentAED 650549 to 718 per sq ft
Office areas in Dubai
The 22 areas with 30 or more offices advertised, most offices first. Rent is the median asking rent per sq ft a year; buying from is the cheapest ready office for sale, October 2026.
| Area | Licence | Typical unit | Rent per sq ft | Buying from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Bay | Mainland | 1,110 sq ft | AED 205 | AED 649K |
| Jumeirah Lake Towers | Free zone (DMCC) | 1,199 sq ft | AED 170 | AED 880K |
| Sheikh Zayed Road | Mainland | 1,818 sq ft | AED 260 | AED 2.5M |
| Barsha Heights (Tecom) | Mainland | 1,422 sq ft | AED 231 | AED 1.3M |
| DIFC | Free zone (DIFC) | 1,410 sq ft | AED 650 | AED 4M |
| Deira | Mainland | 907 sq ft | AED 130 | AED 1.8M |
| Dubai Media City | Free zone (DDA) | 1,528 sq ft | AED 230 | Few for sale |
| Downtown Dubai | Mainland | 3,374 sq ft | AED 450 | AED 21M |
| Bur Dubai | Mainland | 1,350 sq ft | AED 140 | AED 3M |
| Dubai Investment Park (DIP) | Mainland | 1,320 sq ft | AED 110 | AED 680K |
| Al Barsha | Mainland | 1,109 sq ft | AED 168 | Few for sale |
| Dubai Internet City | Free zone (DDA) | 1,220 sq ft | AED 265 | Few for sale |
| Dubai Marina | Mainland | 3,707 sq ft | AED 287 | AED 13M |
| Dubai Silicon Oasis | Free zone (DIEZ) | 1,336 sq ft | AED 105 | AED 420K |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | Mainland | 1,457 sq ft | AED 172 | AED 1.1M |
| World Trade Center | Mixed | 1,528 sq ft | AED 619 | AED 16M |
| Umm Ramool | Mainland | 1,433 sq ft | AED 181 | Few for sale |
| Jumeirah Beach Residence | Mainland | 3,149 sq ft | AED 225 | Few for sale |
| Arjan | Mainland | 902 sq ft | AED 174 | AED 775K |
| Al Quoz | Mainland | 1,112 sq ft | AED 135 | Few for sale |
| Al Garhoud | Mainland | 1,350 sq ft | AED 121 | Few for sale |
| Motor City | Mainland | 1,200 sq ft | AED 157 | AED 828K |
Office rent index: every area, month by month, with a CSV download
What to check before you sign
The same questions decide most office leases in Dubai. Ask them early.
- 1
Licence first
A mainland company needs an office on the mainland, with the lease registered with Ejari. A free zone company needs an office in its own free zone. Check the area against your licence before you visit.
- 2
Fitted, furnished or shell and core
69% of office listings in Dubai are advertised as furnished or partly furnished. Ask for the list of what stays, and who pays to remove it at the end.
- 3
Chiller and service charges
Ask whether cooling (chiller) is included in the rent or billed separately, and how it is metered. It can change the real cost per sq ft.
- 4
Rent-free period for fit-out
On unfitted space, landlords often agree a rent-free period while you fit out. Agree it in writing before you sign.
- 5
Payment terms
Most landlords ask for 2 cheques a year. More cheques are often possible in exchange for a slightly higher rent.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to rent an office in Dubai?
Asking rents for offices in Dubai run from AED 155 to 290 per sq ft a year for the middle half of 12,807 listings (October 2026), with a median of AED 208 per sq ft. A typical 1,247 sq ft office is advertised at about AED 250,000 a year.
Where are the cheapest offices in Dubai?
Of the 22 areas with 30 or more offices advertised, the lowest median asking rents per sq ft are in Dubai Silicon Oasis at AED 105, Dubai Investment Park (DIP) at AED 110 and Al Garhoud at AED 121, as of October 2026.
Where are the most expensive offices in Dubai?
The highest median asking rents per sq ft are in DIFC at AED 650, World Trade Center at AED 619 and Downtown Dubai at AED 450, as of October 2026.
How much does it cost to buy an office in Dubai?
2,292 offices are advertised for sale in Dubai (October 2026). The cheapest ready office is AED 420,000 for 291 sq ft, and the median is AED 2,457 per sq ft. At the median asking rent, a year of rent is about 8.5% of the purchase price, before service charges and empty months.
Are free zone offices more expensive than mainland offices?
Not on average. The median asking rent is AED 208 per sq ft a year in mainland areas and AED 203 in free zone areas (October 2026). The gap between areas is far bigger than the gap between the two: compare the area table on this page. Your licence decides which you can use: a mainland company needs a mainland office, a free zone company an office in its own free zone.
How many offices are available in Dubai?
12,807 office listings were live on 4 October 2026. The same office is often advertised by several agencies, so this is about 8,768 different offices, with about 18.9 million sq ft of space in 599 buildings. Business-centre desks and flexi offices (4,994 listings) are counted separately.
How many cheques do office landlords in Dubai accept?
Most listings ask for 2 cheques a year. 41% accept 4 or more, which spreads the rent across the year.
Looking for an office in Dubai?
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Send us your briefUpdated 4 October 2026 · TijarHub research
How we calculate these figures: asking rents and sale prices for office units in Dubai advertised on public listing portals on 4 October 2026. Figures are medians; the range is the middle half of listings. Business-centre desks and flexi offices are counted separately and left out of office figures. Areas are listed when they have 30 or more offices advertised. An area's licence is shown when 90% or more of its buildings share one; "Mixed" otherwise. Asking prices can differ from signed rents and sale prices.