DIFC office yields · October 2026
DIFC office rental yields in 2026
A DIFC office bought at today's asking prices yields about 9 to 10% gross on asking rents, and realistically 7 to 9% gross and 5.5 to 7.5% net once rents are negotiated and costs come off. No consultancy publishes a DIFC office yield, so the figures online contradict each other. Here is the yield tower by tower, why the numbers disagree, and a calculator for your own figures.
Updated 24 October 2026 · By James Davies, Founder, Davies Realty · RERA ORN 41044
Gross yield by tower
Liberty House and Park Towers give the highest yield for the price; Emirates Financial Towers costs more but lets fastest. Implied gross yield is the median asking rent divided by the median asking price per sq ft.
| Tower | Median rent AED / sq ft / yr | Median price AED / sq ft | Implied gross yield | Listings (rent / sale) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty House | 472 | 4,889 | 9.7% | 9 / 4 |
| Emirates Financial Towers | 646 | 7,057 | 9.2% | 44 / 40 |
| Park Towers | 505 | 5,527 | 9.1% | 20 / 7 |
| Burj Daman | 698 | 6,391 | 10.9%* | 24 / 2 |
| The Index | 900 | 7,994 | 11.3%* | 24 / 2 |
| Al Fattan Currency House | 400 | No sales listed | – | 11 / 0 |
| All DIFC towers | 650 | 6,516 | ~10.0% | 113 / 45 |
Asking prices and rents on Bayut and Property Finder, 24 October 2026. *Only two offices for sale, both large floors, so treat as indicative. Asking figures overstate yield: see below.
Why DIFC yield figures disagree
Search for a DIFC office yield and you will find anything from 2.8% to 10%. Six things explain almost all of the gap.
- Nobody official publishes one. Savills, JLL, CBRE, Knight Frank, Cushman & Wakefield, Cavendish Maxwell, ValuStrat and REIDIN all report DIFC rents or values in 2026, but none publishes a DIFC office yield. Figures online come from brokers and blogs, mostly without sources.
- Mixing DIFC prices with citywide rents. Dubai-wide office rent is around AED 190 to 241 per sq ft; DIFC is around AED 400 to 650. Divide a DIFC price by a citywide rent and you get a false yield under 3%.
- Asking versus achieved. Portal figures are asking prices and rents. Rents usually settle below asking; prices do too.
- Service charges in or out. Some DIFC rents include the service charge (Cushman & Wakefield's DIFC average of AED 530 does). The landlord pays that charge, so a yield on an inclusive rent overstates income by AED 25 to 55 per sq ft.
- Small fitted suites. Most offices for rent are small, fitted or furnished, and let at the highest rent per sq ft. Offices for sale include larger and shell and core units.
- DLD data leaves DIFC out. DIFC property is registered with the DIFC Registrar of Real Property, not the Dubai Land Department. Savills notes DLD leasing data excludes DIFC, so yields built from DLD figures don't describe DIFC.
From gross to net
These are the costs that sit between the rent a tenant pays and what an owner keeps. Together they take roughly 1.5 to 2.5 points off the gross yield.
| Cost | Typical amount in DIFC | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer fee (on purchase) | 5% of price or market value, whichever is higher, plus USD 100 | DIFC Real Property Regulations |
| Buyer's agency fee | About 2% of the price | Market practice |
| Service charge (paid by owner) | About AED 25 to 55 per sq ft a year, by tower (Burj Daman 25, Index 50, Currency House 55 in current listings) | Listings, Oct 2026 |
| Leasing fee | About 5 to 10% of the first year's rent | Market practice |
| Rent-free and voids | 1 to 3 months on fitted space; up to 6 months on shell and core for long leases | Market guides, 2025–2026 |
| Lease registration | USD 100 to 300 per lease, depending on term | DIFC Real Property Regulations |
| VAT | 5% on commercial rent and sale price; usually recoverable if you are VAT-registered | UAE VAT rules |
| Mortgage registration | 0.25% of the loan, if financed | DIFC Real Property Regulations |
Worked example: a 1,000 sq ft fitted office
An office in Emirates Financial Towers bought at AED 7,000 per sq ft and let at AED 600 per sq ft, just below the median asking rent, nets about 6.4% on the all-in cost.
| Line | AED |
|---|---|
| Purchase price (1,000 sq ft × 7,000) | 7,000,000 |
| DIFC transfer fee 5% + agency 2% | 490,000 |
| All-in cost | 7,490,000 |
| Annual rent (1,000 × 600) | 600,000 |
| Less service charge (AED 40 per sq ft) | −40,000 |
| Less one month void or rent-free | −50,000 |
| Less leasing fee (5% of rent) | −30,000 |
| Net income | 480,000 |
| Gross yield on price | 8.6% |
| Net yield on all-in cost | 6.4% |
Illustrative only. Change the inputs in the calculator below.
Yield calculator
Put in the office you are looking at. Everything updates as you type.
Purchase costs default to 7% (5% DIFC transfer fee and 2% agency). Net income also takes off a 5% leasing fee. This is a guide, not financial advice.
How the yield can go much higher
Buying at market price gets you the market yield. The higher returns in DIFC come from buying space that is under-let or badly laid out and fixing it. The Emirates Financial Towers project we ran for investors shows the gap.
Small fitted offices let at the highest rent per sq ft in DIFC, so turning one large unit into several small ones is the main lever. How we reposition DIFC offices. Past results are not a guarantee of future returns.
The market behind the numbers
Demand
DIFC office occupancy has held at about 98% through 2025 and 2026 (Cushman & Wakefield). DIFC Square's 600,000 sq ft was almost fully pre-let before it opened in March 2026.
Rents
DIFC rents rose about 35% in 2025 and 17% in the first half of 2026 (Cavendish Maxwell). Cushman & Wakefield's DIFC asking average eased from AED 580 to 530 between Q1 and Q2 2026, the first dip in years.
Prices
DIFC office values rose 25% year on year to Q1 2026 and 16% to Q2 (ValuStrat). Prices rising faster than rents is what is pulling yields down from the double digits.
Supply
New towers are mostly pre-let or lease only: Immersive Tower is due in 2027 and Janu in 2028. Little new strata stock is coming to buy.
DIFC yield questions
What rental yield do DIFC offices make in 2026?
On asking figures across 113 rent and 45 sale listings on 24 October 2026, about 10% gross. Realistically, after negotiated rents and owner-paid service charges, about 7 to 9% gross and 5.5 to 7.5% net. No consultancy publishes an official DIFC office yield.
Which DIFC tower has the best yield?
Liberty House (9.7%), Emirates Financial Towers (9.2%) and Park Towers (9.1%) on asking figures. Burj Daman and The Index show higher numbers but have only two offices for sale each.
Why do some sources say DIFC yields are under 3%?
Usually because they divide a DIFC sale price by a Dubai-wide average rent of around AED 140 to 240 per sq ft. DIFC rents are around AED 400 to 650, so the result understates the yield.
What is the difference between gross and net yield in DIFC?
Gross yield is rent divided by price. Net takes off the owner's service charge (about AED 25 to 55 per sq ft), voids, leasing fees, and the 5% DIFC transfer fee and agency costs on purchase. The gap is usually 1.5 to 2.5 points.
Is the DIFC transfer fee 4% or 5%?
5%. DIFC property is registered with the DIFC Registrar of Real Property, which charges 5% of the price or market value plus USD 100. The 4% fee applies to mainland property registered with the Dubai Land Department.
Are DIFC offices a better yield than residential?
Usually yes on gross yield, but offices carry longer voids and fit-out costs between tenants, and the buyer pool is smaller when you sell. Run both through the calculator above with real figures before deciding.
Looking at a DIFC office as an investment?
Get the real numbers on a specific unit.
Send us the tower and size, or the listing link. We'll come back with achieved rents, the service charge and a net yield, and tell you if we'd buy it.
WhatsApp JamesBook a call+971 58 519 0121Sources
Listings: Bayut and Property Finder DIFC office pages by tower, 24 Oct 2026. Occupancy and rents: Cushman & Wakefield MarketBeat Q2 2026; Cavendish Maxwell (2025 rents); Cavendish Maxwell H1 2026 via Khaleej Times; ValuStrat Q2 2026; Savills Dubai office Q3 2026; Savills Q2 2026 (DLD excludes DIFC); Gulf News (DIFC Square). Fees: DIFC Real Property Regulations.