Sharjah vs Dubai: what a square foot actually costs
Published 4 September 2026
The reason buyers look north from Dubai is arithmetic. Land in Sharjah is cheaper, so the same money buys more house. The question is what you give up for it, and whether the commute cancels out the saving.
What Azizi Florence costs per square foot
| Home | Size (sq ft) | From (AED) | Per sq ft (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 bedroom townhouse | 2,224 | 1,890,000 | 850 |
| 4 bedroom townhouse | 2,660 | 2,260,000 | 850 |
| 4 bedroom villa | 3,714 | 3,350,000 | 902 |
| 5 bedroom villa | 4,636 | 4,200,000 | 906 |
| 6 bedroom villa | 4,930 | 4,950,000 | 1,004 |
The pattern is worth noticing. Townhouses hold flat at around AED 850 per sq ft whichever size you take, and the villas climb only as you move up the range, with the park-facing six bedroom carrying the premium. In practice the four bedroom villa is the most efficient way to buy a standalone home here.
Sizes, instalments and plot details for the four bedroom villa.
The trade you are actually making
You are trading proximity for space. Downtown Dubai is around 25 minutes from Um Fanain on E311 off-peak, and Dubai International around 30. In rush hour those numbers stretch, as they do on any UAE commute. If you work in Sharjah, at Sharjah Airport, at the free zone or at one of the universities, the trade barely registers: everything is five to fifteen minutes away.
The second thing you are trading is title type. Dubai's designated areas give foreign buyers freehold. Sharjah generally gives non-GCC buyers a long-term usufruct. That is a real difference and it should factor into the price you are willing to pay, not just the location.
We go through the detail in how foreign ownership works in Sharjah.