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Dubai service charges, by building
Service charge per square foot for 31 named buildings across 15 areas, each row carrying the source it came from and the day it was read. The median here is AED 16.79 per square foot a year, against a range of AED 7.27 to AED 24.59.
How to read this
A service charge is quoted per square foot of your unit, per year, and it is the single largest recurring cost of owning Dubai property. On a 900 sq ft flat, the difference between AED 12 and AED 25 per square foot is AED 11,700 a year — which is worth more than most buyers negotiate off the purchase price. What it buys differs by building: a tower with a pool, a gym, concierge and chilled water costs more to run than one without, so a high figure is not automatically a bad one. It is only a bad one if you did not price it.
Method
Stated in full, because a table of numbers looks authoritative whether or not anyone sourced it.
- Sample. 31 buildings. This is not every building in Dubai and does not claim to be a representative sample of the market. It is the set that could be sourced to a named, checkable figure.
- Source. Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index. Every row names its own source and links to it.
- Retrieved. 16 October 2026. Service charges are re-approved annually, so a figure read on one date can be superseded.
- Unit. AED per square foot of unit area, per year, as approved. Figures are not adjusted, smoothed or averaged across buildings.
- The reserve column. The index reports the approved budget in two parts, and this is the second: the contribution to the reserve fund, which Article 30(e) of Law No. (6) of 2019 requires to sit in a bank account separate from the operating money. It is quoted here in dirhams a foot and as its share of the total. It is the part of the charge you are not spending, and the only thing standing between an owner and the special levy at Article 30(f), which is why it is worth seeing beside the headline rate rather than buried inside it.
- What is excluded. Chilled water consumption billed separately, utility deposits, and any one-off reserve fund levy. Where a building's approved figure bundles these, the row says so.
- Corrections. If a figure here is wrong, it should be corrected rather than defended. Tell me and it will be fixed with the change noted.
The table
Sorted dearest first. 31 rows.
| Building | Area | AED / sq ft / year | Of which reserve | Managed by | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collective | Dubai Hills Estate | 24.59 | 3.14 (13%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Cayan Tower | Dubai Marina | 23.74 | 5.99 (25%) | Kingfield Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| 15 Northside | Business Bay | 23.45 | 1.94 (8%) | S G Community Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| B D Standpoint | Downtown Dubai | 21.84 | 2.41 (11%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Boulevard Central | Burj Khalifa District | 21.82 | 3.59 (16%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Park Heights | Dubai Hills Estate | 20.62 | 2.12 (10%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Al Shahed Tower | Barsha Heights | 19.94 | 1.21 (6%) | Professional Choice Real Estate | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Al Ghaf 1 | Arjan | 19.79 | 0.76 (4%) | Stratum Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Creek Rise | Dubai Creek Harbour | 19.50 | 1.51 (8%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Acacia At Park Heights | Dubai Hills Estate | 18.47 | 1.91 (10%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| 8 Boulevard Walk | Burj Khalifa District | 18.33 | 1.54 (8%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Bahia 2 | Barsha Heights | 18.00 | 0.44 (2%) | Highrise Owners Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Princess Tower | Dubai Marina | 17.77 | 1.56 (9%) | Kingfield Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| 29 Boulevard | Burj Khalifa District | 16.99 | 2.65 (16%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Harbour Views | Dubai Creek Harbour | 16.82 | 1.28 (8%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Goldcrest Views | DMCC Master Community | 16.79 | 2.85 (17%) | Highrise Owners Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Sulafa Tower | Dubai Marina | 16.28 | 2.21 (14%) | Saga International Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| 23 Marina | Dubai Marina | 16.04 | 2.17 (14%) | Solitaire Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Shoreline Apartments (Residential) | Palm Jumeirah | 15.48 | 1.60 (10%) | DH Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Al Majara | Dubai Marina | 14.75 | 0.91 (6%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Elite Residence | Dubai Marina | 14.41 | 1.18 (8%) | Kingfield Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Ag Residence | Jumeirah Village Circle | 14.02 | 2.15 (15%) | A R B Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Bermuda Views | Dubai Sports City | 13.93 | 0.48 (3%) | Highrise Owners Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Marina Promenade | Dubai Marina | 13.74 | 0.42 (3%) | Emaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Abbey Crescent 1 | Motor City | 13.43 | 0.30 (2%) | Edacom Owners Association Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Aamna Residency | International City | 13.29 | 1.53 (12%) | Reliance Owners Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Al Waleed Paradise | DMCC Master Community | 13.07 | 1.04 (8%) | Almutawa Owner Association Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Barton House 1 | Motor City | 11.35 | Edacom Owners Association Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 | |
| Altia Residence | Dubai Silicon Oasis | 11.14 | 1.05 (9%) | Deyaar Community Management | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Arena Apartments | Dubai Sports City | 11.11 | 0.96 (9%) | Sports City Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
| Bloomingdale | Dubai Sports City | 7.27 | 0.17 (2%) | Sports City Owner Association Management Services | 2026 | Dubai Land Department, Service Charge Index, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
Buildings with no current approved budget
Checked on the same day, through the same lookup. These are not missing figures. They are buildings whose most recent approved budget in the index is years old.
| Building | Area | Most recent approved budget |
|---|---|---|
| Al Saaha | Downtown Dubai | 2019 |
| Al Anbara | Palm Jumeirah | 2018 |
| Al Hallawi | Palm Jumeirah | 2018 |
| Al Jawzaa | International City | 2018 |
| Alcove | Jumeirah Village Circle | 2018 |
| Alshera Tower | Jumeirah Lakes Towers | 2018 |
| Axis Residences 1 | Dubai Silicon Oasis | 2018 |
| Bahar 1 | Jumeirah Beach Residence | 2018 |
| Murjan 1 | Jumeirah Beach Residence | 2018 |
| Rimal 1 | Jumeirah Beach Residence | 2018 |
| Sadaf 1 | Jumeirah Beach Residence | 2018 |
| Al Sahab | Dubai Marina | 2017 |
| Amwaj 4 | Jumeirah Beach Residence | 2017 |
| 7 West Villa | Jumeirah Village Circle | 2016 |
| 1 Lake Plaza | Jumeirah Lakes Towers | 2012 |
Why this matters more than the table above
Every published area table gives Jumeirah Beach Residence a current figure. On the day this was read, the official index had no 2026 budget for any of the five JBR towers checked, and the newest it held for them was 2017 or 2018. Whatever those tables are averaging, it is not an approved budget for this year. A figure you cannot find in the index is not a figure, and the honest answer to what one of these buildings charges in 2026 is that it is not published, so ask the management entity in writing and get the approval reference.
Use it
This table is free to quote, screenshot and republish with attribution to Investments Playbook. No permission needed and no link required, though one is appreciated. What is being offered is the compilation: each figure belongs to the body that approved and published it, named in its own row, and reusing a row means honouring whatever terms that source sets. If you want it as a file rather than a page, ask.
What a service charge actually pays for Put it through the net yield calculator