Yas Island, Abu Dhabi's leisure hub open to foreign buyers, trades at AED 1,922/sq ft with a calculated gross yield of 5.8% (Bayut, March 2026). Prices, projects completing in 2028, a worked example and key risks.
On this page
- Is Yas Island a good Abu Dhabi investment?
- Yas prices and rents: how have they moved over five years?
- Which projects and developers to consider on Yas today?
- Worked example: a 1,200 sq ft apartment on Yas, from purchase to rent
- Where does Yas sit in the Abu Dhabi market?
- Key risks before investing on Yas
Yas Island is one of the busiest Abu Dhabi investment locations right now: the island recorded AED 7.3 billion in residential sales in the first half of 2026, behind Hudayriyat, Saadiyat and Al Reem/Al Maryah, according to the ADREC H1 2026 market report. That volume reflects solid demand from both local and international buyers.
Yas was built around tourism and leisure: a Formula 1 circuit, theme parks, a marina, hotels and golf. This ecosystem draws visitors all year round and attracts residents who want to live close to these amenities. At Lucretia, we look at what this leisure hub actually offers an investor: the entry price, the rent, the new launches and the limits of the exercise.
Is Yas Island a good Abu Dhabi investment?
Yes, foreigners can buy on Yas: the island is one of the designated investment zones open to non-nationals, alongside Al Reem and Saadiyat, according to DARI. No local partner is required, and registration goes through the emirate's official platform.
The entry price stands at AED 1,922/sq ft for sales on Yas Island, according to Bayut data (March 2026). That is the level of an established district, without being a market reserved for very large budgets.
Rents produce a calculated gross yield of 5.8%, according to Bayut data (March 2026). It is obtained by dividing the annual rent per sq ft by the price per sq ft, excluding service charges and vacancy. This places Yas among the balanced profiles: the property generates steady income while remaining exposed to capital growth.
Yas prices and rents: how have they moved over five years?
The price per sq ft on Yas has risen 58.9% over 60 months, 43% over 36 months and 6.3% over 12 months, according to Bayut data (March 2026). Most of the increase therefore came in the last three years.
The last twelve months show a calmer pace. The market has not turned: it has slowed after a very fast phase, which leaves less room for purely speculative buying and more for buy-to-let.
Rents that reflect real demand
Rents reach AED 112/sq ft per year on the island, according to Bayut data (March 2026). Tenant demand is strong across all investment zones: in the first half of 2026, rents on new leases there rose 21% for apartments and 16% for villas, against 17% and 9% across the emirate as a whole, according to ADREC.
When prices rise faster than rents, gross yield falls mechanically. Our guide to rental yields in Abu Dhabi by district explains why.
Which projects and developers to consider on Yas today?
Among the projects we list on Yas, completions run from April to December 2028, and two developers share the supply: Aldar Properties and Reportage Properties.
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| Project | Developer | Completion | Positioning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sama Yas | Aldar Properties | April 2028 | Standard residential |
| Yas Riva | Aldar Properties | September 2028 | Standard residential |
| Perla 1 | Reportage Properties | December 2028 | Standard residential |
| Waldorf Astoria Residences Yas | Aldar Properties | December 2028 | Branded residence |
Aldar Properties, with 17 projects published in our catalogue, is behind three of these developments. Reportage Properties, with 8 published projects, is developing Perla 1.
Two strategies emerge. A branded residence ties the property to a hotel brand and targets an upscale clientele. Standard projects offer a more accessible ticket and a broader tenant base.
On our project pages, starting prices are rounded and, above AED 2 million, shown as "price on request". Supply keeps growing: ADREC reports the launch of Manchester City Yas Residences (Ohana Development) and Yas Park Place (Aldar), according to its activity update of 4 May 2026.
Worked example: a 1,200 sq ft apartment on Yas, from purchase to rent
A 1,200 sq ft apartment on Yas comes to a theoretical price of AED 2,306,400: 1,200 sq ft × AED 1,922/sq ft (Bayut, March 2026).
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- Transfer fee: 2% of the price according to DARI, i.e. AED 46,128. The total outlay reaches AED 2,352,528. Full details are in our guide to property purchase costs in Abu Dhabi.
- Gross rent: 1,200 sq ft × AED 112/sq ft/year (Bayut, March 2026), i.e. AED 134,400 per year.
- Yield on total outlay: roughly 5.7% gross once the transfer fee is included, before service charges and vacancy.
This rent is not taxed: individuals in the UAE pay neither tax on rental income nor capital gains tax, according to the UAE government's official portal.
At AED 2,306,400, the price also exceeds the AED 2,000,000 property investment threshold required for the 10-year Golden Visa. The application requirements are set out in our guide to the Abu Dhabi property Golden Visa.
Where does Yas sit in the Abu Dhabi market?
Yas sits slightly above the market median, with a date gap worth keeping in mind. The island price quoted above dates from March 2026, whereas the median of AED 1,792/sq ft across the 10 tracked districts dates from August 2026, the latest point in the Bayut series.
On yield, the median stands at 5.7% across 8 districts, in a range from 2.4% in Al Jurf Gardens to 6.8% on Al Maryah Island, according to the same Bayut series. At 5.8% recorded in March, Yas sits in the upper half. On momentum, the median 12-month change of +6.1% (10 districts) remains close to the island's pace, allowing for the five-month gap.
Volumes point the same way. In the first quarter of 2026, Yas exceeded AED 5.5 billion in transactions, behind Hudayriyat (AED 11.97 billion), Reem (AED 9.45 billion) and Saadiyat (AED 8.8 billion), according to ADREC's Q1 2026 review.
To compare areas, see our guide Where to invest in Abu Dhabi. Underlying trends are analysed in our guide to the Abu Dhabi property market, and the full overview is on our invest in Abu Dhabi page.
Key risks before investing on Yas
The first point of caution concerns how to read the 5.8%: it is a calculated gross yield, which accounts for neither service charges nor vacancy. It is neither a net yield nor a guaranteed return.
- Date every figure. The Yas series stops in March 2026, while the wider market is tracked to August 2026. Comparing the two without saying so skews the analysis.
- Plan for competition between landlords. The projects in the table above complete within a few months of each other, so several owners will be looking for tenants at the same time. It is only a sample, but the risk is real for the first letting.
- Don't extrapolate the rise. The 58.9% over 60 months describes the past and says nothing about the years ahead.
Many buyers choose their off-plan apartment based on the showroom alone. We recommend instead comparing orientation and view with those of neighbouring units completing in the same year. These are what will make the difference on the day several identical apartments are up for rent at once.
On Yas, the buyers I work with ask about the leisure offer first. Those who do best pay just as much attention to the completion schedule and to what will be handed over at the same time as their unit.
— Léonard ARZOUNI, Real Estate Consultant
For an off-plan purchase, the new termination rules outlined at the top of this article apply, and the other pitfalls of buying new are covered in our guide to buying off-plan in Abu Dhabi.
This article is part of our guide
Abu Dhabi Property Investment Guide: Buy, Let and Resell with Confidence
About the author
Léonard ARZOUNI
Real Estate Consultant
Léonard is a luxury real estate consultant with more than six years of experience in the high-end market. He is fluent in French and English and assists an international clientele in the acquisition and management of exceptional properties, both residential and investment-oriented. His expertise covers property valuation, portfolio management and strategic negotiation, enabling him to develop tailor-made solutions adapted to each client's wealth objectives. He is appreciated for his rigour and attention to detail. Outside of work, Léonard is passionate about contemporary art, collecting works by emerging artists. He is a curious traveller who loves discovering new cultures.
