Your Dubai office budget is more than the headline rent. On a typical commercial lease you also pay 10% brokerage, 5% VAT on the agency fee (and 5% VAT on the rent when the landlord is a company), a refundable security deposit of 5% (unfurnished) or 10% (furnished), and Ejari registration. Use the calculator below to turn a size and a district into a year-one cash figure, and change any line to match your own lease before you shortlist a unit.
Key facts for your Dubai office budget
- Dubai’s average office rent was AED 106 per sq ft in Property Monitor’s year-to-date May 2026 data, but it ranges from AED 85 in Al Quoz to AED 367 in Downtown.
- Our live listings ask AED 148 per sq ft in JLT, AED 273 in Business Bay and AED 456 in Downtown.
- Many commercial offices quote the rent inclusive of service charge, so confirm what the rent covers before comparing units.
- Rental contract registrations in Dubai rose 24.6% year on year in Q2 2026, according to JLL.
Dubai office budget calculator
Pick a district, enter your size, and adjust anything your landlord has quoted. The figures update as you type. The district rates are our own listing medians; every other line follows standard commercial practice and can be changed.
Dubai office budget calculator
Estimate only. District rates are our own asking medians. Brokerage, deposit and VAT follow standard commercial practice (VAT on the agency fee always; VAT on rent only if the landlord is a company); fit-out, utility and parking amounts start at zero so you can enter your building’s real figures.
What goes into a Dubai office budget besides rent
Rent is the number on the listing, but it is rarely the number that leaves your account in month one. A Dubai office budget has three layers: the rent itself, charges on top of it, and refundable payments at the start. This is the structure of a typical commercial lease.
| Cost | Typical commercial terms | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rent | The quoted figure; confirm whether it includes service charge and VAT | Recurring |
| Service charge | Often included in the rent; if charged separately, ask for the AED per sq ft | Recurring |
| VAT | 5% on the agency fee. 5% on the rent only if the landlord is a company; some individual landlords charge no VAT on rent | Recurring |
| Brokerage | Typically 10% of annual rent on commercial leases, negotiable, plus 5% VAT on the fee | One-off |
| Security deposit | 5% of annual rent if unfurnished, 10% if furnished | Refundable |
| Ejari registration | Government registration fee, a small fixed amount | One-off |
| Fit-out and utility deposits | Set by the building and utility providers; ask for the actual amounts | Refundable |
Check the current fees and tenancy rules with the Dubai Land Department and your landlord. Parking and telecom vary by building, so enter your real figures in the calculator.
Office rent by district: what we ask versus what registers
The biggest line in any Dubai office budget is the rate per sq ft, and it differs sharply by district. The chart compares the median asking rent across our live listings with Property Monitor’s average for the same districts, as reported by Engel & Völkers.
Our figures are asking rents on a small number of listings, so they sit above Property Monitor’s averages in all three districts. That is normal: asking prices lead, and registered contracts follow. Treat the Property Monitor number as the negotiation anchor and our median as the price of the units available today. For the full list by area, see our guide to office rent per sq ft in Dubai.
Worked example: a 1,500 sq ft office in three districts
Using our median asking rents, service charge included in the rent, 10% brokerage with 5% VAT on the fee, Ejari at AED 220 and a 5% refundable security deposit (unfurnished), the first-year cash need depends on who owns the unit. A company landlord adds 5% VAT on the rent; an individual landlord may not. Fit-out, utility deposits and parking are not included.
| District | Annual rent | Year-one cash need, company landlord | Year-one cash need, individual landlord | Refundable deposit (5%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JLT | AED 222,000 | AED 267,730 | AED 256,630 | AED 11,100 |
| Business Bay | AED 409,500 | AED 493,668 | AED 473,193 | AED 20,475 |
| Downtown Dubai | AED 684,000 | AED 824,440 | AED 790,240 | AED 34,200 |
The extras add roughly 15% to 21% to the rent in year one, mostly brokerage, VAT and the deposit, and a furnished unit with a 10% deposit adds another 5 points. A tenant who compares only the rent line understates the cash needed by that much. Our guide to the best areas to rent an office in Dubai and the Business Bay office guide cover the trade-offs.
What the market is doing to your Dubai office budget
Demand is the reason budgets are rising. JLL reported on 31 July 2026 that Dubai’s rental contract registrations jumped 24.6% year on year in Q2, with sustained business confidence and growth in flexible workspace; you can read it on the JLL UAE office page. For the wider picture of supply, rents and the reports we track, read our Dubai office market 2026 update.
The practical effect is that landlords in good towers have little reason to discount. Budget for the asking rate, then negotiate on the items that cost them least: rent-free fit-out periods, service-charge caps, and parking allocation.
Checklist: seven ways to cut your Dubai office budget
Questions to ask the landlord before you sign
Is the rent quoted inclusive of VAT and service charge?
Get this in writing. If the landlord is a company, a rent that looks 5% cheaper may simply exclude VAT.
Who pays for fit-out approvals and the fit-out deposit?
Building management sets the fit-out rules and any refundable deposit. Ask for the amount and the return date in writing.
How many parking bays come with the unit?
Ask what is included and what extra bays cost. Count your team and visitors first.
What does the lease say about renewal and early exit?
Read the terms with our guide to commercial lease agreements in Dubai before agreeing the rent.
Renting or buying: when the Dubai office budget changes
If you plan to stay five years or more, compare the lease total with a purchase. Buying turns rent into equity and an asset you can lease out, but needs a larger upfront figure. Our JLT buying versus renting cost analysis and the buy an office in Dubai page explain both routes.
Common mistakes when setting a Dubai office budget
The first mistake is budgeting on rent alone. A Dubai office budget that ignores service charge, VAT and brokerage can be 15% to 20% or more short, because brokerage, VAT and the deposit are due before you move in. The second is mixing up asking and registered rents: if you compare a listing price with a market average, you will think you are overpaying when you may simply be looking at the wrong measure.
The third mistake is forgetting the first-month timing. Deposits, Ejari, brokerage and the first rent cheque often fall due together, so your Dubai office budget needs cash on day one, not just a monthly figure. The fourth is leaving fit-out out of the plan. A shell unit can cost far more to open than a fitted one, so ask for contractor quotes before you commit, and add the total to the calculator’s optional fit-out field.
Finally, build a buffer. Utility bills, parking changes and service-charge adjustments can move after you sign, so keep a reserve of a few percent in your Dubai office budget rather than spending to the limit.
How we built this guide
Our own data: asking price and size from live listings on the homepage index on 5 October 2026 (JLT 7, Business Bay 20, Downtown 10, SZR 11, Media City 3, Deira 3, Marina 2 listings), medians computed per sq ft per year. Outside data: Property Monitor via Engel & Völkers (year to date May 2026) and the JLL UAE office page (31 July 2026). Fee and deposit terms (10% brokerage, 5% or 10% security deposit, VAT on the agency fee, and on rent where the landlord is a company) reflect standard commercial leasing practice as advised by Mazen Alzoubi, and every line in the calculator can be changed to match your lease.
Asking rents are not registered rents, and small samples can move. This is information, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions about a Dubai office budget
How much should I budget for an office in Dubai on top of rent?
On a typical unfurnished commercial lease, expect roughly 15% to 21% on top of the annual rent in year one: 10% brokerage, 5% VAT on the brokerage, 5% VAT on the rent if the landlord is a company, a 5% refundable security deposit and a small Ejari fee. A furnished unit has a 10% deposit, which adds another 5 points. Fit-out, utilities and parking are extra and vary by building.
Is VAT charged on commercial office rent in Dubai?
It depends on the landlord. If the owner is a company, 5% VAT is charged on the annual rent. If the owner is an individual, there may be no VAT on the rent in some cases. The 5% VAT on the agency fee applies either way. Confirm in writing whether the quoted rent includes or excludes VAT.
Who pays brokerage on an office lease in Dubai?
On commercial leases the agency fee is typically 10% of the annual rent, plus 5% VAT on the fee, and it is negotiable. Agree who pays it before you sign the offer.
How much is the security deposit on a Dubai office?
A common structure is 5% of annual rent for an unfurnished office and 10% for a furnished one. It is refundable at the end of the lease, subject to the unit’s condition, so confirm the terms in the contract.
Is service charge included in the rent?
Many commercial offices quote the rent inclusive of service charge. Ask the landlord to confirm in writing; if it is charged separately, enter it in the calculator’s service charge line.
Which district has the lowest rent per sq ft for offices?
Among our own live listings, JLT has the lowest median ask at AED 148 per sq ft per year, against AED 273 in Business Bay and AED 456 in Downtown. Property Monitor’s year-to-date figure for JLT is AED 135, so the gap between asking and registered rents is real.
Written by Mazen Alzoubi, commercial real estate advisor at eXp Realty Dubai (RERA BRN 76380). Want a shortlist matched to your budget? Browse our live office listings or call us.