Renovation Cost Dubai 2026:
Complete Price Guide

Renovation cost per sqft and per sqm by specification level

The single most useful number in Dubai is the rate per square metre (or per square foot), because it lets you size a budget before any drawings exist. The figures below are for a full renovation of built-up area in 2026. They scale with the level of finish you choose, not with how grand the address is, so a basic refresh in Palm Jumeirah costs roughly the same per sqm as one in JVC.

To convert quickly, 1 square metre equals about 10.76 square feet. A 1,200 sqft apartment is roughly 111 sqm, so a standard renovation at AED 1,900/sqm lands near AED 210,000 before furniture. Where a quote sits inside each band depends almost entirely on material grade and how much joinery you specify, which is why two contractors can price the same flat AED 100,000 apart and both be honest.

Renovation cost by property type

Whole-project totals matter more than rates once you know which property you are dealing with. The ranges below assume a standard-to-premium full renovation. For a deeper breakdown of any single property type, the dedicated guides linked through this article go room by room. You can also see how a turnkey scope is priced on our renovation services page.

Full renovation across all rooms with new flooring, painting, kitchen, bathrooms, and joinery. Excludes loose furniture, landscaping, and major structural additions.

Apartments are the most predictable: layouts repeat across a tower, so contractors price them tightly. See the full breakdown in our apartment renovation cost guide. Villas carry the widest range because external works, staircases, and multiple bathrooms compound quickly, as the villa renovation cost guide explains. Townhouses in Damac Hills, Arabian Ranches, and Town Square sit between the two. Office fit-outs in Business Bay or DIFC are priced per square foot and are usually shell-and-core, so they include MEP, partitions, and ceilings from scratch.

Room-by-room cost ranges

Most of any renovation budget concentrates in a few line items. The kitchen and bathrooms together routinely account for 40 to 55% of a residential renovation in Dubai. The ranges below are 2026 supply-and-install figures.

The kitchen spread is enormous because it bundles cabinetry, worktop, splashback, and appliances. A melamine kitchen with a quartz top and local appliances can be done for AED 35,000–60,000; a German handle-less system with a marble island and integrated Miele or Bosch appliances passes AED 200,000 easily. Bathrooms follow the same logic, driven by tile grade, brassware brand, and whether you keep the existing waterproofing. Our kitchen renovation cost guide and bathroom renovation cost guide break each of these down line by line.

Flooring is a volume game: at AED 150/sqm for porcelain across a 150 sqm flat you spend AED 22,500, while herringbone marble at AED 700/sqm on the same area is AED 105,000. False ceilings (gypsum with cove lighting) and joinery are where Dubai interiors gain their finished look, and both are quoted by the metre, so an accurate site measure is worth insisting on before you accept any quote.

What drives renovation cost up and down

Two flats of the same size in the same building can differ by AED 150,000 in renovation cost. These are the five factors that explain almost all of that gap.

Fixed-price vs cost-plus, and how payments are staged

Dubai contractors work to one of two pricing models. A fixed-price (lump-sum) contract locks the total once the specification and bill of quantities are agreed, and the contractor carries the risk of any estimating error. This is the right choice for almost every home renovation because it protects your budget. A cost-plus contract bills actual materials and labour plus an agreed margin, which only makes sense on large, evolving luxury projects where a quantity surveyor tracks spend. The hidden danger with fixed-price is a vague scope: if the quote does not list quantities and brands, a low number today becomes a variation-order surprise later.

Payments should always be tied to completed stages, never to the calendar. A healthy Dubai milestone schedule looks like this:

• Mobilisation / advance: 20–30% on signing, used to order long-lead materials and book the team.
• Demolition and first fix complete (MEP, waterproofing): 25–30%.
• Second fix (tiling, ceilings, joinery installed): 25–30%.
• Snagging and handover: final 10–15% released only after your snag list is cleared.

Treat any request for more than 30% upfront, or for the full sum before snagging, as a red flag. The retention you hold at the end is your only real leverage to get defects fixed. For the wider set of checks before you hire, read our guide on how to choose a renovation company in Dubai.

Permits: DM, developer NOC, and the DET licence

Permits do not appear as a line item the way tiles do, but they shape both your timeline and your final price. Three approvals matter in Dubai.

Dubai Municipality (DM) building modification permit. Any structural change, wall removal, or relocation of a kitchen or bathroom needs a DM permit, submitted by a licensed consultant or contractor with drawings. Like-for-like cosmetic work usually does not. Skipping a required permit risks a stop-work order and fines that dwarf the cost of doing it properly.

Developer NOC. Freehold apartments and villas (Emaar, Nakheel, Damac, Meraas, Sobha communities) require a no-objection certificate from the developer or owners association before works begin. The NOC sets working hours, requires a refundable deposit in many towers, and typically takes one to three weeks, so it belongs at the front of your programme, not the middle.

DET trade licence. Your contractor must hold a valid Department of Economy and Tourism (DET, formerly DED) trade licence covering building or fit-out activity. An unlicensed handyman cannot legally pull a DM permit or apply for an NOC, which is the practical reason cut-price quotes from unlicensed crews fall apart once approvals are needed. Clinics add DHA approval, and anything affecting fire systems adds Civil Defence (DCD) sign-off.

Worked example 1: a 1,200 sqft apartment

A 2-bedroom apartment of about 111 sqm in JVC or Business Bay, renovated to a comfortable standard specification without moving walls, prices out roughly as follows.

Roughly AED 2,230/sqm or AED 207/sqft. A basic refresh of the same flat lands near AED 130,000; a premium version with bespoke joinery and stone passes AED 380,000.

Worked example 2: a 4-bedroom villa

A 4-bedroom villa of about 380 sqm in Arabian Ranches or Dubai Hills, full renovation to a premium standard with a developer NOC and a partial layout change, prices out roughly as follows.

Roughly AED 2,630/sqm. Excludes landscaping and pool works, which typically add AED 80,000–300,000. A standard-spec version of the same villa lands near AED 650,000.

Frequently Asked Questions