Adjust the sliders and see your estimated monthly payment update in real time. Uses the standard amortisation formula with CBUAE-compliant parameters.
These Central Bank regulations determine your maximum borrowing. Banks cannot lend beyond these limits.
Total monthly debt payments cannot exceed a percentage of your gross income. UAE Nationals: 60%. Expats: 50%. Non-residents: 45%.
Maximum loan as a percentage of property value. First home under AED 5M: up to 80%. Over AED 5M: 70% (nationals) or 65% (expats).
Maximum total borrowing as a multiple of annual income. Nationals: 8x. Expats: 7x. Non-residents: 5x.
Adjust the sliders and the calculator runs the standard reducing-balance amortisation formula. Property value minus your down payment gives the loan amount. That loan is repaid over your chosen term at your chosen rate using equal monthly instalments. This is the same formula every UAE bank uses to calculate your repayment schedule.
Three CBUAE rules cap your borrowing before the formula even runs. Your Debt Burden Ratio (DBR) limits total monthly debt commitments to 50% of gross salary for expats, or 60% for UAE nationals. The maximum loan-to-value (LTV) on a first property under AED 5 million is 80%, which means you need at least a 20% down payment. The total loan cannot exceed 7 times your annual salary (6 times for self-employed borrowers). Your actual maximum is whichever of these three limits is lowest. Most borrowers are constrained by DBR first.
The rate field uses a reducing-balance rate, not a flat rate. Flat rates are still quoted informally by some lenders and can appear deceptively low. A 2.5% flat rate is roughly equivalent to a 4.5% reducing-balance rate. All the rates on our compare page are reducing-balance rates, so you can input any of them directly without conversion.
Islamic finance uses profit rates rather than interest rates, but the repayment calculation is identical to a reducing-balance rate. Whether the bank calls it an interest rate or a profit rate, the monthly payment figure the calculator shows is accurate for both.
Each month, your repayment covers two things: the interest (or profit) that has accrued on the outstanding balance, and a portion of the principal. Early in the mortgage, most of the payment is interest because the balance is large. Over time, the balance falls, less interest accrues each month, and more of each payment goes toward principal. This is why the total interest on a 25-year mortgage looks alarming compared to the loan amount. It is also why overpaying early in the mortgage saves substantially more interest than overpaying later.
Here is what the full eligibility calculation looks like with real numbers, following the CBUAE framework step by step.
Scenario: Expat buyer. Property value AED 1,500,000. Salary AED 25,000 per month. Rate 4.50% reducing. Term 25 years. No existing debts.
At 80% LTV, the maximum loan on an AED 1,500,000 property is AED 1,200,000. Down payment required: AED 300,000. This does not yet tell you whether you can afford the repayment. It tells you the loan ceiling the bank will not cross regardless of your income.
At AED 25,000 salary, 50% DBR gives a maximum monthly commitment of AED 12,500. If you have no other loans or credit card minimum payments, the full AED 12,500 is available for your mortgage payment.
Monthly repayment on AED 1,200,000 at 4.50% over 25 years: AED 6,595. That is 26.4% of gross salary, well within the 50% DBR cap. This borrower passes.
AED 1,200,000 is 4x annual salary (AED 300,000). The CBUAE cap is 7x for employed expats. This passes with room to spare.
Result: This borrower qualifies. Monthly repayment: AED 6,595. Total interest over 25 years: AED 778,500. Total repaid: AED 1,978,500.
DBR at 50% gives AED 7,500 maximum monthly commitment. The repayment on AED 1,200,000 at 4.50% over 25 years is AED 6,595. That still passes the DBR check. However, the income multiple is now 6.67x (AED 1,200,000 against AED 180,000 annual salary), close to the 7x ceiling. Several banks operate internal limits below the CBUAE maximum, and a borrower at 6.67x may be declined or offered a smaller loan. For this salary, targeting a property under AED 1.1 million gives more margin.
DBR at 50% gives AED 6,000 maximum monthly commitment. Monthly repayment on AED 1,200,000 is AED 6,595. That exceeds the DBR cap. This borrower does not qualify for AED 1,200,000. Maximum qualifying loan at AED 6,000 payment capacity, 25 years at 4.50%: approximately AED 1,090,000. Maximum property price at 80% LTV: AED 1,362,500.
The monthly figure shown is the mortgage repayment only. Buying a property in Dubai involves several one-time costs that you need to budget for separately. These are fixed by regulation or standard market practice and apply regardless of which bank you use.
4% of the purchase price, paid at transfer. On AED 1,500,000 that is AED 60,000. This is mandatory and non-negotiable.
Typically 2% of the purchase price if buying through a registered agent. On AED 1,500,000 that is AED 30,000.
0.25% of the loan amount, paid to the DLD at the time of mortgage registration. On AED 1,200,000 that is AED 3,000.
AED 2,500 to AED 3,500, paid to a RERA-approved valuer. Required by the bank before mortgage approval. Paid whether the mortgage proceeds or not.
Required by most UAE lenders. Typically 0.3% to 0.7% of the outstanding loan balance per year, reducing as the loan is repaid. Some banks sell their own policy; you can often source cheaper cover independently.
0.5% to 1% of the loan amount, charged at drawdown. On AED 1,200,000 at 0.5% that is AED 6,000. Negotiable, and often waived for larger loans or salary-transfer borrowers.
The calculator answers one question: what is the monthly repayment on a specific loan at a specific rate?
The eligibility checker answers a different question: based on your salary, existing debts, visa status, and nationality, what is the maximum loan you qualify for, and at which banks?
Use the calculator first. Understanding the repayment on the loan you want is useful before you talk to any bank. Many buyers discover the repayment is higher than expected and use this to reset their property budget before engaging with lenders. That is a more productive starting point than getting a bank's pre-approval and then working backwards from an amount you cannot comfortably service.
Then use the eligibility checker to see whether a bank will lend you that amount and which products match your profile. The eligibility tool factors in employer category (government, listed company, SME), existing liabilities, and whether you transfer your salary, all of which affect which lenders will approve you and at what rate.
The eligibility checker matches your profile against 55+ products from 12+ UAE lenders in under two minutes.