Neighbourhood guide
District One
A lagoon-front villa community within Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City, beside Meydan.
Image: Nakheel
District One is a master-planned residential community within Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City, adjacent to Meydan. It is built around a large Crystal Lagoon with shoreline walkways and cycling and running tracks. The community is predominantly villas, with apartment buildings added in later phases.
- Master developer
- Meydan (Dubai Holding Real Estate)
- Villa developer
- Meydan Sobha joint venture
- First handovers
- 2016 to 2018
- Setting
- Lagoon-front, beside Meydan
Landmarks and lifestyle
Around District One
Two places inside the community and two nearby.
Crystal Lagoon
A swimmable lagoon for non-motorised water sports, open since 2022.
Photograph: Crystal Lagoons
Cycling and running tracks
More than eight kilometres of tracks through a community with 60 percent open green space.
Photograph: Crystal Lagoons
Meydan Racecourse
Home of the Dubai World Cup, open since 2010.
Photograph: Imadkayyali, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Burj Khalifa
The Downtown Dubai skyline rises beyond the lagoon.
Photograph: Laika ac, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Market at a glance
District One in figures
Registered home sales from October 2025 to September 2026, Dubai Land Department.
172Registered home sales in the last 12 months
AED 1.7mTypical apartment sale, the median of 172 sales
AED 1,991Median price per sq ft, all homes
-10.0%Change in median price per sq ft over 12 months
Available properties
Interested in District One?
We have no listings in District One at present. Tell us what you are looking for and our team will discuss your requirements and the opportunities that may suit them.
Speak to our teamRedwood scorecard
District One against 16 Dubai communities
Six measures, calculated the same way for every community we cover. Five dots means the strongest reading among them.
Liquidity●●○○○172 salesHome sales, last 12 months · Rank 13 of 16
Sales each month, October 2023 to September 2026April to September 2026: 16 a month, against 37 over the previous 30 months.
Price momentum●○○○○-10.0%Change in median AED per sq ft over 12 months · Rank 14 of 14
Median AED per sq ft by yearAED 2,210 in 2025, AED 1,922 in 2026 to September.
Five-year growth●○○○○+16.4%Change in median AED per sq ft over 5 years · Rank 13 of 13
Then and now2021AED 1,7272026AED 1,922Median price per sq ft, all homes.
Activity against its own history●○○○○47% of its averageLast 12 months against its 10-year average · Rank 13 of 14
Home sales by yearPeak of 709 in 2022. 2026 shows January to September.
Prime demand●○○○○0 salesSales of AED 36.7m (USD 10m) or more · Rank 11 of 16
What buyers spentUnder AED 2mUSD 10m and above42.4% of sales at AED 2m or more, the Golden Visa level.
Ready-home market●●●●○90.7% of salesShare of sales in completed homes · Rank 3 of 16
Off-plan against completed, per sq ftOff-planAED 2,075CompletedAED 1,95516 off-plan and 156 completed sales.
What homes sold for
Registered sales, last 12 months
| Home | Sales | Entry | Typical | Top | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartments | 172 | AED 1.3m | AED 1.7m | AED 4.1m | AED 1,991 |
| By bedroom, all homes | |||||
| 1 bed | 106 | AED 1.5m | AED 1,919 | ||
| 2 bed | 39 | AED 2.6m | AED 2,138 | ||
| 3 bed | 22 | AED 4.2m | AED 2,342 | ||
Entry is the 10th percentile, typical the median and top the 90th percentile of registered sale prices. Bedroom rows show the median and include villas; sizes with fewer than ten sales are left out.
Price per sq ft over time
Median AED per sq ft, all homes
*2026 covers January to September. Medians reflect the mix of homes sold each year as well as prices.
Source: Dubai Land Department transaction register, data.dubai extract of 20 October 2026. Homes are apartments registered for residential use and all villas; sales, pre-registration and delayed sales are counted. Analysis by Redwood Heritage.
The Redwood perspective
Lagoon and garden living close to the centre
Character
Villas and mansions around the lagoon, with apartment buildings, including D1 Residences and Naya, added in later phases.
Who it may suit
Families who want lagoon and garden living within reach of the city centre.
Ownership
District One is not named in Regulation No. 3 of 2006, which lists Dubai’s designated areas by plot, so confirm the title of the specific plot or unit with the Dubai Land Department before you commit.
Trade-offs
Construction continues into 2027 as later phases complete. Service charges vary by building and are published in the RERA Service Charge Index on the Dubai Land Department website.
Compare with
Communities priced closest to District One
The three guides nearest in median price per sq ft over the last 12 months.
Enquire
Considering District One?
Tell us what you are looking for, whether to live, to hold or to sell. Our team will reply to discuss your requirements.
Speak to our team
What the brochures leave out
Honest trade-offs
- Prices have eased. The median price per sq ft is 10.0% below the previous 12 months. Good for buyers, but it calls for care on resale assumptions.
- A thin resale market. 172 registered home sales in 12 months. Selling can take longer here than in deeper communities.
- Activity below its long-run pace. Sales are running at 47% of the 10-year average.
- Service charges differ by building. The Dubai Land Department publishes them in its Service Charge Index. We obtain the current figure for any home before you make an offer.
Owning from abroad
For the international buyer
- Who can buy. Non-UAE nationals may hold freehold title without time limit in the areas Dubai designates for foreign ownership. We confirm the status of each home on its title deed before you commit.
- Golden Visa. Property worth AED 2m or more can support a UAE Golden Visa. 42.4% of registered home sales here in the last 12 months were at AED 2m or above.
- Purchase and yearly costs. The Dubai Land Department registration fee is 4% of the value, paid by the buyer. Service charges are the main yearly cost.
- Holding structure. Many families hold Dubai property through a company or foundation for succession. Our structuring colleagues at Redwood Heritage can arrange this alongside the purchase.
Questions buyers ask
District One, answered
Each answer with its source. Figures are registered sales from October 2025 to September 2026.
Can foreigners buy property in District One?
Non-UAE nationals may own freehold property without time limit in the areas Dubai designates for foreign ownership. We confirm the status of each home on its title deed before you commit.
Source: Regulation No. 3 of 2006, Government of DubaiDoes a home in District One qualify for a Golden Visa?
A property worth AED 2m or more, wholly owned or financed by a local bank, can support a UAE Golden Visa. In the last 12 months, 42.4% of registered home sales in District One were at AED 2m or above.
Source: Ministry of Economy and Tourism; Dubai Land DepartmentWhat does a home in District One cost?
Typical registered sale prices over the last 12 months: apartments AED 1.7m. The buyer also pays the Dubai Land Department registration fee of 4% of the value.
Source: Dubai Land DepartmentHow have prices moved in District One?
The median price per sq ft changed -10.0% over the last 12 months and +16.4% over five years. The current median is AED 1,991 per sq ft.
Source: Dubai Land DepartmentWhat are service charges in District One?
Service charges are set building by building and published by the Dubai Land Department in its Service Charge Index. We obtain the current figure for any home before you make an offer.
Source: Dubai Land Department, Service Charge IndexSources: Dubai Land Department transaction register, data.dubai extract of 20 October 2026; Regulation No. 3 of 2006; Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Golden Visa for real estate investors; Dubai Land Department, registration fees.
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