Dubai Mortgage Affordability Calculator
Calculator
Enter your income, debts, and available cash below. The maximum property price you can afford appears in the panel beside the form (or below the form on mobile) and updates as you type.
Calculations follow UAE Central Bank Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013 (in force) and current Dubai Land Department published fees. Indicative figures — not financial advice.
How this is calculated.
- DBR ceiling. Maximum monthly mortgage payment = (gross monthly income × 50%) − other monthly debts. Per CBUAE Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, Article 3.1.
- Stress test. When enabled, the affordability calculation uses (interest rate + 2 percentage points). Banks apply this to ensure repayment capacity if rates rise. Defaulting ON matches actual bank practice. CBUAE Article 3.1 mandates +2 to +4 percentage points.
- Maximum loan from payment. Standard reducing-balance amortisation formula. P = M × [1 − (1+r)^−n] / r where r is the monthly rate and n is the number of months.
- Income multiple cap. Maximum loan is also capped at 7× annual income for expatriates and 8× for UAE Nationals. Per CBUAE Article 3.4.
- Loan-to-value (LTV). Solved against the AED 5 million threshold:
- Expatriate, first home, < AED 5M: 80% LTV (20% deposit)
- Expatriate, first home, ≥ AED 5M: 70% LTV (30% deposit)
- Expatriate, second / investment: 60% LTV
- UAE National, first home, ≤ AED 5M: 85% LTV
- UAE National, first home, > AED 5M: 75% LTV
- UAE National, second / investment: 65% LTV
- Off-plan (any buyer): 50% LTV
- Cash constraint. Total upfront cash must cover: deposit (1 − LTV) × price + 4% DLD transfer + 2% agency + 5% VAT on agency + 0.25% × loan mortgage registration + AED 3,000 valuation + 0.5% × loan processing + AED 1,500 NOC + AED 5,360 fixed (DLD admin AED 580 + trustee AED 4,200 + title deed AED 580). The calculator returns the lower of the LTV-derived and cash-derived ceilings.
- What's not modelled. Life insurance and property insurance (typically 0.4–0.5% of loan p.a. and 0.05–0.1% of value p.a. respectively) are running costs, not upfront, and don't affect maximum price under CBUAE rules. Service charges and the AED 12,500 JGE clubhouse fee are running costs (see the JGE service-charge article) and don't affect the affordability ceiling, but matter for total cost of ownership.
Sources
- CBUAE Rulebook Article 3 — Important Ratios (Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, in force as of May 2026). LTV, DBR, stress test, term, income multiple.
- Dubai Land Department — published fee schedule (4% transfer, DLD admin, trustee, title deed, mortgage registration).
- Agency commission, NOC, processing, valuation: market-standard defaults, user-editable in the Advanced section.
- JGE-specific community defaults: Issue 1 — The Year So Far in JGE and Service charges in JGE.
Frequently asked.
How much deposit do I need to buy a property in Dubai?
For a first home in Dubai, expatriate buyers need a minimum 20% deposit on properties under AED 5 million, or 30% on properties at AED 5 million and above. UAE national buyers need 15% on properties up to AED 5 million, or 25% above that. Off-plan properties require a 50% deposit for any buyer. Per CBUAE Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, Article 3.2.
What is the mortgage cap for expats in Dubai?
Expatriate buyers can borrow up to 80% loan-to-value (LTV) on a first home under AED 5 million, or 70% LTV on first homes at AED 5 million and above. Second homes and investment properties are capped at 60% LTV. Off-plan is capped at 50% LTV. Per CBUAE Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, Article 3.2.
What is the mortgage cap for UAE nationals?
UAE national buyers can borrow up to 85% LTV on a first home up to AED 5 million, or 75% LTV on first homes above AED 5 million. Second homes and investment properties are capped at 65% LTV. Off-plan is capped at 50% LTV. Per CBUAE Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, Article 3.2.
What is the DBR rule and how does it limit my borrowing?
The Debt-Burden Ratio (DBR) caps total monthly debt service — mortgage payment plus credit cards, car loans, and other monthly debts — at 50% of gross monthly income. So if your household earns AED 60,000 monthly, the combined monthly debt service cannot exceed AED 30,000. Per CBUAE Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, Article 3.1.
Can I get a mortgage on an off-plan property in Dubai?
Yes, but the loan-to-value is capped at 50%, meaning a minimum 50% deposit. This applies to any buyer — expatriate or UAE national — on any off-plan property. Per CBUAE Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, Article 3.2.
What fees do I pay when buying property in Dubai?
Transaction fees on a Dubai purchase include: 4% DLD transfer fee, AED 5,360 in fixed DLD costs (AED 580 DLD admin + AED 4,200 trustee + AED 580 title deed), 0.25% of the loan amount for mortgage registration, 2% agency commission plus 5% VAT on the agency fee, property valuation around AED 3,000, mortgage processing around 0.5% of the loan, and a developer NOC fee typically AED 1,500. The total usually runs 6 to 8% of the purchase price. Source: Dubai Land Department published fee schedule.
How does the CBUAE 2% mortgage stress test work?
CBUAE Article 3.1 requires banks to assess affordability at a rate 2 to 4 percentage points above the contractual rate. If your mortgage rate is 4.5%, the bank tests whether you can still afford repayments at 6.5%. This ensures the loan remains serviceable if interest rates rise. The calculator on this page defaults the stress test ON at +2 percentage points, matching standard bank practice.
What is the maximum mortgage term in the UAE?
The maximum mortgage term under CBUAE Mortgage Regulation Circular 31/2013, Article 3.3, is 25 years. Some banks offer shorter terms (15 or 20 years) at preferential rates, but no UAE-regulated bank may offer a residential mortgage term longer than 25 years.