For Dubai property demand, a weak dollar has its benefits, especially for luxury home buys

28/04/2025 06:50 AST

Over the past few months, the currency markets have started to shift in ways that are beginning to catch the attention of savvy investors. While most people remain focused on the headlines about politics or interest rates, something quieter, and potentially more powerful, is creating a real opportunity in Dubai's real estate market.

The US dollar has weakened noticeably this year. And because the UAE dirham is pegged to the dollar, that directly affects what overseas buyers pay when converting their money into dirhams. In simple terms, for many international investors, especially from Europe and the UK, Dubai property has just become significantly more affordable.

How dollar drop works out in buyers' favour Since January 2025, the dollar is down around 11.5% against the euro and about 9% against the pound. That might sound abstract, but the effect is very real.

We have just listed a Dh59 million villa on Palm Jumeirah. Back in January, a British buyer would have needed just over 13.2 million pounds to purchase it. Today, they would need around 12 million pounds. That's a saving of more than 1.18 million pounds purely from the exchange rate - without a single dirham coming off the asking price.

Bigger win for euro-linked buyers
The impact is even greater for euro-based buyers. That same villa would have cost nearly 16 million euros in January. It's now just over 14.1 million euros. That's a currency-driven discount of around 1.8 million euros, with no actual reduction in the listed price.

We've seen before how shifts in currency markets can ripple through other asset classes. From 2002-08, the US dollar fell by nearly 40% against a basket of global currencies. In that same period, commodity prices climbed sharply, Brent Crude hit an all-time high of $149 per barrel, and property markets in places like Dubai saw strong performance.

When a currency declines, investors tend to look for stability in physical assets - real estate, gold, or anything else with intrinsic value tend to attract capital, which can often push prices higher.

We saw the opposite effect between mid-2014 and early 2017. The dollar strengthened significantly by around 28% against a basket of global currencies, and Dubai's real estate market softened during those years. Oil prices also dropped sharply. There were other factors at play, but the stronger dollar certainly didn't help.

To be clear, currency alone does not drive property prices. Supply and demand, mortgage rates, government policy, and market confidence all matter in a big way. However, at the margin, with all else being equal, a weaker dollar makes the Dubai real estate more affordable and more accessible in the eyes of international buyers.

Gulfnews