Dubai mortgage calculator
Every hidden cost included. DLD, agency, mortgage reg, valuation, NOC, trustee. Your nationality sets the LTV cap and loan-end age as defaults, and both stay adjustable.
Can a non-resident get a mortgage in Dubai, and how much deposit is needed?
Yes. UAE banks lend to non-residents, with stricter caps. As of 2026, LTV caps sit around 65% for non-residents, 80% for resident expats, and 85% for UAE nationals, which means down payments of roughly 35%, 20%, and 15%. On top of that, budget about 7 to 8% of the price for fees: 4% DLD transfer, 2% agency, mortgage registration, valuation, and trustee. The calculator below adds every line for your exact case.
You
Defaults for a resident expat. Both values below are adjustable.
Property
Mortgage
In Dubai the rate is usually fixed for an introductory period (often up to 5 years), then reverts to a variable rate that has recently sat around 7%. Test a higher rate for the post-fixed period.
UAE banks cap tenure at the smaller of 25 years and (the loan-end age minus your age). With your current settings, that is 25 years.
Service charge (optional)
One-time fees
Lifetime cost
How much mortgage can I get in Dubai?
Three limits apply, and a bank uses whichever one bites first. Most people only know about the first.
- The loan to value cap. A percentage of the property value, set by what kind of buyer you are.
- The debt burden ratio. UAE Central Bank rules cap your total monthly debt payments, this mortgage plus credit cards plus car finance, at 50 percent of your monthly income.
- Age. The loan has to be fully repaid by a set age, which for most expats is 65.
Run the calculator default through all three. A Dh1,800,000 property, resident expat, 80 percent cap: the loan is Dh1,440,000 and the payment at 4 percent over 25 years is Dh7,601 a month. Under the 50 percent debt burden rule you need Dh15,202 of monthly income to carry that mortgage on its own, and more if you already owe anything else. At age 38 the 25 year term fits inside the age 65 limit with two years to spare. At 45 it would not, and the term would be cut to 20 years.
Dubai mortgage LTV caps in 2026, by buyer type
| Buyer | Maximum loan | Minimum down payment |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident | 65% | 35% |
| Resident expat, first property up to Dh5M | 80% | 20% |
| Resident expat, first property above Dh5M | 70% | 30% |
| Resident expat, second property | 65% | 35% |
| UAE national, first property up to Dh5M | 85% | 15% |
Two things people miss here, and both cost real money.
The cap applies to the bank’s own valuation, not to the price you agreed. If the valuation comes in under your purchase price, the bank lends its percentage of the lower number and the gap is yours to fund in cash on the day of transfer.
And the step at Dh5 million is where a lot of off-plan plans quietly stop working. Above that line an expat first-time buyer drops from 80 percent to 70, so a 20/80 payment plan no longer funds its own completion. I worked that through properly on the Sobha open house piece.
The down payment is not the cash you need
This is the line that catches most first purchases. On the same Dh1,800,000 property with a Dh1,440,000 loan, here is every fee the calculator adds up.
| Fee | On a Dh1.8M purchase |
|---|---|
| DLD transfer, 4% plus Dh600 admin | Dh72,600 |
| Agency, 2% plus VAT | Dh37,800 |
| Bank arrangement, 1% of the loan plus VAT | Dh15,120 |
| Trustee office | Dh4,200 |
| Mortgage registration, 0.25% of the loan plus Dh290 | Dh3,890 |
| Valuation plus VAT | Dh3,150 |
| Developer NOC | Dh1,000 |
| Total | Dh137,760 |
That is 7.65 percent of the price, on top of the 20 percent down payment. So the cash you actually need to complete is Dh497,760, not Dh360,000. Budgeting only the down payment leaves you Dh137,760 short at the counter.
Then there is the recurring side, which no purchase calculator shows you: life insurance runs about 0.35 percent of the outstanding loan per year, Dh5,040 in year one here, plus building insurance and the annual service charge on the unit.
Can a non-resident get a mortgage in Dubai?
Yes. Fewer banks do it, the cap is tighter, and the rate is usually a little higher than a resident would be quoted, but it is an ordinary product and not a favour.
At the 65 percent non-resident cap, the same Dh1,800,000 property needs Dh630,000 down against a Dh1,170,000 loan. The payment falls to Dh6,176 a month because you borrowed less, fees come to Dh134,250, and the cash to complete is Dh764,250. That is Dh266,490 more cash than a resident expat needs for the identical apartment.
Expect heavier paperwork too: passport, six months of bank statements, proof of income from your home country, and usually a credit report from where you live. Budget four to six weeks rather than two.
How long can a Dubai mortgage run, and what does the term cost?
The term is the smaller of 25 years and your loan-end age minus your current age. That end age is typically 65 for expats and up to 70 for UAE nationals. So a 45 year old expat is looking at 20 years, and a 50 year old at 15, whatever the bank advertises.
| Term | Monthly payment | Total interest |
|---|---|---|
| 15 years | Dh10,652 | Dh477,271 |
| 20 years | Dh8,726 | Dh654,268 |
| 25 years | Dh7,601 | Dh840,255 |
Read that as a trade rather than a right answer. Going from 15 years to 25 drops the monthly payment by Dh3,051, which is what makes the purchase possible for a lot of buyers. It also costs Dh362,984 more in interest over the life of the loan. Both of those are true at once.
What half a point of interest actually costs
| Rate | Monthly payment | Total interest |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5% | Dh7,209 | Dh722,694 |
| 4.0% | Dh7,601 | Dh840,255 |
| 4.5% | Dh8,004 | Dh961,196 |
| 5.0% | Dh8,418 | Dh1,085,429 |
Half a point, from 4 to 4.5 percent, is Dh403 a month and Dh120,941 over 25 years on this loan. That is worth one more conversation with one more bank.
One thing to ask that people forget. Most UAE mortgages are fixed for one to five years and then revert to EIBOR plus a fixed margin. The advertised rate is the fixed period. The margin afterwards is the rate you will actually hold for most of the 25 years, so ask for that number before you compare two offers.
What this calculator does that a bank’s does not
A bank calculator answers one question: what is the monthly payment. That is the least useful number, because it is the one you can already guess.
This one answers the question that actually decides whether you can buy: how much cash do I need on the day. It adds the seven fee lines above to the down payment, and it lets you override the LTV cap and the loan-end age, because the defaults here are typical rather than universal and your bank’s written offer is the only one that counts.
Frequently asked questions
How much deposit do I need to buy property in Dubai with a mortgage?
The down payment is 20 percent for a resident expat on a first property up to Dh5 million, 35 percent for a non-resident, and 15 percent for a UAE national. On top of that, fees add about 7.65 percent of the price. On a Dh1,800,000 apartment a resident expat needs Dh360,000 down plus Dh137,760 of fees, so Dh497,760 in cash.
Can a non-resident get a mortgage in Dubai?
Yes. UAE banks lend to non-residents at a loan to value cap of around 65 percent, against 80 percent for a resident expat. On a Dh1,800,000 property that is Dh630,000 down, a Dh1,170,000 loan, a payment of Dh6,176 a month at 4 percent over 25 years, and Dh764,250 of cash to complete once fees are included.
How much mortgage can I get on my salary in Dubai?
UAE Central Bank rules cap total monthly debt repayments at 50 percent of monthly income. A Dh1,440,000 loan at 4 percent over 25 years costs Dh7,601 a month, so you need at least Dh15,202 of monthly income to carry it, and more if you have credit cards or a car loan running.
What is the maximum mortgage term in Dubai?
25 years, and the loan must also be fully repaid by your loan-end age, typically 65 for expats and up to 70 for UAE nationals. The term you get is the smaller of the two, so a 45 year old expat is capped at 20 years and a 50 year old at 15.
What is the DLD fee when buying property in Dubai?
The Dubai Land Department transfer fee is 4 percent of the purchase price plus about Dh600 in admin and title charges. On a Dh1,800,000 property that is Dh72,600, normally paid by the buyer at registration.
What are the total fees to buy a property in Dubai with a mortgage?
About 7.65 percent of the price. On Dh1,800,000 with a Dh1,440,000 loan: Dh72,600 DLD transfer, Dh37,800 agency including VAT, Dh15,120 bank arrangement, Dh4,200 trustee, Dh3,890 mortgage registration, Dh3,150 valuation and Dh1,000 developer NOC. Total Dh137,760.
What interest rate do Dubai mortgages carry in 2026?
This calculator defaults to 4 percent, which is a reasonable working assumption, but your written offer is the number that counts. The sensitivity is worth knowing: on a Dh1,440,000 loan over 25 years, half a point costs Dh403 a month and Dh120,941 in total interest.
Is the advertised mortgage rate the rate I pay for 25 years?
Usually not. Most UAE mortgages are fixed for one to five years and then revert to EIBOR plus a fixed margin. That margin is the rate you hold for the remaining 20 or more years, so ask for it explicitly before comparing two offers on their headline numbers.
Do I need life insurance for a Dubai mortgage?
Yes, UAE lenders require life cover assigned to the bank, and usually building insurance too. Budget around 0.35 percent of the outstanding loan per year, which is Dh5,040 in year one on a Dh1,440,000 loan.
What happens if the bank values the property below the price I agreed?
The bank lends its percentage of its own valuation, not of your price, so the difference becomes cash you have to find on the day of transfer. On an 80 percent cap, a valuation Dh100,000 under your price adds Dh80,000 to the cash you need.
Can I get a mortgage on an off-plan property in Dubai?
Yes, but at a lower cap, typically around 50 percent during construction, and only with selected banks and developers. This is also why a 20/80 payment plan above Dh5 million does not fund its own completion: the expat cap drops to 70 percent there, leaving roughly 10 percent of the price to find in cash at handover.
How much can a UAE national borrow on a Dh1.8 million property?
Up to 85 percent on a first property under Dh5 million, so Dh1,530,000 against Dh270,000 down. The payment is Dh8,076 a month at 4 percent over 25 years, and the cash to complete including Dh138,930 of fees is Dh408,930.