Dubai's population is forecast to reach five million by 2030, and the housing market is responding as a result. In 2024, there is a record divergence between home sizes and property prices.
Data from consulting group ValuStrat, using Dubai Land Department figures, reveals that the average home size is down to 1,450 square feet, while the average price per square foot is steadily increasing to Dh1,490 ($405) – its highest yet.
This trend reflects a growing demand for affordability amid the increased property prices. Developers, facing rising land and construction costs, are opting for smaller, more compact homes. As a result, buyers are opting for properties in prime areas, which has also driven this shift.
Several factors contribute to this trend, including Dubai’s net-zero by 2050 ambitions, which have led to a push for energy-efficient, cost-effective housing. The UAE’s rapid population growth, particularly after the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, has also increased demand for affordable homes, with more than 100,000 more residents arriving in 2023 alone.
“Developers like Damac and Emaar recognised that many potential buyers wanted to live in prime areas but couldn’t afford larger units,” said Wassim Abdallah, head of off-plan at Betterhomes. “Instead of lowering prices, they reduced the size of the units, creating a more affordable entry point.”
In 2021, the average home size was 2,087 square feet, but since then, there has been a clear trend towards smaller units, as prices per square foot continue to rise.
A recent report by Betterhomes revealed that long-term residency in Dubai is on the rise, with 89 per cent those surveyed planning to stay in the city for more than five years and 66 per cent intending to remain for more than a decade. This trend is driving developers to focus on functionality and affordability rather than space, it said.
In 2024, the average home is more than 600 square feet smaller than it was three years ago, a striking reflection of how the market is adapting to increasing costs and rising demand.
Dubai’s shift towards smaller homes is common among cities facing similar affordability challenges.
“In the end, a three-bedroom house is still a three-bedroom house, even if the rooms are smaller than before,” said Mario Volpi, real estate veteran and head of brokerage at Novvi Properties. “So, the strategy of building smaller houses seems to work. After all, it is up to the buyer what they wish to do with the space,” he said.
Read the full article here.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
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How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
SCORES IN BRIEF
New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
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