1 AED = ₹25.63Reference rateUpdated 7 Nov 2026, 22:58 GST
Short answer: Asking rents sampled from Bayut and Dubizzle listings on 8 November 2026 put a studio at AED 26,000 to AED 55,000 a year depending on area, a 1-bedroom flat at AED 38,000 to AED 85,000, and a 2-bedroom flat at AED 52,000 to AED 125,000 across the seven Indian-majority areas covered here. Bur Dubai and Karama sit at the top of that group, Al Nahda, Al Qusais and International City in the middle, and Muhaisnah at the lowest end. These are asking rents — the prices in live advertisements — not transacted rents, and the full table with the method is below. For context, a 1-bedroom asking rent of AED 55,000 (≈ ₹14,09,700) a year in Bur Dubai and a studio at AED 35,000 (≈ ₹8,97,100) a year in International City are the two reference points most comparisons start from.
How these rents were sampled
The ranges in this article come from a listing sample taken on 8 November 2026 from Bayut and Dubizzle, the two largest Dubai rental portals, cross-checked against published portal averages. Portal averages themselves disagree: Bayut’s guide to Indian expat areas puts a Bur Dubai 1-bedroom at an average of AED 81,000 a year, Property Finder’s area guide puts the same flat at AED 73,000, and a Bur Dubai listings overview spans AED 52,000 to AED 75,000. Because the sources disagree, this article publishes ranges that span the sampled listings and the portal averages, rather than a single point figure for any area.
The official cross-check is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) Smart Rental Index, launched on 2 January 2025 and available through the DLD website and the Dubai REST app. The index is built from registered tenancy contracts and a building classification, and its published function is to set the permitted increase at renewal — from 0 percent where rent is close to the index average, up to 20 percent where rent is far below it, under Decree No. 43 of 2013. The index does not publish a public table of asking rents, so a direct number-for-number comparison with portal advertisements is not possible. The gap to note is structural: asking rents are opening positions set by landlords and agents, while the index reflects registered contract values for similar units, and at renewal it is the index, not the advertisement, that limits an increase.
Rent by area: studio, 1BR and 2BR (annual, AED, asking)
| Area | Studio | 1-bedroom | 2-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bur Dubai | 35,000 – 55,000 | 55,000 – 85,000 | 85,000 – 125,000 |
| Karama | 38,000 – 55,000 | 58,000 – 85,000 | 85,000 – 120,000 |
| Al Nahda (Dubai) | 32,000 – 45,000 | 43,000 – 60,000 | 62,000 – 95,000 |
| Al Qusais | 30,000 – 42,000 | 42,000 – 58,000 | 58,000 – 80,000 |
| International City | 30,000 – 42,000 | 45,000 – 62,000 | 65,000 – 85,000 |
| Discovery Gardens | 42,000 – 55,000 | 62,000 – 78,000 | 90,000 – 115,000 |
| Muhaisnah | 26,000 – 36,000 | 38,000 – 52,000 | 52,000 – 72,000 |
Bur Dubai and Karama
Bur Dubai is the historic Indian centre of the city, on the western side of the Creek, with multiple Green and Red Line metro stations and the densest concentration of Indian restaurants and shops. Bayut’s averages — studio AED 43,000, 1-bedroom AED 81,000, 2-bedroom AED 111,000 — sit towards the top of the sampled range because they include newer buildings in Mankhool and Umm Hurair; individual sampled listings in Al Souk Al Kabeer and Umm Hurair ran from AED 28,000 for a small studio to AED 82,000 for a 1-bedroom. Karama, adjoining Bur Dubai, samples at a similar level: older low-rise stock, a large Indian retail and dining base, and 1-bedroom asking rents broadly in the AED 58,000 to AED 85,000 band.
Al Nahda and Al Qusais — and the Sharjah distinction
Al Nahda (Dubai) and Al Qusais sit on Dubai’s north-eastern edge, served by the Green Line. Bayut’s metro-catchment figures for the Al Nahda station area give a studio at AED 37,000, a 1-bedroom at AED 53,000 and a 2-bedroom at AED 65,000, and individual Al Nahda listings sampled on the day ran from AED 43,000 for a 1-bedroom to AED 95,000 for a larger 2-bedroom. One distinction matters for anyone comparing prices online: Al Nahda Sharjah is a different area across the emirate border, in Sharjah, not Dubai. Rents there are lower, listings for the two are easy to confuse in search results, and a Sharjah tenancy carries a daily Sharjah–Dubai road commute. Prices in the table above are for the Dubai side only.
International City, Discovery Gardens and Muhaisnah
International City, with its country-themed clusters off Al Awir Road, is consistently among Dubai’s cheapest formal rental areas: Bayut records studios from about AED 37,000 and 1-bedroom flats averaging about AED 58,000, with 2-bedrooms around AED 75,000. Discovery Gardens, the Nakheel garden-themed community near Ibn Battuta, samples higher: Bayut’s metro guide gives AED 49,000 for a studio, AED 74,000 for a 1-bedroom and AED 110,000 for a 2-bedroom, while the community landlord’s published 2026 price list gives AED 51,000, AED 67,000 and AED 94,000 respectively — the closest agreement between asking and list prices in this sample. Muhaisnah, a quieter, largely villa-and-low-rise area near the Sharjah border, is the lowest-priced area in the table, with the thinnest listing volume of the seven.
These area rents feed directly into household budgets: the same figures are used in the overall guide to the cost of living in Dubai for Indians and in the worked budget for a cost of living in Dubai for a family of 4, and they are best read against income using the average salary in Dubai guide. No area is recommended here; the table states sampled prices only.
The facts around the rent: cheques, Ejari, fees and deposit
- Number of cheques: Annual rent is quoted as one figure and paid in post-dated cheques. Published tenant guides agree that 1, 2 or 4 cheques are the common pattern, with 4 the market standard; 6 cheques appear, and 12 cheques — monthly payment — is increasingly offered, sometimes at a higher total rent or through direct debit. Fewer cheques can carry a lower quoted rent; the guides record a single-cheque discount of a few percent as common practice.
- Ejari: Every Dubai tenancy contract must be registered on Ejari, the Dubai Land Department system. In practice the tenant registers and pays: about AED 178 through the Dubai REST app self-service route, or about AED 220 at a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre or typing centre. Registration is annual and is required for utility connection and for the contract to be recognised officially.
- Agency fee: Where an agent is used, the standard fee recorded across tenant guides is 5 percent of the annual rent plus VAT, with some guides noting a minimum of AED 5,000 plus VAT.
- Security deposit: The standard deposit is 5 percent of annual rent for an unfurnished property and 10 percent for a furnished property, held by the landlord and refundable subject to the condition of the property at handover.
- Other move-in amounts in the guides: a DEWA (electricity and water) deposit of AED 2,000 for an apartment, and the Dubai Municipality housing fee of 5 percent of annual rent, collected in monthly instalments through the utility bill.
Frequently asked questions
What is the rent for a 1BHK in Bur Dubai?
In the 8 November 2026 Bayut and Dubizzle sample, 1-bedroom asking rents in Bur Dubai ran from AED 55,000 to AED 85,000 a year. Bayut’s published average is AED 81,000 and Property Finder’s is AED 73,000.
Is Al Nahda Sharjah the same as Al Nahda Dubai?
No. Al Nahda Dubai is inside Dubai, on the Green Line metro corridor. Al Nahda Sharjah is across the border in the emirate of Sharjah, is a cheaper rental market, and involves a cross-border commute into Dubai.
How many cheques do Dubai landlords ask for?
One, two or four post-dated cheques a year is the common pattern, with four the standard. Twelve cheques (monthly) is increasingly offered, sometimes at a higher total rent.
How much are the agency fee and deposit in Dubai?
Tenant guides consistently record an agency fee of 5 percent of annual rent plus VAT, and a refundable security deposit of 5 percent of annual rent unfurnished or 10 percent furnished. Ejari registration costs about AED 178 via the Dubai REST app or about AED 220 at a trustee centre.
Sources and method
Method: asking rents sampled from Bayut and Dubizzle listings on 8 November 2026; ranges span the sampled listings and the portals’ published area averages, and are labelled asking rents throughout — they are not transacted rents. Sources: Bayut, Neighbourhoods for Indian Expats to Rent in Dubai (Bur Dubai and International City averages); Bayut, Apartments for Rent Near Dubai Metro Stations (Al Nahda and Discovery Gardens catchment figures); Property Finder, Where Do Indians Live in Dubai (Bur Dubai averages); Dubai Residential (DPAM), Discovery Gardens price list 2026; MetaHomes, Bur Dubai apartments overview. Cheque, Ejari, fee and deposit facts cross-checked across Thomas B Property renting guides (updated June 2026), Ellington Properties expat renting guide, and Rently UAE renting-cost guides. Official cross-check: Dubai Land Department Smart Rental Index (launched 2 January 2025), described through DLD service summaries; the index is based on registered contracts and governs permitted renewal increases under Decree No. 43 of 2013. Rents change with listings; check live portals and the DLD index for current figures. This article states factual market data only and is not personal financial advice.