Business Bay Dubai 1 bedroom rent prices per month
A one-bedroom flat in Business Bay signs at a median of AED 7,198 a month, which is AED 86,376 over twelve months. The figure rests on 756 registered new tenancy contracts in the Ejari register of the Dubai Land Department, as of September 2026. It is the largest unit class in the district: 756 of the 1,986 registered apartment contracts in Business Bay, ahead of the studio class at 733, and a shade broader than Dubai Marina's 755 contracts for the same class.
The full spread of 756 contracts
| Position in the distribution | Per month | Over twelve months |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest registered contract | AED 1,662 | AED 19,944 |
| Lower quarter (25th percentile) | AED 6,416 | AED 76,992 |
| Median | AED 7,198 | AED 86,376 |
| Upper quarter (75th percentile) | AED 8,333 | AED 99,996 |
| Highest registered contract | AED 33,333 | AED 399,996 |
Half of all registered one-bedroom contracts in Business Bay sit between AED 6,416 and AED 8,333 a month. That band is AED 1,917 wide, and it is where a realistic negotiation happens. Over a year the same band runs from AED 76,992 to AED 99,996.
The extremes belong in the table but not in a budget. The lowest registered contract ran at AED 1,662 a month, which in a district of glass towers means a very particular arrangement, and the highest at AED 33,333, which is a penthouse-grade unit filed under the same floor-area class. Neither describes the market; the two quarters do.
Asked against signed: the narrowest gap in the district
| Lowest asking | Median asking | Highest asking | Above the contract median |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 5,083 | AED 7,500 | AED 15,000 | 4.2 percent |
Across 79 listings the median asking rent is AED 7,500, only 4.2 percent above the registered median of AED 7,198. That is the tightest asked-to-signed gap of any unit class in Business Bay - the studio class is advertised 16.7 percent above signed, the three-bedroom class 25.7 percent.
The practical reading: on a Business Bay one-bedroom the published price is close to the truth. There is little discount to negotiate out of a fair listing, and a unit priced noticeably under AED 6,416 is worth checking for chiller charges billed separately rather than treating as a bargain.
What the first year costs beyond the rent
On the median annual rent of AED 86,376 the agency commission of five percent comes to AED 4,319, and the security deposit for an unfurnished flat is another five percent, AED 4,319 - AED 8,638 for the two together. Add the DEWA connection deposit for an apartment, AED 2,000, and the Ejari registration fee, AED 220, which is AED 2,220 for the pair. The one-off total is AED 10,858 on top of the rent itself. The deposit is refundable at the end of the tenancy; the commission and the registration fee are not.
Rent or buy the same flat
| Segment | Sale contracts | Median price | Lower quarter | Upper quarter | Price per square metre | Gross yield on the median rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Existing stock | 502 | AED 1,301,210 | AED 1,000,000 | AED 1,680,663 | AED 17,700 | 6.6 percent |
| New build | 293 | AED 2,000,000 | AED 1,475,000 | AED 2,291,000 | AED 25,335 | 4.3 percent |
The sale register prices the same unit type directly. In existing stock the median one-bedroom sale in Business Bay is AED 1,301,210 from 502 registered contracts, at AED 17,700 per square metre. Set against the median annual rent of AED 86,376 that is a gross yield of 6.6 percent, before service charges, which the register does not record.
New-build contracts are a different market: 293 registered sales at a median of AED 2,000,000 and AED 25,335 per square metre. That median lands exactly on the AED 2,000,000 property threshold for the ten-year golden visa, which is one reason the new-build one-bedroom in this district prices where it does. The same rent against that price is a yield of 4.3 percent.
How big is a Business Bay one-bedroom
The tenancy register leaves the bedroom field empty in most records, so the class is derived from floor area: 58 to 95 square metres. The median one-bedroom measures 75 square metres in our own listing sample and 74 in the sale register, where the unit type is recorded - two independent sources within one square metre of each other. At the median rent that works out at about AED 96 per square metre per month, against AED 17,700 per square metre to buy, so one square metre of freehold costs roughly 184 months of rent for the same space.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a one-bedroom in Business Bay per month?
A median of AED 7,198 from 756 registered new tenancy contracts as of September 2026, so AED 86,376 a year. Half of the contracts fall between AED 6,416 and AED 8,333.
Is the portal price negotiable?
Less than elsewhere. The median asking rent is AED 7,500 across 79 listings, 4.2 percent above the signed median - the narrowest gap of any class in Business Bay.
What do I need on the day I sign?
AED 4,319 agency commission and AED 4,319 deposit, AED 8,638 together, plus AED 2,220 for the DEWA deposit and the Ejari fee - AED 10,858 beyond the rent.
Does buying make sense instead?
The register puts an existing one-bedroom at AED 1,301,210 from 502 sale contracts, a gross yield of 6.6 percent on the median rent. New build is AED 2,000,000 from 293 contracts, which yields 4.3 percent.
Are renewals in these numbers?
No. New contracts only. Renewals are limited by the rent cap and sit lower, which would understate what a new tenant is quoted.
Source: Dubai Land Department, Ejari tenancy contract register, as of September 2026, and the Dubai Land Department sale contract register for the purchase figures. The numbers are reproduced with attribution and are not a DXB Radar survey. Asking rents: our own reading of listings on propertyfinder.ae, September 2026. New readings from both registers go out on our Telegram channel: https://t.me/dxbradar.