One place for the numbers that actually matter
Buying or financing property in the UAE throws a lot of figures at you at once — a deposit, a 50% debt limit, a 4% government fee, a stress-tested rate you'll never see advertised. Most online "mortgage calculators" quietly ignore the rules that decide your answer. The tools below don't. Each one is built around the actual Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) lending regulations and Dubai Land Department (DLD) fee schedule, so the number you get is the number a UAE bank or a transfer appointment would give you. Pick the question you're trying to answer and go straight to the right tool.
Can I buy? Start with what a bank will actually lend
Before you fall for a listing, find out what you can realistically finance. UAE lending is capped by a few hard rules — a Debt Burden Ratio that can't exceed 50% of your income, a Loan-to-Value ceiling that sets your minimum deposit, and an affordability check run at a stressed interest rate, not the headline one. These three tools work that out for you:
- How much can I borrow? The mortgage eligibility calculator is the place to start. It applies the 50% DBR cap, the CBUAE stress test, your existing credit-card and loan limits, and the LTV rules to show the maximum a UAE bank will actually approve — not a flattering best case.
- Where's my income limit? The DBR calculator isolates your Debt Burden Ratio and shows how much monthly repayment headroom you have left under the Central Bank's 50% ceiling once your other commitments are counted.
- What will the repayment be? Once you know the loan, the monthly payment calculator turns a loan amount, rate and term into a clear monthly figure — so you can see how a quarter-point on the rate, or five more years on the term, moves the number.
What will it cost? The cash beyond the deposit
The deposit is only part of the cash you need at the table. On a Dubai purchase you should budget roughly 6% to 8% of the price in transaction fees on top of your down payment — led by the DLD's 4% transfer fee. And if you already rent, your landlord can only raise the rent within limits the RERA index sets, not by whatever they fancy.
- Upfront buying costs. The purchase-cost calculator itemises every line — the 4% DLD transfer fee, registration trustee fee, DLD admin charges, agency commission, and (if you're financing) mortgage registration, valuation and bank arrangement fees — verified against the Land Department schedule so there's no surprise at transfer.
- How much can my rent go up? The RERA rent increase calculator applies the Dubai rental index rules to show the maximum percentage a landlord may legally raise your rent at renewal, based on how far your current rent sits below the area's market average.
Buy, rent, or invest? Compare the real outcomes
Whether buying beats renting — or whether a unit is worth buying as an investment at all — comes down to maths, not gut feel. These two tools put a defensible number on the decision.
- Rent vs buy. The rent vs buy calculator compares the true multi-year cost of renting against owning in Dubai, factoring in upfront fees, expected appreciation and the opportunity cost of the deposit you'd otherwise have invested.
- Rental yield. Sizing up an investment unit? The rental yield calculator works out the gross and net yield from the price, annual rent and running costs, so you can compare properties on return rather than on the brochure.
Already own? Check if a buyout saves you money
If you took your mortgage out a few years ago, your rate may now be well above what banks offer new borrowers. Switching lenders can cut your repayment — but only after early-settlement penalties and new registration fees are netted off.
- Refinance or buyout. The refinance / buyout calculator compares your current deal against a new one, including the early-settlement fee (capped by the CBUAE) and fresh DLD mortgage-registration costs, to show whether — and how quickly — a switch actually pays back.
Why these numbers are different
Anyone can multiply a price by a percentage. The point of this site is that the percentages are right and that the rules behind them are cited. Where a figure is set by regulation — the 50% DBR cap, the LTV deposit floors, the 4% DLD fee — we state it plainly and tell you the source. Where a figure is bank or market practice rather than law — arrangement fees, valuation charges, the 2% agency commission — we say so and tell you to confirm the current figure, because banks change these and they're negotiable. You can read the full reasoning, and the rules each tool relies on, in the guides, and see exactly how we source and review every figure on the about & methodology page.
Every tool here is free and for estimation only — not financial advice. Treat the output as a sharp first answer that gets you to the right question for your bank or conveyancer, not a substitute for a formal offer.