# Apartment Renovation Cost in Dubai 2026: Real Costs & Numbers
Apartment renovation in Dubai runs AED 150–1,500+ per square foot in 2026, depending on finish level. A full mid-range 1BR lands around AED 100,000–200,000, with kitchen and bathrooms eating 50–60% of that. Structural work needs a building NOC and Dubai Municipality permits before you touch a wall. Below are the numbers we actually quote on Dubai apartments, broken down by finish, size and room, plus the approvals and hidden costs that catch owners off guard. All figures are AED and marked as market ranges, not a fixed DOMECO price sheet.
What an apartment renovation really costs in Dubai
Ask three contractors and you get three answers, usually because nobody agreed on what "renovation" means. A repaint with new lighting is not the same job as ripping out a kitchen and moving a wall. So the honest starting point is a per-square-foot band tied to finish level, then a total by unit size.
| Snapshot | Range (AED) |
|---|---|
| Cost per sqft | 150 – 1,500+ |
| Studio, full renovation | 25,000 – 200,000 |
| 1BR, full renovation | 50,000 – 350,000 |
| 2BR, full renovation | 80,000 – 700,000 |
| 3BR, full renovation | 100,000 – 800,000+ |
| Kitchen + bathrooms share | 50 – 60% of budget |
| Approvals before start | 6 – 10 weeks |
Location moves these numbers. Marina, Downtown and Palm Jumeirah typically run 20–30% above JVC, JLT or Discovery Gardens for the same spec, driven by stricter building rules, tighter access and higher expectations on finish.
Cost per square foot by finish level
The finish level is the single biggest lever on price, more than area or district. Two identical 1BR units in the same tower can differ by AED 200,000 purely on materials and joinery. Here is how the bands break down.
| Finish level | AED / sqft | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Standard / cosmetic | 150 – 300 | Repaint, basic flooring, new light fittings, minor carpentry |
| Mid-range | 300 – 600 | New flooring throughout, mid-tier kitchen and bathroom, updated fixtures |
| Premium | 600 – 1,000 | Custom joinery, stone worktops, partial reconfiguration, smart-home |
| Luxury | 1,000 – 1,500+ | Italian kitchens, marble, Miele or Gaggenau appliances, full redesign |
Cosmetic work is what most landlords need between tenants. Mid-range is the sweet spot for owner-occupiers who plan to stay three to five years. Premium and luxury make sense when the apartment is a keeper, or a high-end resale in a prime tower where buyers expect the spec.
Apartment renovation cost by size
Square footage sets the base, but the number of wet areas matters more than raw area. A compact 2BR with two bathrooms and a proper kitchen can cost more than a large open-plan unit with one bathroom. Use these as planning ranges.
| Unit | Typical size (sqft) | Basic (AED) | Mid-range (AED) | Premium (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 350 – 500 | 25k – 60k | 60k – 120k | 120k – 200k |
| 1BR | 650 – 900 | 50k – 100k | 100k – 200k | 200k – 350k |
| 2BR | 1,000 – 1,400 | 80k – 180k | 180k – 350k | 350k – 700k |
| 3BR | 1,400 – 2,000 | 100k – 220k | 220k – 450k | 450k – 800k+ |
| Penthouse | 2,000+ | — | 250k – 500k | 400k – 600k+ |
Penthouses sit in their own category because ceiling heights, terraces and bespoke layouts push both material and labour well past a standard flat. If you are weighing a house instead, the maths shifts on plot, roof and MEP, so see our companion guide on villa renovation cost in Dubai.
Cost breakdown by type of work
Owners tend to budget for the visible stuff, paint and floors, then get surprised by the kitchen and bathroom quotes. In reality those two areas dominate. Below is where the money goes on a typical apartment.
| Work item | Range (AED) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | 10k – 80k | Cosmetic refresh 10k–25k, full custom 40k–80k |
| Bathroom | 10k – 55k each | Multiply by number of bathrooms |
| Flooring | 8k – 60k | Porcelain, engineered wood or large-format tile |
| Joinery / wardrobes | 5k – 25k per bedroom | Built-ins, walk-ins, TV units |
| Painting | 3k – 20k | Whole unit, prep included |
On the split between labour and materials, expect roughly 30–40% labour and 60–70% materials on an apartment fit-out. That ratio surprises people who assume labour dominates. In Dubai the finishes carry most of the cost: imported tile, stone, appliances and joinery hardware. Together, kitchen and bathrooms typically account for 50–60% of the total budget, which is why spec decisions in those two rooms decide whether you land at the bottom or top of your size band.
Permits, NOC and DEWA for apartment renovation
This is the part that separates an apartment job from a villa job. In a tower you answer to building management before you answer to the municipality, and skipping that step gets your fit-out shut down mid-job.
Cosmetic work — paint, flooring, changing fixtures with no structural or MEP change — usually needs no municipality permit. Anything structural, or touching plumbing and electrical routes, triggers a chain of approvals.
| Item | Cost (AED) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Building NOC | 500 – 3,000 | Issued by building management |
| DM / DDA permit | 1,000 – 10,000 | For structural or MEP works |
| DEWA clearance | Variable | Required for electrical and water changes |
| Refundable building deposit | 2,000 – 20,000 | Returned after clean handover |
Written approval from building management is non-negotiable. The management office also dictates working hours, almost always 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, no weekend drilling, plus rules on the service lift and rubbish removal. Fixing dates, scope and the approval sequence in the contract is how we keep timelines honest; how we structure that is set out in our apartment renovation & fit-out services.
Timeline: how long an apartment renovation takes
Time is where owners lose money quietly, because an empty apartment costs rent every week it sits. Two clocks run at once: the approval clock and the build clock. Plan for both.
| Scope | On-site duration |
|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | 1 – 3 weeks |
| Full mid-range renovation | 4 – 8 weeks |
| Premium + reconfiguration | 8 – 12+ weeks |
| Approvals (before start) | 6 – 10 weeks |
The approval window runs largely in parallel with design and procurement, so it does not always add to the total. But it cannot be compressed by paying more, and the 9-to-17 weekday working rule means a job that would take three weeks in a villa takes four in a tower. Build that into any move-in date you promise a tenant.
Is renovating an apartment worth it?
Not every renovation pays back, and pretending otherwise costs owners money. The honest test is what the unit is for. If it is a rental, a targeted mid-range refresh usually beats a full premium overhaul on return.
A mid-range 2BR renovation at AED 80,000–140,000 commonly lifts the achievable sale price by AED 150,000–300,000 in a decent tower. On the rental side, a renovated unit typically lets within 2–4 weeks versus 6–12 weeks for a tired one. With a void period costing AED 5,000–15,000+ per month, cutting eight weeks of vacancy alone can cover a chunk of the works.
The counter-case: if you plan to sell into a soft market, or the building itself is dated and drags the valuation, a heavy renovation may not recover. In those situations we often advise cosmetic only.
Hidden and extra costs to budget for
The quote you sign is rarely the total you spend, and the gap is almost always in items nobody itemised. On apartments specifically, the building adds costs a villa never has.
- Refundable building deposit, tied up for the whole project
- Rubbish removal and paid service-lift bookings
- Temporary accommodation if you live in the unit
- Storage for furniture during the works
- Design fees, from AED 10,000 for a proper design project
- Snagging and warranty period after handover
We fix the scope and price by contract with no post-start surprises and a one-year workmanship warranty, but you should still hold 10–15% of your own budget as contingency for the items above.
How to estimate your apartment renovation cost
The rough maths is simpler than most quotes make it look. Take your area, multiply by the per-sqft rate for your target finish, then add the fixed costs of permits and the building deposit.
Formula: (sqft × per-sqft rate) + permits + deposit
Worked example — 1BR, 800 sqft, mid-range:
- Floor area: 800 sqft. For a 1BR most of that is living space, not wet rooms, so a real mid-range job sits at the lower end of the per-sqft band, around AED 150–200/sqft all-in rather than the headline rate.
- 800 sqft × AED 175/sqft ≈ AED 140,000, which lands squarely inside the realistic mid-range 1BR range of AED 120,000–160,000.
- Building NOC + refundable deposit: add AED 3,000–20,000, most of it returned after handover.
The per-sqft rate is a sanity check, not a precise quote. Wet-area count and kitchen spec swing the real figure more than floor area, which is why we quote off a walkthrough, not a calculator.
How to save without cutting quality
Cost control on an apartment is about which corners you refuse to cut, not slashing everywhere. A few moves save real money while keeping the finish honest.
- Keep the layout. No wall moves means no structural permit, no MEP rerouting, and weeks off the timeline.
- Use engineered stone instead of marble. Quartz worktops read as premium at a fraction of the cost and survive Dubai kitchens better.
- Refinish the kitchen rather than replacing carcasses when the boxes are sound; new fronts and worktop transform the look for a third of the price.
- Book off-season. Summer scheduling can ease pricing and access when demand dips.
Where not to save: waterproofing, plumbing behind tiles, and electrical. Those are the failures that flood the neighbour below and cost more to fix than they ever saved.
Renovating your apartment with DOMECO
We are a Dubai fit-out and design team with our own crew, not a broker passing you to subcontractors. Over 10+ years we have delivered apartments and commercial spaces across Marina, Downtown, Palm Jumeirah, JLT, Bluewaters, Dubai Creek and beyond, so we know each building's NOC quirks before we start.
Our quote is fixed by contract with no add-ons after the job begins, we back the work with a one-year warranty, and we pay a penalty for every day we run past the agreed deadline. See our Dubai apartment projects for the standard of finish, or go straight to get a fixed-price apartment renovation quote.
FAQ
How much does it cost to renovate an apartment in Dubai in 2026?
Between AED 150 and 1,500+ per square foot depending on finish level. A full mid-range apartment renovation generally runs AED 100,000–200,000 for a 1BR and AED 180,000–350,000 for a 2BR.
What does a 1BR or 2BR renovation cost?
A 1BR (650–900 sqft) runs AED 50,000–100,000 basic, AED 100,000–200,000 mid-range, and AED 200,000–350,000 premium. A 2BR (1,000–1,400 sqft) runs AED 80,000–180,000 basic, AED 180,000–350,000 mid-range, and AED 350,000–700,000 premium.
Do I need a permit or NOC to renovate my apartment?
Cosmetic work usually needs no municipality permit. Any structural or MEP change requires a building NOC (AED 500–3,000), a DM or DDA permit (AED 1,000–10,000) and DEWA clearance. Written building-management approval is always required.
How long does an apartment renovation take?
Cosmetic work takes 1–3 weeks, a full mid-range renovation 4–8 weeks, and premium work with reconfiguration 8–12+ weeks. Approvals add 6–10 weeks but run largely in parallel. Site work is limited to 9:00–17:00 on weekdays.
Is renovating an apartment worth it (ROI)?
For rentals, usually yes. A mid-range 2BR renovation at AED 80,000–140,000 can raise sale price by AED 150,000–300,000 and cut vacancy from 6–12 weeks to 2–4 weeks, saving AED 5,000–15,000+ per month of void.
Can I renovate a rental apartment?
Yes, with the owner's written consent and building-management NOC. Most rental refreshes are cosmetic, so they avoid municipality permits and stay in the AED 25,000–100,000 range depending on unit size.
What is the cheapest way to renovate without cutting quality?
Keep the existing layout to avoid structural permits, use engineered stone instead of marble, refinish sound kitchen carcasses rather than replacing them, and schedule off-season. Never cut costs on waterproofing, plumbing or electrical.
How much do a kitchen and bathroom cost?
A kitchen ranges from AED 10,000–25,000 for a cosmetic refresh to AED 40,000–80,000 for full custom. Each bathroom runs AED 10,000–55,000. Together they typically make up 50–60% of the total budget.