Dubai home values steady in October: ValuStrat index edges up 0.1%, ending months of falls

Dubai residential prices held largely flat in October, consultancy ValuStrat's latest data shows: the ValuStrat Price Index (VPI) rose 0.1 percent month on month to 218.9 points, from 218.6 in September, its first monthly rise since February. The modest gain came after a cumulative correction of 10.2 percent since February, and no communities recorded monthly declines in October.

Villas and apartments still down on the year

The annual picture remains under pressure: villa capital values fell 4.8 percent year on year, with Jumeirah Islands posting the strongest annual growth at 7.3 percent, while Palm Jumeirah dropped 10.6 percent and Mudon fell 10.2 percent. The weighted average villa value stood at 2,035 dirhams per sq ft, with an average capital value of about 12.97 million dirhams. Apartment values declined 7.2 percent year on year, with the steepest falls in Burj Khalifa (down 22.4 percent) and Jumeirah Beach Residence (down 19.1 percent); the weighted average apartment value was 1,394 dirhams per sq ft, with a capital value of about 1.78 million dirhams.

Transactions: ready-home sales up nearly a quarter on the month

Transaction volumes were mixed: ready-home sales jumped 23.9 percent month on month to 3,602 transactions, though 25.6 percent lower year on year. Off-plan registrations rose 2.3 percent month on month to 7,042 transactions, accounting for 66.2 percent of all residential sales, but were 47.4 percent below October 2025 levels. The ultra-prime segment remained active: 24 ready transactions exceeded 30 million dirhams, including nine priced above 50 million, spread across Dubai Hills Estate, Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills, DIFC, Al Barari, The World Islands and Dubai Marina.

Still far above post-pandemic levels

Despite the correction, older freehold villa communities remain on average 187 percent above post-pandemic levels and 75 percent above the market peak of 2014. Older freehold apartment communities sit 67 percent above post-pandemic levels, though still 9 percent below the 2014 peak. ValuStrat noted that monthly declines had already slowed sharply by September; whether October's small rise marks stabilisation will depend on the November and December readings.

(File photo: the Dubai Marina residential district.)