Move-in Cost Calculator Dubai
This calculator adds up the real cash you need upfront to buy a Dubai home: the down payment, the 4% DLD transfer fee, the agency commission, mortgage registration on the loan, and the DEWA activation deposit. It is the honest total most buyers underestimate, because the fees on top of the down payment routinely add up to a large sum on their own.
Total Move-in / Purchase Cost
Buying a home in Dubai costs more than the price. Add the 4% DLD transfer, roughly 2%
agency commission, mortgage-registration and trustee fees, and DEWA activation. Expat mortgage buyers usually
need at least a 20% down payment. This shows the total cash you need upfront.
How it's calculated
Cash upfront = down payment + 4% DLD transfer + admin and title-deed fees + trustee fee + agency commission + mortgage registration + DEWA activation. Example: on a 1,500,000 home at 20% down, that is 300,000 deposit, plus 60,000 DLD, 830 admin and title, 4,200 trustee, 30,000 agency at 2%, 3,290 mortgage registration and 2,000 DEWA, roughly 400,000 dirhams in total.
Indicative only. Fees follow current DLD rates; developer off-plan terms vary.
How much cash do I really need to buy in Dubai?
More than the down payment. A resident buyer typically puts down a deposit as a percentage of the price, then pays the 4% DLD transfer fee, an agency commission, mortgage registration at 0.25% of the loan, small DLD admin and title charges, and a DEWA activation deposit. Added together, the fees alone can equal a meaningful slice of the down payment, so the cash you need to close is well above the deposit figure a listing implies.
Why buyers run short at closing
Because they budget for the down payment and forget the transfer costs. The 4% DLD fee is the big one, and the agency commission is close behind. Neither is financed by the mortgage, so both come out of cash on the day. This calculator exists to put those numbers in front of you before you commit, not at the trustee office.
Off-plan versus ready property
For a ready property you pay most costs at transfer. For off-plan, the developer's payment plan stages the price over time, which changes when the cash is needed but not the underlying fees. Select off-plan in the calculator and it flags that some fees may be staged, so treat the total as the full commitment spread across the plan.
What is not included
Bank arrangement fees, property valuation, life and property insurance, moving costs and the first year of service charges all sit outside this figure. If you are renovating before you move in, add that budget too. The point of the tool is the government and transaction cash, which is the part most often missed.
Renovating before you move in is common. See full villa renovation or interior fit-out to plan the work around your purchase.
