Market structure

Cash or mortgage in Dubai?

Across Dubai, 43 mortgages are registered for every 100 completed-property sales — 200,520 against 467,138. But that figure swings enormously by area. This tells you something a price chart cannot: whether an area is bought by people borrowing to live somewhere, or by money that can leave as quickly as it arrived.

Why this only counts completed property

Off-plan buyers use developer payment plans, not bank mortgages — 4% of mortgage registrations are off-plan, while 56% of sales are. Comparing all mortgages to all sales would mix two different markets. Both sides here are restricted to completed homes, which is the market a mortgage actually applies to.

Every area with at least 100 completed-property sales

Ratios above 100% are real, not errors: a remortgage or equity release registers as a mortgage with no sale beside it, so an area where owners borrow against homes they already hold can exceed the number of sales.

Al Yufrah 1139%753 / 542 Al Yelayiss 1125%3,363 / 2,701 Al Barshaa South Second123%1,300 / 1,058 Wadi Al Safa 7110%3,595 / 3,280 Al Yelayiss 2104%6,385 / 6,152 Al Hebiah Sixth99%479 / 482 Wadi Al Safa 689%4,339 / 4,851 Al Satwa82%100 / 122 Nad Al Shiba First75%1,516 / 2,017 Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid74%5,339 / 7,202 Al Safouh First74%338 / 456 Al Thanayah Fourth74%8,586 / 11,643 Al Kifaf73%1,086 / 1,492 Wadi Al Safa 568%7,320 / 10,722 Madinat Al Mataar67%3,903 / 5,803 Al Wasl66%1,573 / 2,368 Wadi Al Safa 364%2,312 / 3,598 Zaabeel First63%91 / 144 Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah63%171 / 271 Al Goze Fourth61%706 / 1,152 Al Jadaf61%1,782 / 2,912 Al Thanyah Third58%10,113 / 17,292 Al Qusais Industrial Fourth56%62 / 111 Al Hebiah First54%5,290 / 9,846 Al Khairan First52%3,361 / 6,463 Hessyan First52%81 / 156 Jabal Ali First49%10,389 / 21,198 Dubai Investment Park First48%1,852 / 3,846 Al Merkadh48%3,838 / 8,075 Me'Aisem First47%4,916 / 10,531 Wadi Al Safa 245%2,043 / 4,578 Al Barsha South Fourth44%14,082 / 32,250 Trade Center Second43%361 / 833 Burj Khalifa43%13,644 / 31,520 Al Barsha South Fifth42%1,174 / 2,800 Al Hebiah Second41%482 / 1,170 Palm Jumeirah41%6,781 / 16,534 Nad Al Hamar41%41 / 101 Al Hebiah Fifth41%2,707 / 6,672 Saih Shuaib 237%261 / 699 Al Barshaa South Third37%2,486 / 6,697 Al Thanyah Fifth37%10,108 / 27,608 Al Kheeran37%312 / 853 Island 235%101 / 287 Jumeirah First35%311 / 890 Al Barsha First35%101 / 290 Business Bay34%9,503 / 27,668 Zaabeel Second34%380 / 1,117 Um Suqaim Third34%223 / 657 Al Hebiah Third33%1,399 / 4,178 Marsa Dubai33%22,721 / 68,998 Um Hurair Second32%47 / 146 Jabal Ali Industrial Second30%302 / 1,021 Warsan Fourth29%855 / 2,920 Al Hebiah Fourth29%4,986 / 17,077 Nadd Hessa28%4,321 / 15,293 Rega Al Buteen26%69 / 264 Dubai Investment Park Second25%410 / 1,653 Al Thanyah First22%514 / 2,319 Mirdif21%444 / 2,069 Madinat Hind 418%139 / 759 Muhaisanah First16%142 / 906 Al Warsan First9%3,607 / 39,198 Al Safouh Second8%38 / 448

Mortgage records carry no unit number, so this is a ratio of counts rather than a match of each loan to its property. It measures financing intensity in an area, not the financed share of any individual sale.