Fit-Out Cost per Square Foot in Dubai: 2026 Benchmarks
Per-square-foot rates are useful for testing a budget and useless for buying a project. Here are 2026 Dubai benchmarks, with the honest caveats about what makes them move.
14 July 2026 · 10 min read · K4 Fit-Out Studio
Every Dubai fit-out conversation starts with a rate per square foot, and every experienced contractor is slightly uncomfortable giving one, because the number is dominated by decisions the client has not yet made. Still, a range is genuinely useful early: it tells you whether your budget and your ambition are in the same conversation.
2026 indicative benchmarks
All figures are AED per square foot of treated area, all-in: demolition, civils, MEP alterations, finishes, joinery, project management and preliminaries. They exclude loose furniture, art, authority fees and landscape.
| Property type | Good | High | Ultra-prime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment (1 to 2 bed) | 350 to 480 | 480 to 700 | 700 to 1,100 |
| Apartment (3+ bed) / duplex | 400 to 550 | 550 to 850 | 850 to 1,400 |
| Penthouse | 550 to 750 | 750 to 1,200 | 1,200 to 2,200 |
| Villa (existing layout) | 450 to 620 | 620 to 950 | 950 to 1,600 |
| Villa (structural change) | 600 to 800 | 800 to 1,300 | 1,300 to 2,500+ |
| Office | 220 to 320 | 320 to 480 | 480 to 750 |
| Restaurant / F&B | 400 to 600 | 600 to 900 | 900 to 1,500 |
| Clinic / medical | 450 to 650 | 650 to 950 | 950 to 1,400 |
The seven variables that move the number
- Stone selection. Porcelain to standard marble to book-matched Calacatta or onyx can triple a finishes budget on identical drawings. Wastage on book-matched work is real and should be priced.
- Joinery volume and construction. Veneered MDF versus solid timber with brass inlay is a different product, and joinery is usually the largest single trade in a luxury residence.
- Ceiling complexity. Coves, curves, integrated shading pockets and hidden lighting details are slow work in plaster and they drive both cost and programme.
- MEP intervention. Keeping the existing services layout is cheap. Moving bathrooms and kitchens is not, drainage falls, riser access and DEWA load changes all follow.
- Automation depth. App-controlled lighting is modest. Full KNX or Crestron with shading, HVAC, audio, security and a rack room is a six-figure line on its own.
- Glazing and structural glass. Large frameless spans, minimal sightlines and pool-facing walls carry engineering, imported hardware and craneage.
- Programme pressure. Compressing a nine-month build into six means overtime, parallel trades and air freight. Expect a 10 to 20% premium and be honest about whether the date is worth it.
How a luxury villa budget typically splits
| Package | Share of build cost |
|---|---|
| Joinery & bespoke furniture | 22 to 30% |
| Stone, tile & flooring | 15 to 22% |
| MEP (electrical, HVAC, plumbing) | 14 to 20% |
| Civils, plaster, paint & ceilings | 10 to 15% |
| Automation, AV & lighting control | 6 to 12% |
| Glazing, metalwork & specialist | 5 to 10% |
| Preliminaries & management | 8 to 12% |
The useful insight from this split is where to spend a limited budget. Joinery and stone are the two lines you see and touch every day, and the two hardest to upgrade later. Automation and AV can be pre-wired now and specified up later. Preliminaries are not a place to save, that is the supervision keeping the rest correct.
Why the cheapest quote usually is not
On a like-for-like Dubai bid set, a proposal 20% below the others is almost always explained by one of four things: a thinner material schedule, work excluded and repriced later as variations, a lower contractor grade subcontracting the difficult trades, or a programme that has not accounted for approvals. None of those save money by the end.
The defence is specification-level pricing. Ask for a schedule that names the stone, the hardware brand, the sanitaryware, the lighting and the joinery construction. Priced against that, the comparison is meaningful, and the gaps become visible before they become invoices.
Cost per square foot for partial scopes
Single-room projects behave differently, because fixed costs, mobilisation, protection, supervision, minimum trade calls, spread over a smaller area:
- KitchenAED 90,000 to 450,000+ depending on joinery construction, stone and appliances
- BathroomAED 60,000 to 300,000+ per bathroom, driven by stone, sanitaryware and whether drainage moves
- Wardrobes / walk-inAED 1,200 to 4,500 per linear foot of run
- Majlis or formal salonAED 700 to 1,800 per sq ft where panelling, ceiling detail and lighting are the point
Figures throughout are indicative 2026 Dubai market ranges for licensed contractors working to approved drawings. Any real number needs a site survey and a specification, which is exactly why a first meeting should end with a survey booked rather than a rate quoted.
Frequently asked
What is the average fit-out cost per square foot in Dubai in 2026?
For high-quality residential work, most projects land between AED 450 and 950 per square foot all-in. Ultra-prime specification with imported stone, full automation and structural change runs from AED 1,300 upward.
How much should I budget for contingency?
8 to 12% on a new-build or stripped shell, and 12 to 15% on an older villa where undocumented services and waterproofing failures are likely. Treat it as risk cover, not as budget for scope additions.
Does a smaller apartment cost more per square foot?
Yes. Mobilisation, protection, supervision and minimum trade attendances are largely fixed, so they spread over less area. Kitchens and bathrooms, the most expensive rooms per square foot, also make up a bigger share of a small unit.
Is it cheaper to renovate or to buy a finished property?
Renovating is usually cheaper per square foot than the premium paid for a comparable turnkey property, but it costs time and requires decisions. The stronger argument for renovating is control: layout, specification and systems built for how you actually live.