The cheapest places to rent in Dubai, measured in signed contracts
The cheapest studio in this reading is not in Jumeirah Village Circle and not in Arjan. It is in Al Warsan First, at AED 2,583 a month, and it is not a single listing but the middle of 596 registered new tenancy contracts. A one-bedroom flat in the same area goes for AED 3,666 from 533 contracts.
For comparison, the two areas most people name first: a studio in Jumeirah Village Circle has a median of AED 3,750 from 752 contracts and one in Arjan the same AED 3,750 from 719. That is AED 1,167 a month more than Al Warsan First, which over a year is the difference between a cheap flat and a very cheap one.
Source: Dubai Land Department, Ejari tenancy contract register, as of September 2026. Cadastral names used by the register: Al Barsha South Fourth is Jumeirah Village Circle, Al Barshaa South Third is Arjan, Jabal Ali First covers Al Furjan together with Discovery Gardens, Al Hebiah Fourth covers Dubai Sports City together with Tilal Al Ghaf, Wadi Al Safa 2 is Liwan and Wadi Al Safa 3 covers Majan together with Al Barari and Living Legends.
The cheapest areas by studio rent
| Area | Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Warsan First | AED 2,583 (n = 596) | AED 3,666 (n = 533) | AED 5,375 (n = 50) | AED 8,397 (n = 14) |
| Muhaisanah Fourth | AED 2,916 (n = 84) | AED 4,166 (n = 202) | AED 5,416 (n = 138) | AED 7,250 (n = 27) |
| Arabian Ranches III and Dubailand | AED 3,166 (n = 222) | AED 4,416 (n = 252) | AED 5,833 (n = 145) | AED 7,657 (n = 17) |
| Dubai Sports City and Tilal Al Ghaf | AED 3,333 (n = 576) | AED 4,972 (n = 525) | AED 7,083 (n = 228) | AED 7,958 (n = 28) |
| Madinat Al Mataar | AED 3,333 (n = 343) | AED 4,750 (n = 307) | AED 6,666 (n = 173) | AED 8,833 (n = 52) |
| Majan with Al Barari and Living Legends | AED 3,333 (n = 212) | AED 5,000 (n = 296) | AED 7,083 (n = 162) | AED 8,750 (n = 67) |
| Nadd Hessa | AED 3,416 (n = 342) | AED 4,750 (n = 529) | AED 6,750 (n = 150) | AED 9,166 (n = 35) |
| Me'Aisem First | AED 3,500 (n = 469) | AED 5,666 (n = 795) | AED 8,750 (n = 340) | AED 15,000 (n = 37) |
| Liwan (Dubailand Residence Complex) | AED 3,500 (n = 173) | AED 4,666 (n = 511) | AED 6,500 (n = 141) | AED 7,500 (n = 25) |
| Al Furjan and Discovery Gardens | AED 3,666 (n = 395) | AED 5,666 (n = 392) | AED 8,583 (n = 221) | AED 10,708 (n = 30) |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | AED 3,750 (n = 752) | AED 5,833 (n = 963) | AED 7,500 (n = 229) | AED 11,458 (n = 62) |
| Arjan | AED 3,750 (n = 719) | AED 5,796 (n = 606) | AED 7,916 (n = 210) | AED 10,416 (n = 26) |
| Jumeirah Village Triangle | AED 3,750 (n = 204) | AED 5,618 (n = 247) | AED 7,333 (n = 77) | AED 9,166 (n = 11) |
The letter n in every table on this page is the case count: the number of registered contracts the figure in that row is calculated from. A median without its n is not a statement, it is a guess.
Two rules decide who is in that table, and both are printed here rather than assumed. First, an area needs at least 50 registered studio contracts, because below that a handful of deals decides the median. Second, its studio median has to be AED 3,750 or lower. 13 of the 23 areas that clear the contract threshold also clear the price line, out of 29 areas in the rental reading in total. The cut-off is not a round number chosen for looks: three areas sit level at AED 3,750, and any tighter list would split that tie and drop one of them for having fewer contracts rather than a higher rent.
Three of these areas are new to this reading and need a word of warning about their register zones. Wadi Al Safa 3 does not contain Majan alone; Al Barari and Living Legends lie in the same zone, so the row is named for all three and should not be read as a price for Majan by itself. Wadi Al Safa 2 is Liwan, the Dubailand Residence Complex. Jumeirah Village Triangle sits just outside the table: its studio median is AED 3,750 from 204 contracts, level with Jumeirah Village Circle and Arjan on price, and it is in the table for that reason.
Several of these areas have no everyday marketing name in our gazetteer: Al Warsan First, Muhaisanah Fourth, Nadd Hessa, Madinat Al Mataar and Me'Aisem First appear under the cadastral name the register uses. Inventing a nicer name would break the link between the figure and its source.
How wide the spread is inside the cheap areas
| Area and unit type | n | Lower quartile | Median | Upper quartile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Warsan First, Studio | 596 | AED 2,416 | AED 2,583 | AED 2,833 |
| Al Warsan First, 1 bedroom | 533 | AED 3,333 | AED 3,666 | AED 4,333 |
| Muhaisanah Fourth, 1 bedroom | 202 | AED 3,750 | AED 4,166 | AED 5,000 |
| Dubai Sports City and Tilal Al Ghaf, Studio | 576 | AED 3,000 | AED 3,333 | AED 3,583 |
| Majan with Al Barari and Living Legends, Studio | 212 | AED 2,473 | AED 3,333 | AED 3,750 |
| Liwan (Dubailand Residence Complex), 1 bedroom | 511 | AED 4,333 | AED 4,666 | AED 5,250 |
| Jumeirah Village Circle, Studio | 752 | AED 3,333 | AED 3,750 | AED 4,166 |
| Jumeirah Village Circle, 1 bedroom | 963 | AED 5,000 | AED 5,833 | AED 6,250 |
| Arjan, Studio | 719 | AED 3,333 | AED 3,750 | AED 4,166 |
| Arjan, 1 bedroom | 606 | AED 4,583 | AED 5,796 | AED 6,666 |
| Al Furjan and Discovery Gardens, Studio | 395 | AED 3,333 | AED 3,666 | AED 4,000 |
| Al Furjan and Discovery Gardens, 1 bedroom | 392 | AED 5,208 | AED 5,666 | AED 6,250 |
Al Warsan First is the tightest market on the page: half of its 596 studio contracts sit between AED 2,416 and AED 2,833, a band of AED 417. That is the signature of uniform stock where one flat is much like the next. Arjan at one bedroom is the opposite: AED 4,583 to AED 6,666 across 606 contracts, which is wide enough that the building matters more than the district.
Asked against signed in the cheap districts
| Area | Unit type | Contract median (n) | Asking median (n) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle | Studio | AED 3,750 (n = 752) | AED 4,167 (n = 76) |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 1 bedroom | AED 5,833 (n = 963) | AED 6,000 (n = 76) |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 2 bedrooms | AED 7,500 (n = 229) | AED 8,750 (n = 76) |
| Arjan | Studio | AED 3,750 (n = 719) | AED 4,083 (n = 77) |
| Arjan | 1 bedroom | AED 5,796 (n = 606) | AED 6,250 (n = 75) |
| Arjan | 2 bedrooms | AED 7,916 (n = 210) | AED 9,375 (n = 76) |
| Dubai Sports City and Tilal Al Ghaf | Studio | AED 3,333 (n = 576) | AED 3,667 (n = 76) |
| Dubai Sports City and Tilal Al Ghaf | 1 bedroom | AED 4,972 (n = 525) | AED 5,417 (n = 77) |
| Dubai Sports City and Tilal Al Ghaf | 2 bedrooms | AED 7,083 (n = 228) | AED 7,250 (n = 75) |
| Majan with Al Barari and Living Legends | Studio | AED 3,333 (n = 212) | AED 4,083 (n = 76) |
| Majan with Al Barari and Living Legends | 1 bedroom | AED 5,000 (n = 296) | AED 6,250 (n = 77) |
| Majan with Al Barari and Living Legends | 2 bedrooms | AED 7,083 (n = 162) | AED 8,332 (n = 75) |
| Liwan (Dubailand Residence Complex) | Studio | AED 3,500 (n = 173) | AED 3,750 (n = 56) |
| Liwan (Dubailand Residence Complex) | 1 bedroom | AED 4,666 (n = 511) | AED 5,000 (n = 75) |
| Liwan (Dubailand Residence Complex) | 2 bedrooms | AED 6,500 (n = 141) | AED 7,917 (n = 75) |
On one-bedroom flats in Jumeirah Village Circle the two sides almost touch: AED 6,000 asked against AED 5,833 signed. On two bedrooms the distance is AED 1,250 a month in Jumeirah Village Circle and AED 1,459 in Arjan. In the two new areas the gap is wider still: AED 1,249 on two bedrooms in Majan and AED 1,417 in Liwan. For Al Warsan First, Muhaisanah Fourth and Nadd Hessa there are no listings in our reading at all. That is a finding in itself: the cheapest flats in Dubai are let past the big portals, through building management and notices on the spot.
Where the bedroom count comes from
The tenancy register leaves the bedroom field empty in almost every record, so the class is derived from the floor area. The cut-offs are: studio up to 57 square metres, one bedroom 58 to 95, two bedrooms 96 to 146, three bedrooms 147 to 260, four bedrooms from 261 square metres upwards. They were calibrated on 2,177 of our own portal listings that state bedrooms and floor area together, then checked against the sale register, where the bedroom count is recorded outright: studio 37 against 42 square metres at the median, one bedroom 75 against 74, two bedrooms 120 against 117, three bedrooms 172 against 177. Two independent sources, less than five square metres apart.
The honest part: the classes overlap in reality. Ten to 90 percent of two-bedroom flats sit between 92 and 149 square metres, so a generous one-bedroom layout can land in the two-bedroom class and a tight two-bedroom in the one-bedroom class. Studios are a separate object type in the register and are not derived at all. Sale contracts do not have this problem: there the bedroom count is filled in 96 percent of records.
New contracts only
Only new tenancy contracts are counted. Renewals are held down by the rent cap and sit systematically lower; they describe a sitting tenant, not the price a mover is quoted. Bulk contracts covering several units at once are excluded, because a building owner letting forty flats in a single document would drag the median down.
Frequently asked questions
Where is rent lowest in Dubai?
In Al Warsan First. A studio has a median of AED 2,583 a month from 596 registered new contracts and a one-bedroom flat AED 3,666 from 533. Muhaisanah Fourth follows with AED 2,916 from 84 studio contracts.
Which areas are in the table and why?
Every area with at least 50 registered studio contracts whose studio median is AED 3,750 or below: 13 of the 23 areas that clear the contract threshold. Both conditions are stated so the list can be reproduced.
What do those rents come to over a year?
A studio in Al Warsan First is AED 30,996 a year and a one-bedroom AED 43,992. In Jumeirah Village Circle the same classes cost AED 45,000 and AED 69,996.
Why are Al Furjan and Discovery Gardens counted together?
Because the tenancy register files both under the single cadastral zone Jabal Ali First. The data cannot separate them, so we name both. The same applies to Dubai Sports City and Tilal Al Ghaf inside Al Hebiah Fourth, and to Majan, Al Barari and Living Legends inside Wadi Al Safa 3.
Can the three-bedroom figures be trusted?
Only as an indication. Al Warsan First has 14 three-bedroom contracts, Arjan 26. The studio and one-bedroom rows rest on hundreds of contracts and are solid.
Source: Dubai Land Department, Ejari tenancy contract register, as of September 2026. The figures are reproduced with attribution; they are not a DXB Radar survey.
Asking rents: our own reading of listings on propertyfinder.ae, as of September 2026. An asking rent is a demand, not a deal, and never shares a column with a contract rent on this page.
New readings from the Dubai Land Department registers go out on the DXB Radar Telegram channel: t.me/dxbradar.