Apartment renovation cost in Dubai is easiest to understand per square metre, because that is how owners compare a one-bedroom in Marina with a three-bedroom in Dubai Hills before they have a single quote. This guide gives indicative 2026 rates per square metre for a cosmetic, full and design-led renovation, turns them into worked budgets by apartment size, explains what moves the number, walks through the building NOC, Dubai Municipality and DEWA approvals, sets out the stages and timeline, and shows how an owner who is not in Dubai keeps control of the works.
Key takeaways
- Indicative 2026 rates: about AED 850–1,600 per m² for a cosmetic renovation, AED 1,600–3,200 for a full one and AED 3,200–5,500+ for a design-led rebuild with layout changes.
- A full renovation of a typical two-bedroom (about 120 m²) lands around AED 190,000–380,000 before furniture; the kitchen and bathrooms take close to half of it.
- Nothing starts without the building NOC, and any change to walls or services adds Dubai Municipality and DEWA approvals; allow 2–6 weeks before the first day on site.
- A fixed-price contract, milestone payments tied to acceptance, and weekly photo reports are what let an owner abroad manage a renovation without flying in.
Three renovation formats: cosmetic, full and design-led
Every price per square metre depends on which format you are buying, and Dubai contractors use the words loosely. Before you compare quotes, fix the scope in one of three tiers:
- Cosmetic — the layout, kitchen carcass and bathrooms stay where they are. Paint, new flooring over or instead of the existing one, lighting, wardrobe doors, sanitaryware swapped like for like, a new kitchen front if needed. Typically no municipality approval, only the building NOC.
- Full — strip-out to the slab in wet areas, new kitchen and bathrooms, new floors and ceilings throughout, partial rewiring, built-in wardrobes and joinery. The layout stays; the finishes and services are new.
- Design-led — walls moved, MEP rerouted, a designer's drawing set, stone or large-format tile, bespoke joinery, feature ceilings, smart systems and designer lighting. Approvals go to Dubai Municipality and DEWA as well as the building.
What is never in the per-metre price unless stated: loose furniture, curtains, appliances, the building's refundable fit-out deposit and the design fee. Ask every contractor to confirm which of these are in and which are out before you compare a single number.
Apartment renovation cost in Dubai per square metre (2026)
The ranges below are indicative 2026 figures for tower apartments, priced on internal area and including labour, materials, site protection and standard finishes. They line up with the per-square-foot ranges in our apartment renovation guide; one square metre is about 10.8 square feet.
| Format | Cost per m² | What it typically includes |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic | 850–1,600 | Paint, flooring, lighting, wardrobe doors, like-for-like bathroom fittings |
| Full | 1,600–3,200 | Strip-out, new kitchen and bathrooms, floors, ceilings, partial rewiring, built-in joinery |
| Design-led | 3,200–5,500+ | Layout change, MEP rerouting, stone, bespoke joinery, smart systems, designer lighting |
Where a specific apartment sits in the band is decided by four things. The kitchen and bathrooms come first: a two-bathroom unit with a closed kitchen costs more per metre than a studio, because wet areas are the most expensive square metres in the flat. Then the building: a Downtown or Palm tower with strict working hours, a booked service lift and a demanding fit-out team costs 10–20 percent more in labour than a JVC or Sports City building with the same scope. Then the finishes: the jump from porcelain to natural stone, or from a local kitchen to an imported one, can double the materials line. And finally the state of what is there: older towers often hide corroded pipework and undersized electrical boards that only appear once the strip-out starts.
Worked budgets by apartment size
Multiplying the rate by the internal area gives a first budget that is usually within 15 percent of the final contract if the scope is held. Typical Dubai unit sizes and the resulting 2026 budgets, before furniture and design:
| Apartment | Cosmetic | Full | Design-led |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1-bedroom, about 70 m² | 60–110 | 110–225 | 225–400+ |
| 2-bedroom, about 120 m² | 100–190 | 190–380 | 380–660+ |
| 3-bedroom, about 170 m² | 145–270 | 270–540 | 540–930+ |
Add a contingency of 10 percent for a cosmetic job and 15 percent for a full or design-led one; older buildings justify the upper figure. If the flat is a rental investment, run the total through our ROI calculator before you choose the format, because a design-led rebuild rarely pays back on a mid-market unit while a full renovation with a good kitchen usually does. For a quick first number on your own floor plan, use the renovation calculator.
Approvals: building NOC, Dubai Municipality, DEWA and the developer
In a Dubai tower the owner does not simply hand keys to a contractor. Building management issues a no-objection certificate (NOC) against a package that usually contains the contractor's trade licence and insurance, drawings of what will change, a method statement and a refundable fit-out deposit; the exact list varies, so ask management for their form early. A cosmetic job normally needs only this. Once walls, plumbing routes, AC ducting or electrical loads change, the licensed contractor also submits to Dubai Municipality and, for load changes, to DEWA. Communities run by developers such as Emaar or Nakheel may add their own approval layer, and anything touching sprinklers or the fire alarm brings Dubai Civil Defence into the picture.
Realistically, allow 1–2 weeks for a building-only NOC and 3–6 weeks when the municipality and DEWA are involved. Two rules that cost owners money when ignored: the contractor named on the NOC must be the one on site, and the deposit is returned only after management inspects common areas, the lift and the corridor after handover. Our guide to choosing a renovation company in Dubai covers what to check on the licence before you let anyone apply on your behalf.
The renovation, stage by stage
A full apartment renovation in Dubai follows a fixed order, and each stage should end with something you can accept, in person or by video call:
- Survey and scope — measured survey, photos of every service, a written scope in the three-tier format above and a fixed-price quote against it.
- Design and drawings — for a full or design-led job, the design package and technical drawings that both the building and the contractor will work from.
- Approvals — NOC, and where needed Dubai Municipality and DEWA, while long-lead items such as the kitchen, stone and sanitaryware are ordered.
- Strip-out and first fix — demolition, waste removal by the building's rules, new pipework, conduits, AC changes and screeds. This is the stage where hidden problems appear and variations are priced.
- Second fix — tiling, ceilings, joinery, kitchen installation, painting, sanitaryware, lighting and sockets.
- Snagging and handover — a written defects list, corrections, cleaning, testing of every tap and socket, then handover documents and the building's exit inspection for the deposit.
Realistic timeline by format
Tower rules shape the calendar more than the size of the flat: permitted working hours are usually daytime on weekdays, Saturdays are often restricted, noisy work has a narrower window, and the service lift is shared with every other unit under renovation.
| Format | Approvals | On site | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic | 1–2 weeks | 2–4 weeks | 3–6 weeks |
| Full, 1–2 bedrooms | 2–4 weeks | 6–10 weeks | 8–14 weeks |
| Design-led with layout change | 4–6 weeks | 10–16 weeks | 14–22 weeks |
The schedule slips for three reasons: approvals started after the contractor was booked, long-lead materials ordered after strip-out, and changes made once the second fix has begun. All three are decided by the owner, not the site team, and all three are avoidable.
How to control the renovation if you are not in Dubai
A large share of apartment owners in Dubai manage their renovation from another country. That is workable, but only with a contract that replaces your presence. The contract should carry a fixed price against a written scope, a materials and finishes schedule with brands and models, a start and end date with the building's working-hour rules acknowledged, and a payment plan tied to accepted stages, not to calendar dates. A common structure is an advance of 20–30 percent, stage payments on first fix and second fix, and a final 10 percent held until snagging is closed. On top of the contract, agree a weekly photo and video report and a single point of contact who answers within a working day.
The mistakes that cost the most
The expensive mistakes in Dubai apartment renovations are the same every year. Comparing quotes with different scopes, so the cheapest one is simply the emptiest. Starting site work before the NOC to save two weeks and losing the deposit or being stopped by security. Ordering a kitchen after strip-out, so a finished flat waits six weeks for a carcass. Choosing natural marble for a family bathroom in hard-water Dubai. Leaving the lighting plan to the electrician. Taking the building deposit lightly and losing it over a scratched lift panel nobody photographed on day one. And furnishing at the very end without a plan, which is why furnishing is best specified alongside the finishes, from the same budget.
How A5renova renovates apartments in Dubai
A5renova delivers apartment renovation in Dubai as one fixed-price contract covering survey, drawings, the building NOC and municipality submissions, the works and handover, with milestone payments tied to acceptance and weekly video reports for owners who are abroad. The renovation service covers cosmetic, full and design-led formats; when the job needs drawings, our interior design team produces the set the building will stamp; and if the flat is going to market or into rental, furnishing and made-to-measure curtains are priced in the same schedule. Send us the floor plan and the building name and you will get a real number per square metre, not a range.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to renovate an apartment in Dubai per square metre?+
As indicative 2026 figures for tower apartments, a cosmetic renovation costs about AED 850–1,600 per m², a full renovation with new kitchen and bathrooms AED 1,600–3,200 per m², and a design-led rebuild with layout changes AED 3,200–5,500 per m² and above. The rate covers labour, materials and standard finishes on the internal area; furniture, appliances, curtains, the building deposit and design fees are usually extra.
What is the budget for renovating a two-bedroom apartment in Dubai?+
A typical two-bedroom of around 120 m² costs roughly AED 100,000–190,000 for a cosmetic renovation, AED 190,000–380,000 for a full one and AED 380,000–660,000 or more for a design-led rebuild, at 2026 prices and before furniture. Add a 10–15 percent contingency, more in an older building, and expect the kitchen and two bathrooms to take close to half of a full-renovation budget.
Do I need permission to renovate an apartment in Dubai?+
Yes. Every tower requires a no-objection certificate from building management before work starts, issued against the contractor's licence and insurance, drawings and a refundable deposit. If walls, plumbing, AC or electrical loads change, the licensed contractor also applies to Dubai Municipality and DEWA; developer-run communities and anything touching fire systems add their own approvals. Purely cosmetic work usually needs only the building NOC.
How long does an apartment renovation take in Dubai?+
Plan 3–6 weeks for a cosmetic renovation, 8–14 weeks for a full renovation of a one- or two-bedroom apartment and 14–22 weeks for a design-led job with layout and MEP changes, including approvals. Tower working hours, service-lift bookings and no-noise days stretch the on-site part compared with a villa. Approvals started late and kitchens ordered after strip-out are the usual reasons a schedule slips.
Can I renovate an apartment in Dubai while living abroad?+
Yes, and many owners do. It works with a fixed-price contract against a written scope and finishes schedule, payments tied to accepted stages rather than dates, a weekly photo and video report and a single point of contact. Hold back a final 10 percent until snagging is closed, accept first fix on video before releasing the next payment, and choose a contractor who handles the NOC and municipality submissions on your behalf.
Is it cheaper to renovate an apartment or buy a renovated one in Dubai?+
It depends on the unit. Renovating usually costs less per square metre than the premium a well-finished flat commands in a good tower, and you control the quality, but you carry 3–5 months of no rent or use and the approval process. For an investment, compare the renovated price of comparable units with the purchase price plus the full renovation budget and the void period before deciding.
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