The Lakes
What homes in The Lakes cost, how prices and rents have moved since 2008, every building with its figures, and what it is like to live there. All of it from Dubai Land Department records.
About The Lakes
The Lakes is a villa district in Emirates Living, Dubai, just off Sheikh Zayed Road and close to Al Khail Road. Emaar developed it as one of the communities of Emirates Living, and the last of its neighbourhoods was handed over in 2009. Its homes were first meant to be rented out, but they were later sold to buyers. The area has 11 villa communities with 1,122 villas between them. Maeen, Zulal 1, Zulal 2 and Ghadeer are among them. The homes are set around lakes, parks and landscaped green spaces. The Lakes Dog Park is within walking distance, about 200 m away. A mall is about 1.3 km away. The nearest metro station and a medical centre are both about 1.5 km away.
The Lakes is a villa community of about 1,122 homes, built from 2003 onwards. The villas sit in eleven communities. Every building was built by one developer, Emaar.
Over the last 12 months 45 homes changed hands in The Lakes at a median of AED 2,762 per sqft, up 19.8% on the year before. The typical sale was AED 7.6M for a 2,924 sqft home. Rents run at AED 102 per sqft a year, a gross yield of 3.7% at today's prices, below the Dubai-wide 6.0%.
300 rental contracts were registered in the same 12 months, 63% of them renewals, and a typical home rents for AED 290,000 a year.
- Homes
- about 1,122
- First completions
- 2003
In this guide
The Lakes, DubaiOpen the map →
Average prices in The Lakes
- 3-bed villa7,050,000
- 4-bed villa12,000,000
- 5-bed+ villa30,750,000
In The Lakes, villas sold for around AED 7M for three-bed villas and AED 11.8M for four-bed villas. Sales ranged from AED 5.8M to AED 23M, and 37 of the 45 were 3-bed homes, the most traded type.
Every one of those sales was a completed home: nothing in The Lakes sold off-plan in the last 12 months.
| Type | Typical price | Per sqft | 12-mo change | Sales (12 mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-bed villa | AED 7,050,000 | AED 2,729 | Up 21.2% | 37 |
| 4-bed villa | AED 12,000,000 | AED 2,981 | Few sales | 7 |
| 5-bed+ villa | AED 30,750,000 | AED 5,301 | Few sales | 2 |
Medians of the last 12 months of DLD sales, per type. A change needs ten records in each year.
What is in The Lakes
| Type | Homes | Share | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-bed villa | 20 | 2% | 2,150–2,290 sqft |
| 3-bed villa | 790 | 70% | 2,558–3,100 sqft |
| 4-bed villa | 234 | 21% | 3,375–5,214 sqft |
| 5-bed+ villa | 78 | 7% | 4,125–7,659 sqft |
Counted from DLD unit records of 0 completed buildings and 11 communities.
Prices and rents in The Lakes since 2006
- 1 year
- Up 20.2%
- 5 years
- Up 134.9%
- Since 2008
- Up 169.2%
- 1 year
- Up 3.5%
- 5 years
- Up 65.7%
- Since 2012
- Up 50.9%
The Lakes's first registered sales, in 2008, were at about AED 1,030 per sqft. Prices then slid to a low of about AED 920 in 2011 and have since climbed to AED 2,762, 127% above the low. The steepest recent climb was in 2024, when the annual median rose 29%. Year on year the annual median has gone up 17% in 2022, up 14% in 2023 and up 29% in 2024. On the monthly median of every registered sale, prices are up 19.8% over the last 12 months, up 134% over five years and up 168% on the 2008 level. Rents are up 3.5% over the last 12 months, up 65.7% over five years and up 50.9% since 2012, so rents now rise more slowly than prices and gross yields are easing.
Nothing is under construction in The Lakes today, so the stock is what it is: 0 buildings and about 1,122 homes. The figures on this page refresh monthly as new sales and contracts are registered.
The line is the monthly median of every sale and rental contract, smoothed over three months; a month with fewer than ten records sits between its neighbours, and the latest such months are read together. The changes compare 12-month medians: the last 12 months against the 12 before. Source: Dubai Land Department.
Price history in The Lakes
Every registered sale in The Lakes in the last 12 months; the dashed line is the trend within those 12 months, grey dots are flagged outliers left out of it.
Transaction history in The Lakes
- 5-bed · 7,659 sqftCompletedHattan 2 10 Nov 2026AED 38,500,0005,027 /sqft
- 3-bed · 3,163 sqftCompletedDeema 4 30 Oct 2026AED 8,150,0002,576 /sqft
- 3-bed · 2,566 sqftCompletedZulal 2 29 Oct 2026AED 7,100,0002,766 /sqft
- 3-bed · 2,711 sqftCompletedZulal 1 22 Oct 2026AED 6,800,0002,508 /sqft
- 3-bed · 2,711 sqftCompletedZulal 2 22 Oct 2026AED 6,600,0002,434 /sqft
- 3-bed · 2,770 sqftCompletedZulal 1 14 Oct 2026AED 6,750,0002,436 /sqft
- 3-bed · 2,556 sqftCompletedZulal 1 17 Sep 2026AED 6,400,0002,503 /sqft
- 4-bed · 4,023 sqftCompletedDeema 4 21 Aug 2026AED 7,510,0001,866 /sqft
- 3-bed · 3,045 sqftCompletedZulal 2 20 Aug 2026AED 6,450,0002,118 /sqft
- 3-bed · 3,575 sqftCompletedZulal 2 14 Aug 2026AED 12,000,0003,357 /sqft
Over the last 12 months The Lakes recorded 46 sales; typical homes sold for around AED 7.84M (about AED 2,774 per sqft); with a median size of 2,928 sqft; most were 3-beds; from roughly AED 5.8M to AED 38.5M.
Communities in The Lakes
11 completed| Zulal 2Community | 2009 | 156 | AED 2,567 | Up 23.0% | AED 99 | 3.8% | 10 |
| MaeenCommunity | 2005 | 261 | AED 3,483 | AED 109 | 3.1% | 9 | |
| Deema 4Community | 2003 | 57 | AED 2,799 | AED 98 | 3.5% | 6 | |
| GhadeerCommunity | 2007 | 137 | AED 2,774 | AED 97 | 3.5% | 6 | |
| Zulal 1Community | 2009 | 150 | AED 2,474 | AED 107 | 4.3% | 6 | |
| ForatCommunity | 2005 | 60 | AED 2,319 | AED 104 | 4.5% | 4 | |
| Deema 3Community | 2003 | 55 | AED 2,919 | AED 99 | 3.4% | 2 | |
| Deema 1Community | 2003 | 66 | AED 3,398 | AED 98 | 2.9% | 1 | |
| Hattan 1Community | 2009 | 50 | AED 4,858 | AED 115 | 2.4% | 1 | |
| Hattan 2Community | 2009 | 77 | AED 5,026 | AED 123 | 2.5% | 1 |
Rents and yields in The Lakes
Last 12 months| 2-bed villa | AED 205,000 | AED 93 | Few sales | 3 | |
| 3-bed villa | AED 282,501 | AED 103 | AED 7.05M | 3.8% | 241 |
| 4-bed villa | AED 400,000 | AED 102 | AED 12M | 3.4% | 42 |
| 5-bed+ villa | AED 433,725 | AED 101 | AED 30.75M | 1.9% | 14 |
- New contract vs renewal
- +14%
- Renewals
- 63% of 300
300 rental contracts were registered in The Lakes in the last 12 months, 63% of them renewals. New contracts were signed about 14% above renewals of the same size per sqft, so a tenant renewing is still paying below the market rate. The gross yield across every type is 3.7%, before service charges.
Ejari registrations via Dubai Land Department; yields use the same 12 months of sales.
Who builds in The Lakes
1 developer- Emaar11 buildingsAED 2,859 /sqft
Emaar built every one of The Lakes's 11 completed buildings, so the area has one look, one management company and one service charge regime.
Buying or renting in The Lakes
Buying
Expect a 20% deposit as a UAE resident or 25% as a non-resident on a home under AED 5M, plus the 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee and about AED 5,000 of registration and trustee costs. On the typical sale of AED 7.6M, that is AED 1,511,000 down and AED 302,000 in transfer fee. Before offering, check the service charge per sqft on the building page, the registered size against the marketed one, and whether the unit has sold before and at what price.
Renting
A typical home rents for AED 290,000 a year. New contracts run about 14% above renewals, and increases on renewal are capped by the RERA rental index. Landlords in Dubai usually take one to four cheques and a 5% security deposit, and every contract is registered on Ejari, which is where the figures on this page come from.
Nearby areas compared
All Dubai areas →| Area | Sale /sqft | 12-mo change | Typical rent | Yield | Buildings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lakes | AED 2,774 | Up 20.2% | AED 290K | 3.7% | 0 |
| The Hills | AED 2,542 | Up 8.5% | AED 170K | 5.1% | 5 |
| The Views | AED 2,016 | Up 4.5% | AED 120K | 5.8% | 21 |
| Emirates Hills | AED 4,316 | Up 18.9% | AED 1.2M | 2.7% | 0 |
| The Greens | AED 1,714 | Up 7.3% | AED 95K | 6.1% | 39 |
| Barsha Heights | AED 1,811 | Up 10.1% | AED 94K | 4.9% | 14 |
| Dubai Internet City | AED 3,708 | Up 9.5% | AED 780K | 4.2% | 2 |
The Lakes is about 8% dearer per square foot than The Hills, its nearest neighbour, at AED 2,762 against AED 2,555. Emirates Hills is the most expensive of the areas around it at AED 4,664 per sqft, 69% more. The Greens is the cheapest nearby at AED 1,713.
The Lakes in numbers
- Across 45 DLD sales in the 12 months to 9 November 2026, the median price in The Lakes was AED 2,762 per sqft and the typical home sold for about AED 7.6M.
- Prices are up 19.8% on the year, 134% over five years and 168% since 2008; rents up 3.5% and 65.7% over the same periods.
- 0 completed buildings from 1 developer; about 1,122 homes.
- A gross yield of 3.7% across every type, before service charges.
Source: Dubai Land Department. Updated 10 November 2026.
Questions about The Lakes
How much does a home in The Lakes cost?
Over the 12 months to 9 November 2026 the median was AED 2,762 per sqft; the typical sale was AED 7.6M.
Have prices in The Lakes gone up?
Yes: up 19.8% in the 12 months to 9 November 2026 and up 134% over five years, on the monthly median of every registered sale. Over the whole record they are 168% above the 2008 level.
What is the rental yield in The Lakes?
About 3.7% gross across all types at today's prices, before service charges.
What does it cost to rent in The Lakes?
The median contract in the 12 months to 9 November 2026 was AED 290,000 a year, across 300 Ejari registrations.
For sale with OpenOffers in The Lakes
No The Lakes property is on the board today. Follow The Lakes to hear the day one is listed, or see what is for sale across Dubai with every offer public.