A stable economy and safe conditions have propelled Abu Dhabi into a destination of choice in the past few years. According to the analysis of properties advertised on dubizzle, the yearly rent for apartments (luxury and affordable) has declined on average, making it a tenant-friendly market in the capital. Unlike apartments, the annual rent of villas has shown a mixed trend; with prices either increasing or remaining stable.
A glance at the Abu Dhabi real estate market report shows the following key trends for 2022:
- The yearly rent of apartments has decreased by -0.13% to -16.99%. For short-term monthly rentals, an uptick in the prices has been observed of up to 24.11%.
- The average price per-square-foot of rental villas in the areas like Al Shamkha, Al Mushrif and Yas Island has significantly increased by 2.02% to 38.79%.
To elaborate further on the market trends and tenant preference in 2022, we have compared the prices of yearly and monthly rentals in 2022 with the values observed in 2021. Following is the complete analysis of the Abu Dhabi annual rental market report for 2022.
Top Areas for Renting Apartments in Abu Dhabi
Apartments remain the most popular choice of tenants for living in the capital city. According to the users’ interest observed on dubizzle in 2022, here are the top luxury and affordable areas for renting an apartment in Abu Dhabi.
Top 5 Affordable Areas For Renting Apartments in Abu Dhabi on a Yearly Basis
POPULAR AREAS | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Bin Zayed City | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Khalifa City A | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Al Muroor | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Hamdan Street | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Al Khalidiyah | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
In the affordable category, Al Khalidiyah has observed a significant drop in yearly rental prices. Suburban favourite, Khalifa City A is the only area in the category that has witnessed an increase in rental prices.
Mohammed Bin Zayed City (MBZ City) tops the list of tenants’ favourite areas for renting affordable apartments. It is a suburban residential area that stretches from Khalifa City C to Musaffah. The MBZ City is equally popular for yearly and monthly rentals in 2022.
- The yearly rent in this area for 2022 has been averaged at AED 37k.
- Tenants had paid AED 27k for renting a studio apartment, AED 38k for a 1-bed and AED 49k for a 2-bedroom apartment in 2022.
The second one on the list is Khalifa City A with an increase of 2.78% in the average yearly rent.
- With an increase of 4.97%, the yearly rent of studio apartments has been averaged at AED 29k.
- The yearly rent of 1 and 2-bedroom apartments have been recorded as AED 41k and AED 59k, respectively.
Al Muroor has witnessed a decrease in the yearly rental prices in 2022.
- The 1-bedroom apartment rent has decreased to AED 39k in 2022.
- For a 2-bedroom apartment, the average rental price has decreased to AED 53k.
Hamdan Street bid adieu to 2022 with a yearly rent of AED 58k.
- The yearly rent of a studio apartment in Hamdan Street averaged AED 35k, in 2022.
- For a 1-bedroom, the annual rent has averaged AED 46k and AED 58k for a 2-bedroom.
The average rental prices of apartments in Al Khalidiyah have reduced by 11.36% compared to 2021.
- In 2022, tenants had paid an average yearly rental of AED 58k for living in an apartment in this area.
- The annual rent has averaged AED 49k for a 1-bedroom apartment with a decrease of 5.39% contrary to 2021.
- The recorded annual rent of a 2-bedroom apartment has been AED 65k.
Top 5 Luxury Areas For Renting Apartments in Abu Dhabi on a Yearly Basis
POPULAR AREAS | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Reem Island | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Al Raha Beach | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Yas Island | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Corniche Area | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Saadiyat Island | Studio Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 1-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 2-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
In the luxury category, Al Reem Island witnessed a minimum change in the yearly rental prices. Other than that, all the areas have experienced modest decreases.
Al Reem Island is known for providing its residents with mesmerising waterfront views of Marina Bay and the Arabian Gulf.
- To leverage the view in 2022, tenants have paid AED 76k in terms of annual rent.
- The rent of a 1-bedroom apartment has been increased by 2% and averaged AED 59k.
- For a 2-bedroom apartment, the recorded annual rent has been AED 86k.
Next is Al Raha Beach where the annual rent has dropped by -14.70% in 2022.
- The yearly rent of apartments in Al Raha Beach has averaged AED 91k which was AED 106k in the previous year.
- The annual rent of studio apartments has averaged AED 42k in 2022.
- For 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, the recorded annual rent has been AED 64k and AED 99k, respectively.
In Yas Island, an overall -10.92% decrease has been observed in the annual rental prices of apartments in Yas Island.
- Tenants on average had paid AED 78k yearly rent for living in Yas Island.
- The annual rent of studio apartments in the area has been priced at AED 50k.
- Whereas, for a 1-bedroom apartment, the annual rent has averaged AED 62k.
In the Corniche Area, the average annual rent of apartments has been recorded as AED 88k.
- For studio apartments, the yearly rent has averaged AED 55k.
- Whereas, for 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, the rent has averaged AED 68k and AED 90k, respectively.
Similar to other luxury areas, the rental prices in Saadiyat Island have also dropped by -17.12%.
- The annual rent of apartments in this area has averaged AED 119k.
- The recorded yearly rent of a 1-bedroom apartment has been AED 79k. Whereas, for a 2-bedroom, AED 128k has been the recorded annual rent.
Top Areas for Renting Apartments in Abu Dhabi on a Monthly Basis
As per the analysis of dubizzle’s data, monthly rentals have been popular in 2022 among tenants. Here are the areas that were most searched by the tenants in 2022.
Affordable Apartments for Rent in Abu Dhabi on Monthly Basis
In the affordable category for monthly rentals, Mohammed Bin Zayed City and Al Nahyan have been the most-searched-for areas.
The monthly rental trend in MBZ City was as follows:
- The overall monthly rental prices of apartments in MBZ City have increased by 2.29%.
- The monthly rent of a 1-bedroom apartment has increased by 2.36% and for a 2-bedroom, a 20.00% price change has been recorded.
Al Nahyan has also observed an increase in monthly rental prices in 2022.
- The rent prices in Al Nahyan have increased by 9.76%. That said, the monthly rent of apartments in Al Nahyan has averaged AED 7.6k.
- The monthly rent of a studio apartment has averaged AED 6.7k and for 1 bedroom the average rent has been AED 8.1k.
Luxury Apartments for Rent in Abu Dhabi on a Monthly Basis
Among the luxury areas, Al Reem observed the highest price trajectory with an increase of 24.11% in 2022.
- That said, the monthly rent of a studio apartment has averaged AED 5.5k.
- The recorded monthly rent for 1 and 2-bedroom has been AED 6.7k and AED 7.8k, respectively.
Whereas, for Yas Island, the monthly rent prices have averaged AED 9.1k.
- The monthly rent of a studio apartment has averaged AED 7.6k. For 1 bedroom, the recorded rent has been AED 8.7k.
Top Areas for Renting Villas in Abu Dhabi
Unlike apartments, the yearly rental prices of villas have increased in the capital. Here are the top luxury and affordable areas for renting a villa in Abu Dhabi, as per the tenant’s search.
Top 5 Affordable Areas For Renting Villas in Abu Dhabi
POPULAR AREAS | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Bin Zayed City | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Khalifa City A | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Al Shamkha | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Shakhbout City | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Al Reef | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
According to the search preferences of users on dubizzle, MBZ City tops the list of affordable areas for renting villas in Abu Dhabi.
The trend is tenant friendly, as the overall annual rent in this area decreased in 2022.
- The annual rental price of villas in this area has averaged AED 128k.
- Tenants had paid an annual rent of AED 83k for a 3-bedroom villa and AED 126k for a 4-bedroom villa.
- The yearly rent of a 5-bedroom villa has averaged AED 148k.
Similar to MBZ City, Khalifa City A also managed to maintain its position in the list of favourite areas for renting apartments and villas in Abu Dhabi.
- The annual rental price of villas in Khalifa City A has averaged AED 161k.
- The yearly rent of 3 and 4-bedroom villas has been priced at AED 138k and AED 147k, respectively.
A 30.47% uptick has been observed in the annual rent of villas in Al Shamkha.
- The annual rent prices have averaged AED 116k.
- That said, the rent of a 3-bedroom villa has been increased by 21.98%.
- The rent of 4-bedroom villas has increased by 24.56% and averaged AED 107k.
The annual rent of Shakhbout City (Khalifa City B) has averaged AED 138k.
- For a 3-bedroom villa in Shakhbout City, tenants had paid an annual rent of AED 108k.
- The yearly rent of 4 and 5-bedroom villas has averaged AED 132k and AED 150k, respectively.
On average, tenants paid AED 125k annually to rent villas in Al Reef.
- For 3-bedroom villas, the recorded yearly rent has been AED 102k. However, for a 4-bedroom, the rent has averaged AED 136k.
Top 5 Luxury Areas For Renting Villas in Abu Dhabi
POPULAR AREAS | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 | 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Mushrif | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
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| Al Raha Gardens | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
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| Yas Island | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
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| Al Bateen | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
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| Al Raha Beach | 3-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 4-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
| 5-Bed Avg. Yearly RentChange from 2021
|
| Not available due to low/no historical inventory or influx of off-plan properties | |||
The rent trend in luxury villa areas has an uptick in 2022. Starting from Al Mushrif where tenants had paid an average yearly rent of AED 194k.
- Dividing further, for a 3-bedroom villa the recorded rent has been AED 173k after an increase of 20.72%.
- For a 4-bedroom the annual rent has averaged AED 171k after an increase of 6.01%.
For renting a villa in Al Raha Garden, tenants paid an average annual rent of AED 174k.
- The yearly rent of a 3-bedroom villa has averaged AED 149k in 2022.
- The rent of a 4-bedroom villa has increased in 2022 by 10.52% and averaged AED 179k.
As per dubizzle’s 2022 data analysis, Yas Island secured the third position on the list. Due to its popularity, an overall increase in rent prices has been observed in this area.
- The price of renting a villa in Yas Island has been estimated to be AED 287k.
- The rent of a 3-bedroom villa has increased by 12.85% and for a 4-bedroom the increase has been 11.76% in comparison to last year.
The yearly rent of villas in Al Bateen has been priced at AED 205k.
- The price of a 3 and 4-bedroom villa has averaged AED 125k and AED 203k, respectively.
- Whereas, tenants had paid AED 205k annual rent for a 5-bedroom villa.
Al Raha Beach observed an increase of 11.27% in the rent prices and averaged AED 273k for early rental.
- The recorded annual rent of a 3-bedroom villa has been AED 171k.
- For a 4-bedroom, the annual rent has averaged AED 260k.
Here we wrap our Abu Dhabi annual property market report for 2022. The capital city provides a wide range of rental properties with all the necessary lifestyle amenities. If you are also interested in availing of these amenities, browse through these properties for rent in Abu Dhabi and rent out a suitable residence for yourself.
If you are interested in purchasing properties in Abu Dhabi for investment, read our Abu Dhabi annual Sales Report for 2022.
Commenting on the findings, Haider Ali Khan, the CEO of Bayut & dubizzle and the Head of EMPG MENA said:
“Over the last few years the Abu Dhabi real estate market has established its reputation as a safe, stable and reliable investment opportunity. In the last year, the government also focussed on enhancing digitalisation and transparency by launching DARI, where property seekers can get in depth information about the transactions in the capital. This coupled with the timely completion of projects and steady demand has resulted in an overall positive outlook for Abu Dhabi as an attractive place for investors.
At dubizzle, our aim has always been to keep improving our products and technology for a better user experience for the millions of visitors we get on the platform on a daily basis, and we’ve taken this a step forward with the launch of Verified Properties, the proven authentication solution for properties on portals. In the next few months, our users will also be able to find very valuable insights on the platform for a more holistic experience. As the largest horizontal platform in the region, we’d like to stay true to our commitment and provide best in class service to all our loyal user base”.
Stay tuned to UAE’s leading property blog for more information on rental trends in Abu Dhabi.
Disclaimer: The trends in the above Abu Dhabi annual real estate rental market report 2022 are based on properties listed for rent on dubizzle. This, by any means, is not an actual representation of real estate transactions in the Emirate.
