Ejari & Tenancy Cost Calculator — Your First-Year Rent, All-In
The rent on the advert is only part of what a Dubai tenancy costs. Add the housing fee, the agent's commission, the deposits and the Ejari registration, and the first year looks quite different. Put in your annual rent and see every line, itemised — including the cheque you'll actually write first.
Your first year, line by line
| Annual rent | |
| Dubai Municipality housing fee5% of rent, billed monthly through DEWA (official — UAE Government portal) | |
| Agency commissionTypical market practice: 5% of annual rent (u.ae notes broker commissions of up to 5%) — negotiable, not an official fee | |
| Security deposit | |
| Ejari registration | |
| DEWA security deposit | |
| DEWA activation chargesConnection AED 125 (small meters) + AED 10 each registration, knowledge and innovation fees — DEWA Move-in service fees |
First payment — what you hand over to get the keys:
Total first-year cost, all-in:
How this works: the housing fee is Dubai Municipality's charge of 5% of the yearly rent, collected for the Municipality through your monthly DEWA bill (the UAE Government portal states the 5% rate; DEWA splits it into 12 monthly instalments). Commission and the tenancy security deposit are typical Dubai market figures, not official fees — a landlord who rents directly may charge no commission, and deposits are agreed in the contract. The Ejari fee is the Dubai Land Department's published fee, checked on dubailand.gov.ae on 7 November 2026: AED 177.75 via the Dubai REST app or DLD website (AED 100 registration + AED 10 knowledge + AED 10 innovation + AED 55 service partner fee + AED 2.75 VAT), or AED 220 in total at a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre. DEWA deposit and activation figures are DEWA's published Move-in service fees (dewa.gov.ae), checked 7 November 2026. Deposits are refundable when you move out and settle your bills. This calculator is a planning guide, not a quote.
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Before you sign anything
How Ejari registration actually works, the tool that plans your rent against your salary, and the flagship guide all these figures sit inside.
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