Recent reports put a Dubai apartment at AED 15,113 to AED 19,558 per square metre. The gap comes from the source: Savills’ Q3 2026 average is AED 1,817 per sq ft, betterhomes’ September 2026 median is AED 1,404. Multiply any square-foot price by 10.7639 to get the metre price.
At a glance
- Who it is for
- Buyers who think in square metres and meet prices quoted per square foot
- What it costs
- AED 15,113 to 19,558 per m² for an apartment in the Q3 2026 reports (our conversion)
- Highest apartment reading: Savills’ Q3 2026 average of AED 1,817 per sq ft, which is AED 19,558 per m² — Khaleej Times, 13 October 2026.
- Lowest: betterhomes’ September 2026 median of AED 1,404 per sq ft, which is AED 15,113 per m² — betterhomes, 15 October 2026.
- The spread: the first is 29% above the second (our arithmetic on those two figures).
- The factor: one square foot is 0.09290304 m², so one m² is 10.7639 sq ft — Wikipedia, Square foot.
- Same firm, two readings: Savills’ apartment average fell 4.8% in the quarter, while its like-for-like measure fell 1.7% — Zawya, Savills Q3 2026.
How do I convert a Dubai price per square foot into square metres?
Multiply by 10.7639. A square foot is 0.09290304 m², so a square metre holds 10.7639 of them. Savills’ AED 1,817 per sq ft becomes AED 19,558 per m² (1,817 × 10.7639).
To go the other way, divide. Do not round the factor to 10: that understates every metre price by about 7% (our arithmetic).
Why does every source give a different price per square metre?
Because each report measures something different. The table shows what each one says it measured, as published, with our metre conversion beside it.
| Source | What it measures | Period | AED per sq ft | AED per m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savills | Average, apartments | Q3 2026 | 1,817 | 19,558 |
| Springfield Properties | Average, apartments | Q3 2026 | 1,794 | 19,310 |
| Cavendish Maxwell | Average, all residential | August 2026 | 1,636 | 17,610 |
| betterhomes | Median, apartments | September 2026 | 1,404 | 15,113 |
| Savills | Average, villas and townhouses | Q3 2026 | 1,523 | 16,393 |
| betterhomes | Median, villas and townhouses | September 2026 | 1,638 | 17,631 |
| Springfield Properties | Average, townhouses | Q3 2026 | 1,341 | 14,434 |
| Springfield Properties | Average, villas | Q3 2026 | 2,216 | 23,853 |
The per m² column is our arithmetic: AED per sq ft × 10.7639, rounded to the nearest dirham. Sources: as linked in each row.
First, average versus median. Savills and Springfield report averages; betterhomes reports a median. A few very expensive sales lift an average and leave a median where it was, so the two can sit far apart on the same market. betterhomes’ page does not name its data source or say which sales the median covers.
Second, period. Savills and Springfield cover the third quarter, betterhomes covers September alone, and Cavendish Maxwell’s figure is for August.
Third, what was sold. Savills says that headline price movements are partly driven by changes in the type and value of properties being transacted: on a like-for-like basis its apartment prices fell 1.7%, not the 4.8% in the headline. Off-plan is a large part of that mix, at about 75% of residential sales in August in Cavendish Maxwell’s data and more than two-thirds of the deal count in Springfield’s.
Fourth, scope. Cavendish Maxwell’s AED 1,636 is one figure for all residential sales, apartments and villas together, so it is not comparable with an apartment-only number. ValuStrat’s September 2026 reading is an index of 218.6 points, not a price per foot, so it does not fit in the table at all.
What we cannot tell you is how much of the 29% gap comes from each cause. None of the four price-per-foot reports publishes enough method to split it.
Which area is a Dubai price per square foot quoted on?
The reports do not say. The pages for Savills, betterhomes, Springfield and Cavendish Maxwell give a price per square foot without stating whether the area is built-up, saleable or net.
That matters because the areas differ. Engel & Völkers describes built-up area (BUA) as the figure usually used in listings, and it includes wall thickness, balconies and terraces; the same guide adds that not everything in BUA is usable interior. Carpet area is the net usable space inside the walls. Property Finder’s guide says the gap between carpet area and super built-up area can reach 25–30%, and gives a 20–35% loading elsewhere in the same article, so read it as a range, not a rule.
Here is the effect on an invented flat. The price and areas are ours, chosen to show the arithmetic; they are not a market figure.
| Same flat, same price | Area (sq ft) | AED per sq ft | AED per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 1,600,000 on BUA of 900 sq ft (83.6 m²) | 900 | 1,778 | 19,136 |
| The interior only, assumed to be 80% of BUA (66.9 m²) | 720 | 2,222 | 23,920 |
Illustrative arithmetic. The 80% is our assumption for the example, not a reported figure.
Same flat, same price: the number is 25% higher once the walls and balcony come out. Neither number is wrong. They are prices of different areas.
What should you check before comparing two prices per metre?
This is the Jalili advisory view, drawn from the sources and arithmetic above rather than from a client file. Use a market price per metre as a ruler for one source over time, not as a quote for your flat. It can tell you whether a report sees prices rising or falling; it cannot tell you what your unit is worth, because your unit has its own area, floor and view.
Then price the flat on its own plan. Ask the seller or developer for the unit’s BUA and its net interior, and work out the price per metre on both. The trade-off is real: the interior-only number is the fairer comparison of living space, but a balcony or terrace has value too, and removing it entirely overstates what you pay for the rooms. Pick one basis and use it for every flat you compare.
Finally, a price per metre is not what you pay. Our cost calculator adds the purchase costs on top of the price, and the yield calculator turns a rent into a gross and net yield on the price you actually pay. For where prices have gone this year, read our piece on the first dip since 2021; for the fees around a purchase, what a Dubai purchase actually costs.
Confirm any figure with its source before you act on it.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice; check every figure with your adviser before you act.
How do I convert a Dubai price per square foot into square metres?
Multiply by 10.7639, because one square foot is 0.09290304 m² (Wikipedia, Square foot). Savills’ Q3 2026 average apartment price of AED 1,817 per sq ft is therefore about AED 19,558 per m² (Khaleej Times, 13 October 2026). To go back, divide by 10.7639.
Why do two reports give different prices per square foot for the same period?
They measure different things. Savills’ Q3 2026 average apartment price was AED 1,817 per sq ft; betterhomes’ September 2026 median was AED 1,404. Savills says headline moves are partly driven by the type and value of properties sold (Khaleej Times, 13 October 2026; betterhomes, 15 October 2026; Zawya).
Is the price per square foot calculated on the area I can actually use?
Not necessarily. Listings usually quote built-up area, which includes wall thickness, balconies and terraces, so not all of it is usable interior (Engel & Völkers, 20 February 2026). Property Finder says the gap to carpet area can reach 25–30% (15 July 2026). Ask for the floor plan.
Sources
