Gross yield is the number in the listing. It has almost nothing to do with the number in your bank account.
Gross yield is annual rental income divided by the property purchase price, expressed as a percentage — before service charge, before agent fees on renewal, before vacancy, before maintenance, before any mortgage cost. On a AED 900k JVC 1BR rented at AED 70k, the gross yield is a flattering 7.8%. The net, once you strip out service charge (AED 13k), renewal agency fee (AED 3.5k), Ejari and admin (AED 2k), a two-week vacancy buffer (AED 2.7k), lands closer to 5.4%.
The reason gross still matters: it’s the cleanest way to compare two units quickly without chasing service-charge data. A 7.8% gross in JVC versus 5.2% gross on a Downtown unit tells you something useful about yield geography in Dubai before you start modelling.
But any buying decision made on gross yield alone is a decision made on a marketing number. Property Finder will show you 350 listings advertising 8%+ gross yields in Dubai. The net on many of them, once you’re honest, is 4.5-5.5%.
Compare on gross. Decide on net.
Related: Net Yield, Rental Yield, Cash Flow, Service Charge.
Run the numbers on a real Dubai unit
Yield calculators only help if they run on realistic cost inputs. Our team maintains live inventory across Dubai, RAK, and Abu Dhabi — including the kind of data most brochures don’t volunteer. Request a live pricing sheet or browse available units.
