What was launched
In January the Ruler of Dubai launched two projects in Dubai Silicon Oasis. District IO, AED 11 billion: 25 buildings, including 18 commercial, four residential, a conference centre and an innovation hub, with offices, research labs and shops in its first phase, which starts this year. Block 14, AED 1.8 billion for its first phase: business and homes built around public transport. Together they add room for 6,500 companies and up to 75,000 specialists, with 70,000 jobs expected by 2036.
The market there today, apartments, 2026 so far
- Median price: AED 890,000
- Gross yield: about 8%
- New one-bed lease: AED 60,000, up 2% on 2025
- One-bed renewal: AED 52,000, up 6%
Our read
Silicon Oasis is one of the few areas where new leases are still rising, while central areas fell this year. Local jobs are the reason, and this plan adds tens of thousands more. At under a million for a typical flat, it is one of the more affordable ways into a steady rental area.
The catch
The jobs arrive over a decade, and plans this long change. Buy on the rent it earns now; let the expansion be the upside, not the reason.
Source: Dubai Media Office, 22 January 2026; Dubai Land Department transaction data, 2026 so far.