Moving into a Dubai rental costs more than the first cheque. This calculator totals everything due before you collect the keys and separates refundable deposits from money you will not get back.
Results update as you type.
AED 9,167 / month equivalent
More cheques means a smaller first payment.
Villas and townhouses carry a higher utility deposit.
Optional — used to match available rentals below.
AED 5,500 — refundable
AED 5,500 plus VAT — not refundable
Refundable
Chilled-water communities only
Get at least two written quotes.
Before you collect the keys
Total estimated upfront cash
AED 46,960
First cheque AED 27,500 + AED 19,460 in deposits and fees
Refundable
AED 9,500
Non-refundable
AED 9,960
First rent cheque
AED 27,500
1 of 4
Housing fee
AED 458.33 / month
The refundable and non-refundable split matters: of the AED 46,960 you pay upfront, AED 9,500 comes back at the end of the tenancy.
The link saves your assumptions only — no personal details are included.
Deposits come back. Fees and movers do not.
Live availability around AED 110K per year.
Send us your budget and cheque preference and we will shortlist properties — and tell you exactly what each landlord expects upfront.
Tenants routinely underestimate what is due before they collect the keys. This calculator totals every upfront cost for a Dubai rental — the first cheque, the security deposit, the agency fee and VAT, Ejari, utility and district cooling deposits, movers, insurance and internet — and splits the total between money you get back and money you do not.
Deposits — security, utilities and district cooling — are refundable at the end of the tenancy subject to conditions. Agency fees, VAT, Ejari, activation charges and movers are gone for good. Both totals are shown, because they mean different things for your finances.
Only the first rent cheque is due at move-in. Choosing more cheques reduces your upfront requirement, though the annual rent agreed is often higher.
The annual rent and the Dubai housing fee — a percentage of annual rent collected monthly through the utility bill — are shown separately from one-off move-in costs.
Every figure the Moving Cost uses is listed in the “Calculation assumptions” panel above, with its source and the date we last reviewed it.