How much property changed hands in 2025, how fast each market grew, and what a foreign buyer pays and gets in each.
Saudi figures update from the Real Estate Exchange (SREM); the other markets use each government's published annual totals. Values are converted to US dollars at the fixed pegs.
Reviewed by hand 27 Sept 2026Every source link and quoted figure re-checked weekly
In US dollars, at each currency's peg to the dollar.
Scopes differ: Dubai counts every registered transaction including mortgages and gifts, Abu Dhabi's figure here is sales only, Qatar's is residential sales, and Saudi Arabia's is every sale on the Real Estate Exchange. Read the bars as orders of magnitude, not a league table.
Year-on-year change in the reported value, on the same scope as above.
Abu Dhabi published growth for all transactions (+44%) but not for sales alone, so no figure is shown.
Where foreigners can own, the purchase fee, and the residency a property can bring.
| Foreign ownership | Purchase tax / fee | Residency through property | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | Non-Saudis in designated zones since January 2026 REGA | 5% transaction tax, +2% for non-Saudis in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah ZATCA | Premium Residency: SAR 4M, mortgage-free completed home Henley & Partners |
| Dubai | Freehold for foreigners in designated areas | 4% DLD transfer fee, customarily paid by the buyer Dubai Land Department | Golden Visa (10 years): property worth AED 2M+ Dubai Land Department |
| Abu Dhabi | Foreigners in designated investment zones Abu Dhabi Media Office | 2% registration fee, split between buyer and seller unless agreed otherwise (Executive Council Resolution 49 of 2018) Modon | UAE Golden Visa: property worth AED 2M+ Dubai Land Department |
| Qatar | Non-Qataris: freehold in designated areas, usufruct in others Library of Congress | Not verified | Residency from QAR 730,000; permanent-residency benefits from QAR 3.65M Fragomen |
