Pick a home and the years you would stay. The page counts what buying costs in fees and interest, against what renting costs.
Updated with deals to 3 Nov 2026
AED 1,370a month less than rent
Over 5 years, buying costs about AED 108k less. Buying costs AED 241k in fees and interest, and renting costs AED 349k. The down payment is not counted: it stays yours, in the home.
| Mortgage a month20% down, 4.5% over 25 years | AED 4,447 |
|---|---|
| Rent a month | AED 5,817 |
| Fees paid when buyingDLD, agency, trustee, mortgage registration and valuation | AED 71,070 |
| Interest in 5 years | AED 169,663 |
What does 5 years cost, buying or renting?
Buying a 1-bed in Jumeirah Village Circle costs about AED 241k in fees and interest over 5 years. Renting costs about AED 349k.
Typical price AED 1M, typical new rent AED 70k a year. Price and rent are held flat. Service charges, selling costs and settling the mortgage early are left out.
Buying also gets you a home you own. Renting leaves your down payment free to use elsewhere. The bars count fees, interest and rent paid, and nothing else.
The busiest buildings come first, with what a 1-bed typically sold for and how many sold in a year.
The rules and the numbers behind the answer.
It depends on the years you stay. Buying starts with fees, mostly the 4% DLD fee and the agent's 2%, then interest every month. Renting costs the rent. The longer you stay, the more the fees spread out.
Changes in price and rent, service charges, the costs of selling, the cost of settling a mortgage early, and what you could earn on your down payment. Each can move the answer, so the tool counts only the fees, interest and rent paid on each side.
You get it back as part of the home when you sell, less the costs of selling. The fees and the interest are the money you don't get back.
The minimum down payment, 4.5% over 25 years, on the typical price for the home type. The DLD fee calculator lets you change all three.