The service charge reference
What it costs to run the building, before you own a home in it.
Every project page prints one service charge. The question that figure raises — is that a lot? — only has an answer if you hold the whole market. We read the published charge on 1,159 of the 1,322 off-plan projects selling in the UAE right now, so this page can say where any one of them sits: the median, the middle half, the two ends and who is standing at them, as the developers published it up to 8 Oct 2026.
- Median charge
- 16 AED/sqft
- Middle half
- 14–18
- Full published range
- 2–56
- Projects read
- 1,159
AED per square foot of your home, per year — the annual cost of running the building, billed from handover. It is not the price per square foot of the home, which is a different figure entirely.
Read this before you read the tables
What the number is
The service charge is what the owners' association bills every year to run the building: security, cleaning, chilled water for the common areas, lifts, pools, landscaping, insurance and the reserve fund that pays for the roof in fifteen years. It is quoted per square foot of your home, per year, and it starts at handover — not at purchase.
What it is not
It is not the price per square foot of the home. The two share a unit and nothing else — one is what you pay once to buy, the other is what you pay every year to live there. Nothing on this page is a sale price and no figure here should be read, quoted or converted as one.
Estimates, not approved rates
Every figure here is the developer's own, published at launch. In Dubai the real budget is filed with the Land Department's Mollak system and approved annually once the building is occupied — which on an off-plan project has not happened yet. Mollak does not operate in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah or Umm al-Quwain at all. Expect the approved budget to differ from the launch estimate.
What we could read, and what we could not
The charge arrives as the developer's own free text, so reading it is a parsing job with a wrong answer available. We refuse anything ambiguous rather than guess, and print the refusals below.
- Live projects
- 1,322
- Publish a charge
- 1,170
- Read as a rate
- 1,159
- Annual totals
- 1
- Refused
- 10
The math: 1,322 projects selling, 152 of which publish no service charge at all. Of the 1,170 that do, 1,159 state a per-sqft rate we can read, one states an annual total for the whole home rather than a rate, and 10 are ambiguous enough to refuse — 1,159 + 1 + 10 = 1,170. Only the 1,159 rates are ranked anywhere on this page.
Excluded: annual totals, not rates
| Project | Developer | Published as |
|---|---|---|
| Garden City | Shoumous Properties | AED 6,500 – 11,500 a year |
A total for the whole home, in a different unit from every other figure on this page. Ranking it beside per-sqft rates would read as an implausibly cheap building; multiplying it by a floor area would invent a seven-figure service charge. So it sits here instead.
Excluded: refused as unreadable
| Project | Developer | Published as | Why refused |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunaya | Zaya Developer | “7” | No unit stated |
| The Great Escape 2 | Dar Global | “8 AED/sqtf” | No unit stated |
| Bloom Arjaan by Rotana | Bloom Holding | “0 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
| Four Seasons Private Residences DIFC | H&H Development | “83 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
| Veranda Collection 2 | Credo Investments | “2 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
| Veranda Collection 1 | Credo Investments | “2 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
| Purvanchal Townhouses | Purvanchal Development | “1 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
| Mews Mansions | API | “2 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
| Mandarin Oriental Residences | ALDAR | “72 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
| Isola Villa Terra Collection | Atara Real Estate Development | “2 AED/sqft” | Outside a sane band |
A bare “7” is almost certainly 7 AED/sqft — but almost certainly is a guess about units, and a zero, a 2 or a 146 is a truncation or a mis-keyed annual total rather than a real rate. We print what the developer said and leave it out of the arithmetic. An advisor can confirm any of them with the developer directly.
Where the 1,159 readable charges sit
Each project counted once, at the midpoint of everything it published. Half the market sits between 14 and 18 AED/sqft, which is the band worth measuring any single quote against.
AED per square foot per year. 5 projects publish different rates for different unit types — apartments against villas, say — and are counted here at the midpoint of their full published spread, with every segment printed in the tables below.
Districts, cheapest first
The 59 districts where at least 5 live projects publish a readable charge, ranked low to high by median. A further 70 districts publish readable charges on fewer projects than that — too few for a median to mean anything, so they are left out rather than given a number that would move on the next launch.
All figures AED per square foot per year, as published by each developer at launch — estimates, not Mollak-approved budgets. A district median moves with what is launching in it: a cluster of townhouse phases pulls it down, one branded tower pulls it up, which is why the two named ends sit beside every median.
Developers, cheapest first
The 48 developers with at least 5 readable charges across their live portfolio, ranked low to high by median. A further 311 developers publish readable charges on fewer projects than that. What a developer's median mostly says is what it builds — a villa-community specialist will sit near the bottom of this table without being cheaper, because there is less building to run.
All figures AED per square foot per year, as published by each developer at launch — estimates, not Mollak-approved budgets.
The low end: 40 projects at 4 AED/sqft or under
A quarter of the catalogue median or less, which is where 40 of the 1,159 readable projects sit — 18 different developers, led by Emaar, Arada, Reportage Properties. Almost all of them are villa, townhouse or plot communities: fewer lifts, no district cooling to the tower, less building to run.
Before you quote these figures
Every rate below is the developer's own published estimate at launch — not a Mollak-approved rate, and not a rate any owners' association has yet billed. In Dubai the annual budget behind a service charge is filed with the Land Department's Mollak system and approved once the building is occupied; none of these buildings is. Elsewhere in the UAE there is no equivalent register at all. A figure of 2–4 AED/sqft is what the sales deck says it expects to charge, which is a forecast about a building that does not exist yet, and the approved budget can land above it. Ask for the estimated service-charge schedule in writing before it decides your purchase.
And it is a service charge, not a price: none of these numbers is the cost per square foot of buying the home.
| Project | Developer | Where | Published charge (developer estimate) | On the smallest published layout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damac Hills 2 - Hotel Edge by Rotana | DAMAC | Damac Hills 2 · Dubai | 2–3.5 AED/sqft | AED 692 – AED 1,211 a year · 346 sqft |
| Baia | Reportage Properties | Yas Island · Abu Dhabi | 3 AED/sqft | AED 6,093 a year · 2,031 sqft |
| Brabus Island Chapter Two - The Villas | Cosmo Developments | Al Raha Beach · Abu Dhabi | 3 AED/sqft | AED 8,106 a year · 2,702 sqft |
| Hayyan | Alef Group | Al Bedea · Sharjah | 3 AED/sqft | AED 8,685 a year · 2,895 sqft |
| Masaar 3 Dalia | Arada | Al Rowdat Suburb · Sharjah | 3 AED/sqft | AED 5,877 a year · 1,959 sqft |
| Masaar 3 Laura | Arada | Al Rowdat Suburb · Sharjah | 3 AED/sqft | AED 7,026 a year · 2,342 sqft |
| Masaar 3 Layan | Arada | Al Rowdat Suburb · Sharjah | 3 AED/sqft | AED 7,026 a year · 2,342 sqft |
| Masaar 3 Phases 1 and 2 | Arada | Sharjah | 3 AED/sqft | AED 13,068 a year · 4,356 sqft |
| Masaar 3 Sedra | Arada | Sharjah | 3 AED/sqft | AED 7,677 a year · 2,559 sqft |
| Nineteen Riviera Lagoon | Riviera Group | MBR District 11 (Meydan South) · Dubai | 3 AED/sqft | AED 53,748 a year · 17,916 sqft |
| Tilal Binghatti | Binghatti | Al Warsan · Dubai | 3 AED/sqft | AED 8,325 a year · 2,775 sqft |
| Hayat 6 | Dubai South Developers | Dubai South · Dubai | 3–3.5 AED/sqft | AED 14,745 – AED 17,203 a year · 4,915 sqft |
| Avelia The Valley | Emaar | Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 13,005 – AED 17,340 a year · 4,335 sqft |
| Golf Meadow | Emaar | Emaar South · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 5,562 – AED 7,416 a year · 1,854 sqft |
| Golf Verge | Emaar | Emaar South · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 5,319 – AED 7,092 a year · 1,773 sqft |
| Ovelle The Valley | Emaar | Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 16,917 – AED 22,556 a year · 5,639 sqft |
| Salva | Emaar | The Heights · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 10,020 – AED 13,360 a year · 3,340 sqft |
| Selvara 3 | Emaar | Grand Polo Club and Resort · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 11,457 – AED 15,276 a year · 3,819 sqft |
| Selvara 4 | Emaar | Grand Polo Club and Resort · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 11,397 – AED 15,196 a year · 3,799 sqft |
| Serro | Emaar | The Heights · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 10,389 – AED 13,852 a year · 3,463 sqft |
| Serro 2 | Emaar | The Heights · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 10,401 – AED 13,868 a year · 3,467 sqft |
| Urbana | Emaar | Emaar South · Dubai | 3–4 AED/sqft | AED 3,642 – AED 4,856 a year · 1,214 sqft |
| Azizi Florence | Azizi | Sharjah | 3.5 AED/sqft | AED 7,672 a year · 2,192 sqft |
| Damac Islands Phase 1 and 2 | DAMAC | Damac Suncity · Dubai | 3.5 AED/sqft | AED 7,651 a year · 2,186 sqft |
| Riverside by Damac | DAMAC | Damac Riverside · Dubai | 3.5 AED/sqft | AED 11,925 a year · 3,407 sqft |
| Amour Sans Detour 2 | Dar Global | Muscat Province · Muscat | 3.55 AED/sqft | AED 3,490 a year · 983 sqft |
| Fendi Azure Villas | Dar Global | Muscat Province · Muscat | 3.55 AED/sqft | AED 12,787 a year · 3,602 sqft |
| Trump Cliff Villas | Dar Global | Muscat | 3.55 AED/sqft | AED 4,587 a year · 1,292 sqft |
| Reportage Hills | Reportage Properties | Damac Lagoons · Dubai | 3–5 AED/sqft | AED 5,619 – AED 9,365 a year · 1,873 sqft |
| Reportage Village Khalifa City | Reportage Properties | Khalifa City · Abu Dhabi | 3–5 AED/sqft | AED 12,225 – AED 20,375 a year · 4,075 sqft |
| Sukoon by Sanzen | Sanzen Developments | Al Aweer · Sharjah | 3–5 AED/sqft | AED 6,720 – AED 11,200 a year · 2,240 sqft |
| Taormina Village | Reportage Properties | Wadi Al Safa 3 · Dubai | 3–5 AED/sqft | AED 5,976 – AED 9,960 a year · 1,992 sqft |
| Verdana VIII | Reportage Properties | Dubai | 3–5 AED/sqft | AED 4,143 – AED 6,905 a year · 1,381 sqft |
| Bay Estate | Nakheel | Al-Mamzar · Dubai | 4 AED/sqft | AED 12,220 a year · 3,055 sqft |
| Bloom Living 1 - Cordoba | Bloom Holding | Shakhbout City · Abu Dhabi | 4 AED/sqft | AED 18,476 a year · 4,619 sqft |
| Sobha Siniya Island Villas Phases 1 and 2 | Sobha | Siniya Island · Umm al-Quwain | 4 AED/sqft | AED 19,288 a year · 4,822 sqft |
| Sol Terra Casa | SOL Properties | JVC (Jumeirah Village Circle) · Dubai | 4 AED/sqft | AED 12,896 a year · 3,224 sqft |
| Sun Island Villas | Ajmal Makan | Al Hamriya · Sharjah | 4 AED/sqft | AED 11,096 a year · 2,774 sqft |
| Terva Homes | Al Mizan | Dubai Industrial City · Dubai | 4 AED/sqft | AED 9,280 a year · 2,320 sqft |
| The View Island | Ajmal Makan | Al Hamriya · Sharjah | 4 AED/sqft | AED 13,260 a year · 3,315 sqft |
The last column is the developer's own rate multiplied by the smallest layout they publish — an illustration of what the estimate means in a year, on 1,154 of the 1,159 readable projects. It is left blank where a project publishes no size, or publishes different rates by unit type, in which case no single layout applies to all of them.
The top end: 43 projects at 32 AED/sqft or over
Double the catalogue median or more. These are branded and serviced towers — a hotel operator's standards, a private beach, valet, concierge, pools on three levels — and the charge is what running that costs, every year, for as long as you own the home. Same caveat as the low end: developer-published launch estimates, not Mollak-approved rates.
| Project | Developer | Where | Published charge (developer estimate) | On the smallest published layout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Residences at The Dubai Beach EDITION | H&H Development | Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) · Dubai | 56 AED/sqft | AED 107,576 a year · 1,921 sqft |
| Vela Dorchester Collection | Omniyat | Business Bay · Dubai | 45 AED/sqft | AED 286,245 a year · 6,361 sqft |
| The Alba Residences by Omniyat | Omniyat | Dubai | 45 AED/sqft | AED 68,310 a year · 1,518 sqft |
| Orla Infinity Dorchester Collection | Omniyat | Palm Jumeirah · Dubai | 45 AED/sqft | AED 330,840 a year · 7,352 sqft |
| Orla Dorchester Collection | Omniyat | Palm Jumeirah · Dubai | 45 AED/sqft | AED 330,840 a year · 7,352 sqft |
| Jumeirah Residences at Al Maryah Island | Emirates Developments | Al Maryah Island · Abu Dhabi | 45 AED/sqft | AED 51,570 a year · 1,146 sqft |
| Solaya | Meraas | Port De La Mer · Dubai | 44 AED/sqft | AED 199,980 a year · 4,545 sqft |
| Waldorf Astoria Residences | Al Hamra | Al Jazeera Al Hamra · Ras al-Khaimah | 42 AED/sqft | AED 79,800 a year · 1,900 sqft |
| Vela Viento | Omniyat | Business Bay · Dubai | 40 AED/sqft | AED 155,480 a year · 3,887 sqft |
| Bugatti Residences by Binghatti | Binghatti | Business Bay · Dubai | 40 AED/sqft | AED 86,520 a year · 2,163 sqft |
| Four Seasons Private Residences Abu Dhabi at Saadiyat Beach | ALAIN | Saadiyat Island · Abu Dhabi | Villas 24 AED/sqft · Suites 56 AED/sqft | — |
| Muraba Veil | Muraba Properties | Al Wasl · Dubai | 38 AED/sqft | AED 145,844 a year · 3,838 sqft |
| Omoria Private Residences | Innovate Living | Dubai Islands · Dubai | 35–39 AED/sqft | AED 22,260 – AED 24,804 a year · 636 sqft |
| Sofitel Residences | Azha Properties | Downtown Dubai · Dubai | 36 AED/sqft | AED 59,832 a year · 1,662 sqft |
| Mamsha Palm | ALDAR | Saadiyat Island · Abu Dhabi | 36 AED/sqft | AED 228,492 a year · 6,347 sqft |
| Mamsha Gardens | ALDAR | Saadiyat Island · Abu Dhabi | 36 AED/sqft | AED 96,444 a year · 2,679 sqft |
| Six Senses Residence | Select Group | Dubai Marina · Dubai | 34–38 AED/sqft | AED 113,084 – AED 126,388 a year · 3,326 sqft |
| Jumeirah Residences Emirates Towers | Meraas | DIFC (Dubai International Financial Center) · Dubai | 35–36 AED/sqft | AED 89,495 – AED 92,052 a year · 2,557 sqft |
| Wedyan – The Canal | Al Ghurair Collection | Business Bay · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 186,900 a year · 5,340 sqft |
| W Hotels and Residences Al Marjan | Dalands Holding FZ LLC | Ras al-Khaimah | 35 AED/sqft | AED 37,450 a year · 1,070 sqft |
| Nasim Al Bahr Residences | Abu Dhabi National Hotels | Ras al-Khaimah | 35 AED/sqft | AED 34,195 a year · 977 sqft |
| Mr. C Residences Downtown | Alta Real-Estate Developments | City Walk · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 78,400 a year · 2,240 sqft |
| Jumeirah Asora Bay | Meraas | Port De La Mer · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 943,355 a year · 26,953 sqft |
| Inaura Hotels & Residences Downtown | Arada | Downtown Dubai · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 24,675 a year · 705 sqft |
| Eywa Way of Water | Revolution | Business Bay · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 75,250 a year · 2,150 sqft |
| Eywa Tree of Life | Revolution | Business Bay · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 104,335 a year · 2,981 sqft |
| Eden House The Park | H&H Development | Al Wasl · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 67,655 a year · 1,933 sqft |
| DoubleTree by Hilton | West F5 Developments | Al Satwa · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 25,235 a year · 721 sqft |
| Cavalli Couture | DAMAC | Safa Park · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 137,200 a year · 3,920 sqft |
| Armani Beach Residence | Arada | Palm Jumeirah · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 91,805 a year · 2,623 sqft |
| Akala Residences | Arada | Zabeel 1&2 · Dubai | 35 AED/sqft | AED 36,260 a year · 1,036 sqft |
| The Ritz-Carlton Residences by SAAS | SAAS Properties | Al Maryah Island · Abu Dhabi | 30–40 AED/sqft | AED 27,780 – AED 37,040 a year · 926 sqft |
| Peninsula Jumeirah living Business Bay | Select Group | Business Bay · Dubai | 30–40 AED/sqft | AED 89,730 – AED 119,640 a year · 2,991 sqft |
| Opus By Zaha Hadid | Omniyat | Business Bay · Dubai | 34 AED/sqft | AED 30,906 a year · 909 sqft |
| Fairmont Residences Al Marjan Island | Ardee Developments | Al Marjan Island · Ras al-Khaimah | 34 AED/sqft | AED 28,866 a year · 849 sqft |
| Fahid Beach Terraces | ALDAR | Fahid Island · Abu Dhabi | 34 AED/sqft | AED 56,576 a year · 1,664 sqft |
| Raffles The Palm Dubai | Emerald Palace Group | Palm Jumeirah · Dubai | 33 AED/sqft | AED 54,021 a year · 1,637 sqft |
| Fahid Beach Residences | ALDAR | Fahid Island · Abu Dhabi | 33 AED/sqft | AED 54,153 a year · 1,641 sqft |
| Amali Residences at Business Bay | Amali Properties | Al Wasl · Dubai | 33 AED/sqft | AED 96,657 a year · 2,929 sqft |
| W The Residences by Arada | Arada | Dubai Harbour · Dubai | 30–35 AED/sqft | AED 30,690 – AED 35,805 a year · 1,023 sqft |
| Bristol Hotel & Residences at Ramhan Island | Eagle Hills | Abu Dhabi | 28–37 AED/sqft | AED 20,664 – AED 27,306 a year · 738 sqft |
| The Beach House Fahid | ALDAR | Fahid Island · Abu Dhabi | 32 AED/sqft | AED 50,432 a year · 1,576 sqft |
| JW Marriott Residences and Resort | WOW Resorts | Al Marjan Island · Ras al-Khaimah | 32 AED/sqft | AED 30,176 a year · 943 sqft |
Charges with a condition attached
2 projects publish the charge with a time limit on it. We keep the developer's exact wording rather than reassembling it, because a shorter sentence of ours would say something less accurate — and a waiver that expires is a cost that arrives later, not one that does not exist.
- Sha Residence Emirates · IMKAN Properties · Al Jurf · Abu Dhabi
“15 AED/sqft for the first 3 years”
- Izzzi.LifeMINT · Orange · JVC (Jumeirah Village Circle) · Dubai
“no service charges for the first 3 years, 15 AED/sqft thereafter”
Common questions
What is a typical service charge for an off-plan home in the UAE?
Across the 1,159 live off-plan projects that publish a readable per-sqft service charge, the median is 16 AED/sqft a year and the middle half sits between 14 and 18 AED/sqft. The full published range runs 2–56 AED/sqft. These are the developers' own figures published at launch — an estimate of the annual budget for running the building, not a rate that has been approved by a regulator.
Which districts have the lowest published service charges?
Of the 59 districts with at least 5 readable figures, the lowest medians are Al Hamriya (6.5 AED/sqft, 6 projects), Wadi Al Safa 3 (9 AED/sqft, 6 projects), Al Jazeera Al Hamra (12 AED/sqft, 5 projects). The highest are Saadiyat Island (30 AED/sqft, 7 projects), Palm Jumeirah (29 AED/sqft, 11 projects), Safa Park (26 AED/sqft, 6 projects). Low charges cluster in villa and townhouse communities, where there are fewer shared systems to run than in a serviced tower.
Is the service charge the same as price per square foot?
No. The service charge is what the owners’ association bills each year to run the building — security, cleaning, chillers, lifts, pools, the reserve fund — quoted per square foot of your home, per year. Price per square foot is what the home costs to buy. They share a unit and nothing else, and the two must never be read as each other.
Are these figures approved by Mollak?
No. Every figure on this page is the developer’s own published estimate at launch. In Dubai the annual service-charge budget is filed with the Land Department’s Mollak system and approved once the building is occupied, which by definition has not happened on an off-plan project; Mollak does not operate in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah or Umm al-Quwain at all. Treat the published figure as the developer’s estimate and expect the approved budget to differ.
How many projects could you not read?
1,170 of the 1,322 live projects publish a service charge and 152 publish none. Of those that do, 1,159 state a readable per-sqft rate, 1 states an annual total for the whole home rather than a rate, and 10 are ambiguous enough that we refuse to convert them. Only the 1,159 rates are ranked; the other 11 are printed verbatim on this page and excluded from every average.
We will get the developer's estimated service-charge schedule in writing, and tell you what the same operator charges on a building that is already occupied. See also the supply tracker for prices and movement, or every off-plan project we follow.