Property purchase costs by country, against the UAE
Stamp duty, transfer tax, foreign-buyer surcharges and registry fees for your price in 30 places, worked by each country’s own rules and set against Dubai’s 4% and Abu Dhabi’s 2%. Then the half most calculators leave out: what each one taxes you every year after.
Everywhere else, cheapest first. Tap a flag for the working.
What your budget buys here, every fee set out
How to read it
Tap a flag for the working line by line, the sources and the yearly taxes in full. Where a country sets its own rules by region, the popup says which city it is worked for and how the rest differs. Where a country closes its market to the buyer you chose, the flag shows 🚫 and says why rather than a number nobody can pay. For the fees on a Dubai resale in full, agency and trustee included, the resale transfer calculator itemises every line, and the passport indexsets the income, VAT and inheritance taxes beside the UAE’s.
Common questions
What does it cost to buy a property in Dubai?
The Dubai Land Department transfer fee is 4% of the price, which the buyer pays by custom, plus about AED 560 in title deed, map and service fees and the registration trustee’s fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT (AED 2,000 under AED 500,000). An off-plan purchase is registered on Oqood at the same 4%, without the trustee fee. There is no surcharge for foreign buyers, for living abroad or for owning another home, and no VAT on a residential purchase.
And in Abu Dhabi?
The registration fee on a sale is 2% of the price, half of Dubai’s, plus a DARI fee of AED 875. ADREC’s rules share the 2% between buyer and seller unless the contract says otherwise, but buyers usually pay all of it, so the tool counts the full 2%. The rate is the same for foreigners in the investment zones, and the Golden Visa threshold is AED 2m in both emirates.
Why is the UAE not always the cheapest to buy in?
Because some places charge little at the door and take more every year after. New York below USD 1m, Miami, Russia and several Gulf neighbours charge less than Dubai’s 4% on the purchase, but most places on the list then tax the owner every year, tax the rent or tax the gain on sale. The UAE does none of the three for an individual owner, and the tool shows both halves for that reason.
Why does owning another home change the figure?
England adds 5 points to every band when you already own a home anywhere in the world, your Dubai flat included, and another 2 if you live outside the UK. The Netherlands charges 8% instead of 2% on a home you will not live in, and Singapore charges citizens 20% on a second home there. The UAE has none of this, so the same buyer pays the same 4% in Dubai whatever else they own.
Are these figures advice?
No. They are the published rules worked for one reference city per country, checked October 2026, for a cash purchase. Reliefs, regional differences and your own residence position can move the number, and rules change, especially after budgets. Use the tool to compare, then confirm with a lawyer in the country before committing.
Which costs are left out?
Agency commission, mortgage costs and anything the seller pays. Notary fees on a statutory scale, where the law requires a notary, are shown as an estimate below the total rather than inside it.