Cresco Real Estate Research · RERA ORN 34288
Last verified 18 October 2026. Every figure on this page states its source and whether it comes from advertised listings or from registered Dubai Land Department transactions. Where a figure could not be verified we say so rather than estimating.

Palm Jumeirah Area Guide 2026

Updated 5 August 2026 · By the Cresco local market team

Palm Jumeirah is the world’s most famous man-made island and Dubai’s definitive luxury address, beachfront villas, branded apartments and five-star resorts on a palm-shaped archipelago. It is a trophy market: high entry prices, premium per-square-foot values, and among the strongest capital appreciation in Dubai.

Property type

Apartments & villas

DLD median / sqft

AED 2,928

Gross yield

5 to 7.3% (apts)

To DXB

~35 min

Access

Monorail + Tram

Best for

Luxury · Holiday-let

Registered sale prices

Dubai Land Department registered transactions, not advertised asking prices.

Registered residential sales in the period	86
Median registered price	AED 5,700,000
Middle half of the market	AED 3,775,000 to AED 10,483,410
Median price per sq ft	AED 2,928
Median unit size	1,874 sq ft
Share bought off plan	24%
Ready stock, median price per sq ft	AED 2,651 from 65 sales
Off plan stock, median price per sq ft	AED 5,381 from 21 sales

By bedroom count

Type	Sales	Median price	Per sq ft	Median size
Studio	3	AED 1,525,000	AED 2,513	548 sq ft
1 B/R	15	AED 2,947,000	AED 2,802	1,145 sq ft
2 B/R	39	AED 5,700,000	AED 3,319	1,772 sq ft
3 B/R	17	AED 6,200,000	AED 2,667	2,221 sq ft
4 B/R	9	AED 30,000,000	AED 5,624	7,326 sq ft

Source: Dubai Land Department open data. Registered sales of residential units between 1 September 2026 and 11 October 2026. Mortgages and gift transfers are excluded because they are not arms length sales. Sizes are converted from square metres at 10.7639 sq ft per sq m. These are prices buyers actually registered, which is not the same as the asking prices advertised on portals.

Advertised prices in Palm Jumeirah
Live Cresco listings	17
Listings showing a price	14
Median entry price advertised	AED 15,000,000

Source: Cresco Real Estate live listings, rebuilt 5 November 2026. These are advertised entry prices, meaning the lowest price currently quoted on each listing. Many off plan listings quote a starting price rather than a price for a specific unit, so we do not publish an advertised price per square foot from this data. For price per square foot use the registered Dubai Land Department figures above, which come from completed sales.

Living on Palm Jumeirah

Life on the Palm is a resort lifestyle made permanent: private beaches, five-star hotels, beach clubs and marinas, with a level of privacy and exclusivity no mainland community matches. The trade-off is access and pace, the island runs on a single main trunk road that backs up at peak times, and it is less walkable than Marina or Downtown. You buy the Palm for the beach, the address and the calm, not for stepping out to the Metro.

Getting around

Palm Monorail: runs the trunk from Gateway Station to Atlantis, connecting to the Dubai Tram at Palm Gateway.
By car: a single main access road serves the island; a car is essential for the villa fronds. The airport is about 35 minutes away.

Schools & families

There are no major schools on the island itself, but a cluster of established schools sits a short drive away in Al Sufouh, Knowledge Village and the surrounding communities. The Palm is popular with families who want villa-and-beach living and are comfortable with a short school commute.

Shopping, dining & beaches

Nakheel Mall & The Pointe, retail, dining and waterfront promenades on the trunk and crescent.
Atlantis The Palm & The Royal Atlantis, resorts, celebrity dining and Aquaventure waterpark.
West Beach & beach clubs, some of Dubai’s best-known beach clubs and private beaches.

The investor view

The Palm is a capital-appreciation and prestige play more than a pure yield play. The Dubai Land Department registered 86 Palm Jumeirah sales from 1 September to 11 October 2026 at a median of AED 2,928 per square foot, and AED 5,381 on off plan units. The island’s supply is fixed. You cannot build another Palm.

What it earns, from the tenancy register

These are not estimates. Over the last twelve months 4,136 tenancy contracts were registered with the Dubai Land Department in Palm Jumeirah, at an average of AED 246,047 a year, which is AED 142 per square foot. Registered rents moved +3.3% against the twelve months before.

Registered rents in Palm Jumeirah, by bedroom count
Unit type	Contracts registered	Average annual rent (AED)	Rent per sqft (AED)	Change vs 12 months earlier
1 bedroom	1,173	158,954	138	+1.5
All apartments	4,136	246,047	142	+3.3

Against a registered ready sale price of AED 3,158 per square foot, that is a gross yield of 4.5% on ready stock. We divide registered rent by ready sale price, never by an off plan launch price, because you cannot rent a home that has not been handed over.

Check the shorter window before you commit. On the most recent three months of contracts the same community reads -5.6%. Summer seasonality and a smaller sample both sit inside that figure, and we publish it rather than quote only the number that flatters the market.

Data verified 27 September 2026. Dubai Land Department registered transactions via Bayut TruView, rolling 12 months to September 2026.

The honest market read

The Palm splits by asset. Apartments yield roughly 5.0 to 7.3% gross (branded units 5.5 to 6.5%), respectable for a trophy address. Villas are a different game: about 3.5 to 5% on long lets, where you are buying scarcity and appreciation rather than income, but 7 to 9% in peak season as short-term holiday lets, where Palm villas are among the most sought-after in the world. Underwrite a villa on appreciation and lifestyle; underwrite an apartment on yield.

Who should buy here

The Palm suits luxury end-users, holiday-let investors and buyers who want a scarce, appreciating trophy asset. It is not the place for maximum rental yield or a low entry point, for that, look at Marina or Business Bay. It is the place for beachfront prestige and long-run capital growth on an island no one will build again.

📈 Coming soon from Cresco: building-by-building price and rent trajectory for Palm Jumeirah, which developments are appreciating, which are softening, and where the real yield sits after service charges.

Property types & buildings

Two distinct markets sit side by side: beachfront villas (Garden Homes and the larger Signature Villas) on the fronds, and apartments, many of them heavily branded residences, along the trunk and crescent. Villas trade on scarcity and appreciation; apartments on yield and lifestyle. Branded residences command the strongest premiums and the deepest resale.

✓ Strengths

Dubai’s definitive luxury address
Fixed supply, scarcity underpins value
Strong long-run capital appreciation
World-class holiday-let demand for villas
Private beaches and resort lifestyle

△ Trade-offs

Very high entry prices
Single main access road, peak traffic
Lower long-let yields on villas
No schools on the island
High service charges

Free Palm Jumeirah area guide (PDF)

Prices by bedroom, ready vs off-plan, where buyers bought and price bands. Built from Dubai Land Department sales, 1 September to 11 October 2026.

Family living in Palm Jumeirah: schools, hospitals and commute

6 KHDA schools sit within 5 km of the centre of Palm Jumeirah. 3 are rated Outstanding or Very good.

Queen Elizabeth's School: Not inspected yet, UK, 2.7 km
Dubai College: Outstanding, UK, 3.5 km
The International School of Choueifat: Acceptable, SABIS, 3.8 km
GEMS Dubai American Academy: Outstanding, American and IB, 4.8 km
GEMS Wellington International School: Outstanding, IB and UK, 4.9 km

Nearest Indian curriculum school: Delhi Private School, Very good, 8.8 km.

Hospitals by road: Al Zahra Hospital 7.7 km, Saudi German Hospital 10 km, King's College Hospital 17 km.

Drive by road: Downtown Dubai 21 km, Dubai Marina 6.6 km, DXB Airport 33 km, Al Maktoum Airport 40 km.

Villa rent: AED 1,700,000 a year on average across 319 DLD registered villa contracts over twelve months, +21% on a year earlier. Gross villa yield is 3.9%.

Schools and ratings: KHDA directory, 2025 to 2026 inspections, straight line distance from the community centre. Hospitals and drives: road distance on the route Google Maps recommends, measured 18 October 2026. Rent: Cresco villa rent tracker from DLD registered contracts. Updated 18 October 2026.

Palm Jumeirah FAQs

Is Palm Jumeirah a good investment in 2026?: Yes, primarily for capital appreciation and prestige. The median registered price is about AED 2,928 per square foot, supply is fixed, and holiday-let demand for villas is world-class. Apartment yields run 5 to 7.3%; villa long-let yields are lower at 3.5 to 5%.
How much does a property on Palm Jumeirah cost?: Apartments start around AED 2.5M for a 1-bed and run to AED 12M for larger units, with branded residences and penthouses from AED 15M into the hundreds of millions. Garden Homes villas run AED 10.5M, 24M and Signature Villas AED 37M, 75M.
What rental yield does Palm Jumeirah offer?: Apartments yield roughly 5.0 to 7.3% gross and branded units 5.5 to 6.5%. Villas yield about 3.5 to 5% on long lets but 7 to 9% in peak season as short-term holiday rentals.
How do you get around Palm Jumeirah?: The Palm Monorail runs the trunk to Atlantis and connects to the Dubai Tram at Palm Gateway. The island has a single main access road and a car is essential for the villa fronds. The airport is about 35 minutes away.
Are there schools on Palm Jumeirah?: No major schools sit on the island itself; established schools are a short drive away in Al Sufouh and the surrounding communities.

Thinking about Palm Jumeirah?

Whether it’s a branded apartment for yield or a beachfront villa for the long run, Cresco knows the Palm frond by frond. Tell us your budget and goal and we’ll shortlist the right options.

Talk to a Palm Jumeirah specialist

Looking for the full list? Browse every property Cresco has for sale in the UAE, all 712 listings indexed by emirate and community.

Property for sale in Palm Jumeirah

Current Cresco listings in Palm Jumeirah. Every one is handled by a RERA registered consultant.

See every Cresco listing or speak to a consultant about Palm Jumeirah.

Palm Jumeirah questions, answered

What rental yield can I expect in Palm Jumeirah?

Gross yields in Palm Jumeirah run at about 5 to 7.3% (apts). Gross is the headline figure. Your net return will be lower once service charges, agency fees, maintenance and void periods come out. Work out your own number with the Cresco rental yield and ROI calculator.

Can a foreigner buy property in Palm Jumeirah?

Yes. Palm Jumeirah is a designated freehold area in Dubai, so buyers of any nationality can own the property outright and hold the title deed in their own name. You do not need UAE residency to buy, and there is no restriction on selling it later. The full process is set out in our guide to buying property in Dubai.

How far is Palm Jumeirah from Downtown Dubai and the airport?

From Palm Jumeirah, Dubai International Airport is about ~35 min away by car outside peak hours. Morning and evening traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road can add a fair amount to both.

What type of property is available in Palm Jumeirah?

Palm Jumeirah is mainly apartments & villas. It suits luxury and holiday-let in particular. You can see the 17 Cresco listings in Palm Jumeirah further up this page.

Projects in Palm Jumeirah on Cresco

See every project we cover on the Palm Jumeirah properties page. Work out the total cost with our Dubai property buying calculator.