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Dubai Real Estate: Serving a Global Market Comparison

Surprising with zero tax, minimum investment, high rental yield of more than 7 per cent and even more alluring factors make Dubai’s real estate investment lucrative worldwide, so grab all the details inside to understand it on a global platform where the details are well compared with Hong Kong, London, New York, Singapore and more.

EKTA
EKTA, Senior Content WriterA Content Strategist, Crafting Data Driven & Impactful Content to Resonate with Audiences and Support Business.
Dubai Real Estate: Serving a Global Market Comparison

Dubai offers 100 per cent real estate investment opportunities and is even one of the most affordable cities in the world. With an investment of AED 750, 000, one can buy a property spanning over 799.87 sq. ft. that is just an attractive deal for expats looking for luxury housing experience.

Dubai presents an ideal opportunity for investment. In comparison, locations such as Hong Kong, London, New York, and Singapore are significantly more expensive, approximately seven times higher, making it daunting for home buyers and investors to plan for property investment.

Not just this, I would like you to have a look at the table giving you a quick overview of tax rate, rental yields, total investment and more: - 

Places Tax Rate Rental Yields Minimum Investment
London (Uk) 2-12% 3-4.5% 150,000 GBP
Hong Kong 15% 3.52% HK$ 30 MILLION
New York 10-20% 3-5.3% $1.8 MILLION
Singapore 10% 2.5% $1 MILLION
Europe 0.3-3% 5-8% 250,000 GBP
Dubai No Tax 7.5% AED 750, 000

GBP- Great Britain Pound

HK$- Hong Kong Dollar

Comparing everything in one place where the prime cities such as London, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore and Europe showcase that Dubai with no tax and the highest rental yield of 7.5% with minimum investment starting from AED 750, 000 opens a wider platform for the investors and home buyers around the world to buy their international home that is worth every penny because of its above mentioned categories.

So as the topic says, here I am going to serve a global market comparison of Dubai's real estate market, so let us give you an essential breakdown of all the factors on the basis of which Dubai stands out in its real estate segment with right comparison from 5 cities, time to check out: - 

1.DUBAI NEAR THE TOP

The exact ranking of Dubai in the world data is not available, but according to the House search Investment Index, UAE is 5th number where real estate investment is considered as the safest way to make an investment and get a luxury asset, and it is expected that with 12.1% rise in rental value and property appreciation of 9.9% is going to set a new benchmark in the world, so the potential growth and its strong international niche is going to ensure that Dubai remains near the top as always.

And not just this, in fact below I am unveiling other prime reasons why Dubai is near the top that ultimately attracts the new investors who need secured & ease investment experience.

2. EXEMPT FROM TAX IN DUBAI

  • LONDON (UK)- 2-12%
  • HONG KONG- 15%
  • NEW YORK- 10-20%
  • SINGAPORE- 10%
  • EUROPE- 0.3-3%
  • DUBAI- NO TAX

One of the biggest reasons for investment in Dubai is its zero tax policy from which investors save a lot and it is also a way to allure international buyers to pick Dubai as cities such as New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong seek for more than 10% tax rate which is a big time cost for the home buyers to manage.

By the way, do you know why Dubai is a tax free city?

Dubai has other funding models, such as many private sector partnerships and government owned businesses. Its 4 per cent transfer fee says it all. In order to attract more investors, Dubai has taken the vital decision to improve its real estate market by offering affordable plus luxury housing sectors with no tax, which ultimately saves a lot.

If you want to know exactly how much you can save on it, then have a look at the above table where the entire slab of tax rate is given where prime cities such as London, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore and Europe seek for property tax where in New York it is around 20 per cent.

And along with this, Dubai is a business place, so with no tax it somewhere compels the business owners to have their homes at affordable prices and also to have a strong international investment, so all in all, these are some of the major reasons Dubai doesn’t impose any property tax and to make it an attractive destination for all the people living around the world.

3.UNBEATABLE INVESTMENT VALUE

  • LONDON (UK)- 150,000 GBP
  • HONG KONG-HK$ 30 MILLION
  • NEW YORK- $1.8 MILLION
  • SINGAPORE- $1 MILLION
  • EUROPE- 250,000 GBP
  • DUBAI- AED 750, 000

Considering all the prime cities in the world, the chart above showcases the minimum property investment for expats, so you can simply see that with a minimum investment of AED 750, 000 one can simply buy a property planned over 799.87 sq. ft. and that too with luxurious look & feel to it.

So those seeking for investment with minimum value can easily avail Dubai real estate market because here you will be experiencing an easy buying process and beyond this, without any hole in your pocket investors can meet their investment desires

Surely, comparing Dubai with other prime places such as London, Singapore, New York, and more showcases that it is mostly for budgeted investors who are seeking property with great profits and that too with smart property deals where many leading builders such as EMAAR, Danube, Sobha and DAMAC opens up diversified range of properties

that takes care of every budget because builder believes to offer home to all so that Dubai’s luxury property experience can be unlocked.

So with this investment in Dubai if you plan your investment, there here is the list of properties that are around AED 1 million where you can easily get your ideal unit: - 

  • Golf Point in EMAAR South
  • EMAAR Golf Edge in EMAAR South Dubai
  • Samana Barari Lagoons
  • Samana Ibiza
  • Azizi Neila in Al Furjan
  • Primero Residences by Main Realty

4.RENTAL COMPARISON

  • LONDON (UK)- 3-4.5%
  • HONG KONG-3.52%
  • NEW YORK- 3-5.3%
  • SINGAPORE- 2.5%
  • EUROPE- 5-8%
  • DUBAI- 7.5%

When buying a property rental appreciation is one of the vital concerns for the buyers because they need a diversified type of property that can serve them great value and rental to make the best out of the investment.

And this is not the case with every property, and you really need to see the location that you are investing in, so the above details give you clear data about the possibilities of rental appreciation where Europe with 5-8% and Dubai with 7.5% are placed on the top positions, so this much appreciation in your value is going to make your property lucrative and profitable in every sense.

With very good rental yields, Dubai is known to be a smart rental market where its strong performance is going to serve you outstanding value in the near time. So be a good investor and maximise your returns from today because action needs to be taken as soon as possible.

By the way, a 10% rental yield is considered the highest rental, so if you can get something around this, then just unlock the deal for your benefit.

In case you seek for Communities in Dubai that can serve highest rental yield, then here is the list of areas to keep in mind: -

  • Dubai Silicon Oasis with average rental yield- 9.29%
  • Jumeirah Village Circle with average rental yield- 8.64%
  • Dubai Production City with average rental yield- 8.29%

5.COMPARISON ON AVERAGE PROPERTY APPRECIATION

  • LONDON (UK)- 1.4%
  • HONG KONG-3.5%
  • NEW YORK- 6%
  • SINGAPORE- 3.9%
  • EUROPE- 2-3.8%
  • DUBAI- 5-7%

Without making a comparison on return over investment, the differentiation wouldn’t have been possible, so for this, first, you need to see the above table where all 6 cities are showing their property appreciation rate.

And one can clearly see that New York with 6% and Dubai with 5-7% nailing the positions, so this also clears the sceptical minds that for investment these cities with great annual appreciation is going to give secured property investment because it takes all hard-earned money, so a place with great appreciation is going to ensure you a secured buying.

Now considering the factors in Dubai that have made this much of appreciation possible is because of the investor friendly policies, full ownership to the buyers, ensured property appreciation, a great hub for tourists, a matchless range of infrastructures and a wide range of property choices, so these are some of the reasons that make Dubai real estate market stronger than others.

6. RESTRICTION ON OWNERSHIP

  • LONDON (UK)- Full Ownership Rights
  • HONG KONG-Chinese government owns the land
  • NEW YORK- Full Ownership Rights
  • SINGAPORE-With some restrictions and Additional buyer’s stamp duty EUROPE- Full Ownership Rights

DUBAI Full Ownership Rights

Buying property is one concern and another vital concern is the ownership where the buyers always seek for property that gives 100 per cent ownership where the buyers are free to either rent, sell or use the property without any restrictions and laws.

And unfortunately, you don’t get such kind of scenario in every city as mentioned above the table where Hong Kong and Singapore don’t give you flexible ownership where in Singapore you can’t purchase a property HDB flats or landed properties like terrace houses, bungalows with the approval from SLA, whereas in Hong Kong they have to pay extra stamp duties, so such like restrictions can bother the buyers.

Other than this, cities such as London, New York, Europe and Dubai give 100 per cent ownership to the buyers which means the buyers can use the property the way they want, and this way it attracts the investors on a larger scale to plan real estate investment.

If you want full ownership and that too with minimum investment value, then out of all, Dubai turns out to be a lucrative place for home buyers and investors both to have all rounder property that can be used for rental income or personal requirements with great appreciation in the future.

To find out all the latest residential options available for investment you can check out the details on Dubai Housing which gives in depth information about each of the properties along with full assistance to keep you in the right direction.

7.MESMERIZING INFRASTRUCTURE

Living in a smart city has always been an advantage as it makes liveability super easy and flexible, but with this, the buyers seek world class infrastructure, a safe cocoon, no congestion and an innovative style of living, so to beat all these parameters it is difficult for any city to capture all these concerns.

Talking about New York, too much congestion can give you some kind of roughness, Hong Kong is overcrowded and even expensive makes a new buyer think about it.

Whereas if you we consider Dubai, then it is way better in many ways like as mentioned above, with minimum investment one can get luxurious and capacious home space and other than this, Dubai is not too crowded and there are some communities which give free environment with less crowd, and there are some waterfront living exposure where you can stay connected to nature with no traffic around.

SOME PLACES IN DUBAI WITH WORLD CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE

  • Expo City
  • Palm Jumeirah
  • Downtown
  • EMAAR Beachfront
  • Dubai Business Bay

Dubai is an attractive option for home buyers and investors with minimal investment. It offers world class infrastructure & new range of amenities with potential for rental income or personal use, along with significant future appreciation.

8.CRIME RATE

  • LONDON (UK)- 104 crimes per 1,000 people (53.6%)
  • HONG KONG- 20%
  • NEW YORK- 49.1%
  • SINGAPORE-23.0%
  • EUROPE-55.4% (Example in France)
  • DUBAI- 16.5%

Safety is another prime consideration for expats. They want a place that provides safety for their family, and the safety index is an unmissable factor in this regard.

And this is one of the reasons, it is considered as a comparison parameter, so according to the above details, Dubai has nailed it because of its less low crime rate that is 16.5%, and this is achievable because of its robust law enforcement, stability in wealth, futuristic safety measures and more to curtail every kind of crime.

This brings us to the main point that Dubai's safety is another reason for its increase in demand for property, and even females are entering real estate investment.

9. SAFETY INDEX

  • LONDON (UK)- 46.4
  • HONG KONG- 80.0
  • NEW YORK- 50.9
  • SINGAPORE- 77.0
  • EUROPE- 74-87
  • DUBA- 83.5

Collectively the crime rate, law enforcement, terrorism risk, corruption level and more such factors levels in calculating the safety index of any city or country, so it shows the total safety of that place where the citizens can feel safe and have a great life with the family.

So comparing the figures that are mentioned below, Dubai and France got the maximum safety numbers which makes them the safest places in the world, and now connecting its real estate market, it helps to gain the attention of international buyers and ensure their safety so this gives them certain assurance that buying a property in that particular city is the repent free decision.

10. MATCHLESS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

Every transportation system reflects its exceptional connectivity and efficiency to ease the travelling for the people, so for this, electric vehicle infrastructure, high speedy trains, and more that too on an economical mode is the foremost concern of all the leading cities in the world to bring excellent mode of travelling.

This factor is closely related to real estate, as an improved transportation system enhances living conditions. When purchasing a dream home, connectivity is a crucial aspect to consider for lucrative investment as properties that are well surrounded by different modes of transportation are high in demand.

So, in the field of transportation, Europe comes on number 1 for its incredible public transportation, and then Singapore, New York, and others including Dubai & Hong Kong, and considering just Dubai its flying taxi, driverless pods rail system and more are some of the exceptional additions that are going to take place, and after this, Dubai will be the only place serving such novel transportation systems.
In case you want to read more about Dubai's transportation system, then there is in depth information showing its journey of camel ride to flying machine.

And after this, Dubai’s real estate market will get another level of eyeballs, so today’s considerations will make your tomorrow better.

ACCUMULATING ALL 10 POINTS OF 6 CITIES IN THE WORLD

After compiling all the above facts where the tax rate, appreciation, safety index, ultimate infrastructure and lot many concerns, Dubai turns out to be a prime spot for real estate investment and some data on real estate investment growth in all the mentioned places to bring authenticity to this global comparison, so check it out the prime deets:-

  • Dubai in 2023- Total sales value AED 441.1 billion with 133,100 transactions
  • Dubai in 2024- Total sales value AED 522.1 billion with 180,900 transactions
  • Dubai in 2025- Total sales value AED 44.4 billion with a 24.1% increase compared to the previous year

On the other hand, Hong Kong saw a 6% decline in 2025, and for, New York City the current data is not available as such, but in 2024 they saw an increase of 2.1%.

Along with this, Singapore's total sales in the retail sector are USD 3.9 billion, and Europe, it is expecting a decent growth of 3.22% from 2025 to 2029, and lastly, London is expected to see a growth of 3.5%.

This comparison was important to witness the growth so far in these prime cities where Dubai's 24.1% increase that too in less than 2 months has shown that the demand for housing here is matchless and this will keep on alluring the international investors.

And why not when 92.02% in Dubai are all expatriates, so it shows that for its luxurious lifestyle, no tax policies, strong economy, great appreciation, better livability, easy living, communities with different themes and a lot more features the expats are living in Dubai.

Another important comparison would be the cost of living in Hong Kong, Dubai, Europe, London, New York, and Singapore because when it comes to investment, the overall cost of living makes the real difference for an expat, so the plan is not just to buy another property, but buying in a lucrative city that can benefit you from all the sides, so here are the tentative digits that show the total expense of a single person living in any of these places:

COST OF LIVING IN TOP 6 CITIES IN THE WORLD

  • DUBAI- AED 4,500
  • NEW YORK- $5,748
  • HONG KONG- HK$ 30,000
  • EUROPE- CHF 3,000 (Switzerland)
  • SINGAPORE- SGD 1,500 TO SGD 2,500
  • LONDON- 1,316.3$

Of course, it depends on which currency you are comparing, but considering all of them together shows that Dubai with a minimum cost of living breaks all the parameters of buying a home as according to the data it saves a lot of money, and this financial savings can be further used to improve the quality of living.

For this financial stability and lucrative property investment, a need of wise step is required and for this, a compatible comparison has been made for the novice investors who still think that international investment is a daunting task, so to bring clarity to the decision, these are some main considerations that will lead to a quality decision.

In case, you are seeking for best affordable and luxurious properties in Dubai, then a perfect website like Dubai Housing will give all in one experience with the availability of all kinds of properties that too in more than 200 communities where waterfront and more different themes are set to bring world’s exclusive lifestyle, and in case you have any query related to the property, then the dedicated professionals will serve all your queries one by one.

TIME TO WRAP UP WITH GLOBAL MARKET COMPARISON

It is clear that Dubai properties outperform many cities in ceaseless ways where as mentioned above, the affordability rate, rental yield, highest ROI, no tax policies, friendly laws, next level infrastructure at an attractive price range, lower crime rate and safest city in the world makes Dubai a true investment gem for the upcoming home buyers and investors.

This global comparison was a true requirement for the new expats who are looking for secured & luxury properties that too with spending much so that they can consider all the relatable aspects before coming to any decision.

Also adding an undeniable fact that Dubai has seen great appreciation of 822% because of the above-mentioned reasons, and more that you can discover because Dubai frames every law for its people so that a comfortable life that can expected, and adding to this, no language barrier, freedom of every culture, diversified food options and affordable living makes it a place for many.

And if you are the next one, then here Dubai Housing is all ready to assist you so that you can find your next dream home in Dubai that gives secured investment opportunity in this luxurious city.

For the first time buyer, it is important to plan things with some assistance so that there is no room for trouble.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How easily expatriates can invest in Hong Kong real estate?

There is no approval from the government, but the investors need to pay a 15 per cent BSD on the purchase of the property, the bank can offer a loan for 70% of the property’s value.

How easily expatriates can invest in New York real estate?

The process of buying a property in New York is very simple, but the point of concern is the interest rate that is higher for non-resident, and they need to make major down payments while buying a property in New York City.

How easily expatriates can invest in Singapore real estate?

The investment process has been kept very simple, however, it is important to understand its regulation, in case you buy landed properties, then the approval is important, so make sure you meet all the criteria.

How easily expatriates can invest in European real estate?

Non EU investors might have to face some challenges because legal work and tax requirements are some main pillars that one has to keep in mind.

How easily expatriates can invest in Dubai real estate?

With the Golden Visa policy and no tax, it make investment in Dubai super easy and comfortable for upcoming investors.

How easily expatriates can invest in London real estate?

Freedom to purchase a property without any restriction, rest the concern would only be 2% additional stamp duty land tax, then it is important to show the income and might have to register with Non Resident Landlord Scheme.

 

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