Dubai: Dubai has emerged as one of the more affordable major global cities for buying a home when property prices are compared with local incomes, according to the UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index 2026, which covers 23 major housing markets worldwide. New Zealand
UBS data cited by Khaleej Times shows that a skilled service-sector worker earning an average income in Dubai would need about five years of gross income to buy a 60-square-metre apartment near the city centre. The same measure is around 15 years in Hong Kong and 11 years in London, while Tokyo, Paris and Seoul require more than a decade. Khaleej Times
Dubai also performs strongly on the price-to-rent measure. UBS estimates that roughly 16 years of rental income would equal the purchase price of a comparable apartment — among the shortest periods in the 23-city study. Khaleej Times
However, “affordable” here does not mean Dubai homes are cheap in absolute terms. It means prices are relatively more manageable when compared with local skilled-worker incomes and rents. UBS still places Dubai in the “elevated” housing bubble-risk category, although the risk has eased since March. New Zealand
Dubai’s real home prices rose only about 0.4% in the year to Q2 2026, while real rents fell about 4%, indicating a cooling after several years of strong growth.
