Compare Off-Plan Payment Plans
To compare off-plan payment plans, put both plans side by side and look at the total you pay including fees, the cash due before and on handover, and when each payment falls. This comparator does that for any two plans you enter, and can also value each plan in today's money at an annual rate you choose.
Updated September 2026
1Plan A
Price, instalments and booking costs for the first plan.
Start From an Example Plan Shape
Example structures only, not any developer's actual plan. Replace the rows with the schedule in your SPA.
Instalments
For a construction milestone, enter the month you expect it to be reached; the real date depends on progress on site.
2Plan B
The plan you want to compare it with: another unit, or the same unit on different terms.
Start From an Example Plan Shape
Example structures only, not any developer's actual plan. Replace the rows with the schedule in your SPA.
Instalments
For a construction milestone, enter the month you expect it to be reached; the real date depends on progress on site.
3Side-by-Side Comparison
iEnter a price for both plans to compare them.
How to compare payment plans for off-plan property
For each plan the comparator works out the price after any discount, each instalment in AED, and the booking costs:
Total cost = price after discount + DLD fee + other fees
It then lists every month in which either plan has a payment and shows how much each plan has cost you by then, including the fees paid at booking. That shows which plan needs more cash sooner, even when the totals are close.
The optional time value view discounts each payment back to the booking date at the yearly rate you enter:
Present value = Σ payment ÷ (1 + rate)^(months after booking ÷ 12)
At 0% the present value is the plain total. A higher rate makes later payments count for less. The rate is your own assumption, for example what you expect your cash to earn or what borrowing would cost you; we don't suggest one.
Worked example: pay by handover or pay later?
Illustrative figures only, not real projects or any developer's plans. Plan A is the 60/40 example shape at AED 1,000,000. Plan B is the 40/60 post-handover example shape at AED 1,050,000, with 60% paid in four instalments over 24 months after handover. Both hand over at month 36 and use a 4% DLD fee with no other fees:
| Total cost: Plan A | AED 1,040,000 |
| Total cost: Plan B | AED 1,092,000 |
| Paid by handover (month 36): Plan A | AED 1,040,000 |
| Paid by handover (month 36): Plan B | AED 462,000 |
| Present value at 0%: A / B | AED 1,040,000 / AED 1,092,000 |
| Present value at a 5% rate you chose: A / B | AED 957,517 / AED 946,335 |
In cash terms Plan A is AED 52,000 cheaper. If you value money at 5% a year, Plan B comes out about AED 11,000 cheaper in today's money, because most of it is paid later. Which matters more depends on your own situation, which is why the rate is left to you.
What this payment plan comparator doesn't include
- Risk. A plan with more to pay after handover leaves you owing the developer for longer. Read the payment and default terms in your SPA; see what a property purchase agreement should cover.
- Delays. Construction-linked instalments fall due when each stage is reached, so the dates you enter are estimates.
- Mortgages. The UAE Central Bank caps loans on off-plan property at 50% of the value. Estimate repayments with the mortgage calculator and read our UAE mortgage guide.
- Running costs and resale.Service charges after handover and any change in the property's value aren't modelled.
Need the detail of one plan, with % paid at every step? Use the off-plan payment plan calculator. New to off-plan? Start with the guide to buying off-plan property in Dubai, including how escrow accounts protect buyers' payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I compare two off-plan payment plans?
Compare four things: the total you pay including fees, how much is due before and on handover, when the last payment falls, and what the payments are worth in today's money if paying later matters to you. Enter both plans here with their own price, discount and instalments, and the comparator lines them up month by month.
Is a post-handover payment plan better than paying on handover?
Not automatically. Paying part of the price after handover spreads the cost and means less cash by the time you get the keys, but you owe the developer for longer, and the price or fees on that plan may be different. Compare the totals and the timing; the time value view shows whether paying later is worth any price difference at a rate you choose.
What discount rate should I use for the time value view?
That is your call, which is why it starts at 0%. Some buyers use the return they expect to earn on cash they keep, others the interest rate on money they would borrow. The rate is your own assumption, not a market rate we suggest, and a higher rate favours plans that pay later.
Does a discount on the price change the DLD fee?
Yes, if it lowers the price on the registered sale. The Dubai Land Department fee for registering an off-plan sale is a percentage of the sale value (2% for the purchaser and 2% for the seller), so the comparator works it out on the price after discount. Check the price and fee split in your SPA.
Are my payments protected whichever plan I choose?
Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 applies to developers who sell units off-plan in Dubai and receive payments from buyers. Those payments go into an escrow account opened for the project and dedicated to building it. That doesn't depend on the payment plan, but check the escrow details for the project before you pay.
Sources
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This calculator works only from the figures you enter and is for estimation. It is not financial advice or a loan offer. Check figures with your bank, developer or management company before you commit.