What happened to Abu Dhabi property in the first half of 2026?

Home sales nearly tripled, off-plan dominated, and resale prices climbed.

The short answer

Home sales nearly tripled to Dh70.4 billion, from Dh25.3 billion a year earlier. Off-plan made up 89% of that value. Resale prices rose 20% for apartments and 12% for villas. 1, 2

Figures released 18 August 2026 1 min read
Dh70.4bnHome sales, nearly triple a year earlierADREC, H1 2026
89%Of home sales value was off-planADREC, H1 2026
+20%Apartment resale prices, year on yearADREC, H1 2026

Where did buyers spend?

Four islands took most of the money, led by Hudayriyat. 1

Area Home sales, H1 2026
Hudayriyat Island Dh19bn (27% of the total)
Saadiyat Island Dh13.3bn
Al Reem and Al Maryah islands Dh10.5bn combined
Yas Island Dh7.3bn

Who was buying?

Mostly buyers from outside the country. They made up 70% of home sales value, up from 64% two years earlier. 3 Foreign direct investment reached Dh13.8 billion in six months, already more than all of 2025. 2

What happened to rents?

The total value of leases rose 8% to Dh9.3 billion, across 233,000 active home leases. 1 See what you could earn renting out.

What's the catch?

Read these before you sign anything.

1

Almost all of it is off-plan.

89% of the value was homes not yet built, so buyers wait years and rely on the developer. Read off-plan or ready first.

2

One island can swing the total.

Hudayriyat alone made up 27%, so a few big launches move the headline.

3

The price rises are for resales.

The 20% and 12% figures compare repeat sales of existing homes. New launches are priced by developers.

Sources

  1. GDN: Abu Dhabi residential sales hit $19.2bn in H1 on strong off-plan demand (August 2026)
  2. Khaleej Times: Abu Dhabi property deals top Dh155 billion, beat 2025's full-year total in 8 months (September 2026)
  3. Gulf News: Abu Dhabi records Dh21.5 billion in residential property sales in Q3 2026 (October 2026)

Three guides that follow on from this one.

All market updates
Buying guideShould you buy off-plan or ready? Buying guideWhat will you earn renting it out? Area guideShould you buy on Saadiyat Island?

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