Rental yield, the honest version.
Brokers quote gross. Owners live on net. Enter your numbers and see both, including what service charges quietly take.
Gross rental yield is your annual rent divided by the current value of the property. Net yield subtracts what the unit costs to hold, mostly service charges. In Dubai that gap is usually 1.5 to 2.5 points, so a 7% gross often lives as a 5% net. This calculator shows you both from your own figures.
Today's market value, not what you paid.
The full contract value for one year.
From your Mollak invoice. Often the largest cost owners forget.
Maintenance, insurance, management fees, chiller if you pay it.
Rent over value, before any costs. The number brokers quote.
After service charges and running costs. The number that's actually yours.
Your gross yield is at or above the 7.0% Dubai-wide average for new contracts. The net figure is the one to watch. Service charges quietly decide whether a “good” yield is real.
How it's calculated
- 01
Gross yield = annual rent ÷ property value.
The headline number. Useful for comparing areas quickly, and the figure you'll see in every market report, including the DLD's own statistics.
- 02
Net yield = (rent − service charges − running costs) ÷ value.
The number that decides whether the property is actually working for you. Service charges are the biggest and least negotiable cost; maintenance, insurance and management make up the rest.
- 03
Both use today's value, not your purchase price.
Yield on current value answers the only question you can act on: is the equity tied up in this unit earning enough, or would it earn more somewhere else?
Assumptions last reviewed June 2026. This tool is general information, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good rental yield in Dubai?
- For apartments, a gross yield between 5.5% and 7.5% is typical citywide. Affordable communities like JVC, International City and Dubai Sports City often reach 8% or more, while prime areas like Palm Jumeirah and Downtown trade lower yields for stronger capital values. Net yield usually lands 1.5 to 2.5 percentage points below gross once service charges and running costs are paid.
- What is the difference between gross and net yield?
- Gross yield is annual rent divided by property value, the number brokers quote. Net yield subtracts what it costs to hold the property: service charges, maintenance, insurance, and management fees. Two buildings with identical gross yields can differ by a full percentage point net, purely on service charges.
- Should I include my mortgage payment in the yield?
- No. Yield measures the property's performance independent of how you financed it. If you want the return on the cash you personally put in, that is a different metric, cash-on-cash return, which divides net income after mortgage payments by your down payment and fees.
- Where do I find my exact service charge?
- Your Mollak invoice, issued through the Dubai Land Department system, states the exact service and chiller charges for your unit. Rates are set per square foot and vary widely, from under AED 10 per sq ft in some townhouse communities to over AED 30 in high-service towers.
- Should I use the price I paid or today's value?
- Today's market value. Yield on purchase price tells you how your original decision performed; yield on current value tells you whether keeping the money in this property still makes sense versus selling and redeploying it, which is the decision you can actually act on.
- Rental yield in Dubai: the complete owner's guideWhat yields are normal area by area, and the costs most calculations skip.
- Service charges in Dubai, explainedHow to check yours on Mollak, what's normal, and when to dispute.
- Is your unit underperforming?The sell-or-hold framework, including what a swap really costs.
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