Rental Yield Calculator: Dubai & UAE
This rental yield calculator for Dubai works out your gross yield (annual rent ÷ price) and your net yield (rent after vacancy and running costs ÷ price plus purchase costs). Enter your own figures; nothing is pre-filled from the market.
Updated September 2026
1Enter Your Figures
All amounts in AED per year unless stated. The result updates as you type.
2Your Rental Yield
Net rental yield
—
After costs, on price + purchase costs
Gross rental yield
—
Annual rent ÷ purchase price
How this is worked out
- Annual rent
- AED 0
- Less vacancy allowance
- AED 0
- Less service charges, maintenance and other costs
- AED 0
- Net annual rental income
- AED 0
- Net income per month
- AED 0
- Total cost to buy (price + purchase costs)
- AED 0
iEnter at least a purchase price and an annual rent to see a yield.
How is rental yield calculated?
Gross rental yield compares a year's rent with the price you pay:
Gross yield = annual rent ÷ purchase price × 100
Net rental yield subtracts what it costs to own and let the property, and counts the one-off costs of buying as part of your investment:
Net yield = (annual rent − vacancy allowance − service charges − maintenance − other costs) ÷ (purchase price + purchase costs) × 100
The vacancy allowance is the rent you lose while the unit is empty: annual rent × months empty ÷ 12. In a building with an owners association, service charges are billed to the owner, not the tenant, unless the lease says otherwise (Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 16). Look up your building's approved rate in the DLD Service Charge Index, or use our service charge calculator.
Worked example
Illustrative figures only, not market data. Round numbers chosen to show the arithmetic:
| Purchase price | AED 1,000,000 |
| Purchase costs | AED 50,000 |
| Annual rent | AED 60,000 |
| Vacancy allowance (1 month) | − AED 5,000 |
| Service charges | − AED 10,000 |
| Maintenance | − AED 3,000 |
| Other costs | − AED 2,000 |
| Net annual income | AED 40,000 |
| Gross yield: 60,000 ÷ 1,000,000 | 6.00% |
| Net yield: 40,000 ÷ 1,050,000 | 3.81% |
In this example costs take more than two points off the gross yield, which is why net yield is the figure to compare.
What this rental yield calculator doesn't include
- Mortgage costs. Yield is worked out as if you paid cash. To include loan repayments and see cash-on-cash return, use the property ROI calculator.
- Changes in value. A rise or fall in the property's price isn't part of yield.
- Rent changes. The rent is held flat for the year. In Dubai, how much rent can rise on renewal is regulated: see Dubai rent increase rules.
- Purchase costs you haven't entered. See what buying a property in Dubai costs or estimate them with the buying cost calculator.
- Tax. Any tax on rental income depends on your own situation; take advice if you are unsure.
For a step-by-step explanation of returns, read how to calculate ROI on rental property in Dubai.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate rental yield in Dubai?
Gross rental yield is the annual rent divided by the purchase price, times 100. Net rental yield takes the annual rent, subtracts an allowance for empty months, service charges, maintenance and other running costs, then divides by the price plus your purchase costs. Net yield is the better guide to what you actually earn.
What is the difference between gross and net rental yield?
Gross yield ignores costs, so it always looks higher. Net yield subtracts what the owner pays to hold and let the property, such as service charges and maintenance, and counts purchase costs as part of what you paid. Two properties with the same gross yield can have very different net yields if their service charges differ.
What is a good rental yield in Dubai?
We don't publish an average, because yields depend on the building, price, rent and costs, and change over time. Use net yield to compare properties on the same basis, and check your rent assumption against the Dubai Land Department's Rental Index and your service charges against the DLD Service Charge Index.
Who pays service charges on a rented property in Dubai?
The owner. Under Article 16(b) of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019, the owner pays service and usage charges unless the lease says otherwise, and stays liable if a tenant who agreed to pay them doesn't. That is why service charges come off the rent in a net yield.
How much vacancy should I allow for?
It depends on the property and the market, so the calculator leaves it to you. As a reference point, the UAE Central Bank's mortgage rules require lenders to deduct at least two months' rental income when they assess a loan on an investment property, to allow for periods without a tenant.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department: Service Charge Index
- Dubai Land Department: Rental Index
- Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 Concerning Ownership of Jointly Owned Real Property (Articles 16 and 25)
- Dubai Land Department: Owner is obliged to pay service and usage charges for jointly owned property
- UAE Central Bank Rulebook: Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans, Article 3
Explore More Tools
Mortgage Calculator
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Rent Increase Calculator
Check the maximum rent increase allowed in Dubai.
Buying Cost Calculator
Estimate all costs involved in buying a property.
Affordability Calculator
Find out how much property you can afford.
ROI Calculator
Calculate potential return on your investment.
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.