It is the conversation that dominates many dinner tables: should we take the plunge and become homeowners?
From Dubai to Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates, more residents than ever want to settle down and have a place they can call home, particularly after recent rental surges.
Advocates will say, as a homeowner, you are building equity and will benefit when you sell. But there are pros and cons to either decision.
New research from Bloom Holdings and Property Finder shows that in some areas of the country, paying monthly rent is cheaper than a monthly mortgage payment, while in others, it's more expensive.
Our analysis of the picture in Abu Dhabi is the subject of this week's Chart of the Week.
Our data suggests a couple of curiosities that require explanation. On average, it's far more expensive to pay a monthly mortgage on a property on Saadiyat Island, than it is to rent. That's because rents haven't caught up with the recent surge in property values and purchases. It may also be that a raft of ultra-high-end properties has distorted the figures.
There's a different picture in Al Reef, an affordable suburb near Zayed International Airport. There, rent is much more expensive than the average mortgage rate – and it's a similar picture, though to a lesser extent, in Khalifa City, Al Reem Island and Al Raha Beach.
“In many cases, property prices have become disconnected from rental rates,” says Andrew Laver, associate director in Cavendish Maxwell's Abu Dhabi office.
In Al Reef, for example, he expects average monthly payments to even out, and the next data report should reflect that.
“Affordable purchase prices create strong buying opportunities for purchasers. Only recently have both rents and prices begun increasing across Al Reef. Al Reem Island shows a similar pattern, with limited apartment price growth in 2023-2024,” he says.
So, with some of the data showing lower monthly mortgage payments for owners, does it always make sense to buy? Not necessarily, says Mr Laver.
Newly arrived professionals or families will naturally want to settle into their jobs, and save for a deposit before taking the plunge, while others may feel priced out of the market. In the long term, he believes many more people will take the leap and buy.
“This transition is especially likely if we continue to see an upward trend in the average duration of expat residency in the UAE, as longer-term outlooks tend to support homeownership over leasing,” Mr Laver says.
For renters who feel priced out, but still want to build long-term stability in the UAE, there are innovative options worth exploring. This can include real estate tokenisation, allowing investors to see the benefit of a strong market.
There is also a host of new off-plan developments in the works, which are often aimed at middle-income families.
“With the right timing and planning, off-plan investments can offer a more stable entry point into ownership, especially in emerging communities with strong growth potential,” says Mr Laver.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
The years Ramadan fell in May
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
