Turkey vs Dubai Property: Costs, Visas, Tax

In short: Turkey and Dubai suit different goals. In Turkey, real estate worth at least USD 400,000, kept for three years, can lead to Turkish citizenship. In Dubai, property worth at least AED 2 million supports a long-term UAE Golden Visa, which gives residence, not citizenship. The main purchase fee is 4% in both places. The UAE does not tax individuals on rent or on gains from a sale. Turkey taxes rental income at progressive rates and taxes the gain on a home sold within five years.

This comparison reflects official sources as checked in November 2026. We list homes in both markets, so we set out both sides on the same terms. If you are also weighing up Northern Cyprus, see our Northern Cyprus vs Turkey comparison.

Which suits your goal: Turkey or Dubai?

A second passport: Turkey. Real estate worth at least USD 400,000 can qualify you for Turkish citizenship. Dubai property gives residence rights only.
Residence without citizenship: both. Dubai offers the Golden Visa from AED 2 million. Turkey offers a short-term residence permit (ikamet) to owners of a home worth at least USD 200,000.
Rental income free of local income tax: Dubai. Individuals pay no UAE income tax on rent, but a 5% housing fee is billed through DEWA, and your home country may tax the income. In Turkey, rental income is taxed at 15% to 40% for 2026.
A wide choice of homes and prices: Turkey has the larger choice in our own stock, from coastal villas to city flats, and a lower starting price than our Dubai apartments (see the listing figures below).

Where can foreigners buy?

Dubai: designated freehold areas

Under Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006, ownership is generally reserved for UAE and GCC nationals. Non-UAE nationals can hold freehold title in areas designated by the Ruler, such as Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah, and later resolutions have added further land. Before you reserve, confirm with the Dubai Land Department (DLD) or the developer that the plot is in a freehold area. Our guide to buying property in Dubai covers the areas and the process in detail.

Turkey: most of the country, with limits

Foreign individuals buy under Article 35 of the Land Registry Law (No. 2644). Reciprocity is no longer required; instead, the buyer's nationality must be on a list set by the President. Two limits apply:

a foreign individual may hold no more than 30 hectares nationwide, and no more than 10% of the privately ownable land in any one district;
land in military or security zones needs clearance from the military or the provincial police; outside these zones, approval is routine and usually takes about a month, according to the Chambers Real Estate 2026 guide.

The transfer itself takes place at the land registry (tapu) office. See the tapu transfer process for the steps.

Citizenship or Golden Visa: what USD 400,000 and AED 2 million get you

Turkey: citizenship from USD 400,000

Since 13 June 2022, the real-estate route to Turkish citizenship has required property worth at least USD 400,000 (or the equivalent in foreign currency). The main conditions, under the regulation and Land Registry (TKGM) circulars, are:

a 3-year no-sale annotation (şerh) is placed on the title;
the property must have a condominium title (kat mülkiyeti) or construction-servitude title (kat irtifakı), or be land with a building on it; empty land and fields no longer qualify;
the foreign currency must be sold to a bank in Turkey before the transfer, shown by a currency conversion certificate (Döviz Alım Belgesi, DAB) and a bank receipt;
a valuation report by an SPK-licensed valuer is required.

Off-plan homes can qualify through a notarised sales promise contract of at least USD 400,000 carrying the same 3-year annotation, according to law firms citing the regulation. Your spouse and children under 18 may be included in the application, law firms report. Read our guide to Turkish citizenship by real estate investment before you commit.

If you want residence rather than a passport, a home worth at least USD 200,000 when you bought it can support a short-term residence permit, provided you live in it and do not rent it out. Some neighbourhoods are closed to new foreign residents, so check the address first. See the residence permit through property.

Dubai: the Golden Visa from AED 2 million

The official UAE portal lists real-estate investment as a Golden Visa route with a minimum of AED 2 million. The term is where official sources differ:

Dubai's immigration authority (GDRFA) and the DLD both describe a 10-year renewable residence permit for owners of Dubai property worth at least AED 2 million;
the federal portal u.ae (updated 28 July 2026) lists 5 years for real-estate investments.

Confirm the term with the GDRFA or the DLD when you apply. Under the GDRFA and DLD conditions:

mortgaged property is accepted, with a no-objection letter from the bank;
with joint ownership, your own share must be worth at least AED 2 million;
a lien is placed on the property, which may not be disposed of during the permit term.

The visa lets you sponsor your spouse and children and stay outside the UAE for more than the usual six months. The official service pages do not address off-plan homes, so check eligibility before buying off-plan with the visa in mind. The GDRFA also issues a residence permit to owners of a completed, habitable home they own outright, subject to a monthly income of at least AED 10,000 or proof of financial solvency.

The key difference: the Golden Visa is residence that you renew and that depends on keeping the qualifying property. Turkish citizenship is a nationality; the property must be held for the 3-year annotation period.

Purchase costs compared

Cost	Dubai	Turkey
Main transfer fee	DLD fee of 4% of the price; by law shared equally between buyer and seller unless agreed otherwise	Title deed fee (tapu harcı) of 4% of the declared price; by law 2% from the buyer and 2% from the seller
Off-plan	The 4% is paid on Oqood registration, not again at handover	The tapu fee is paid when the title is transferred at the land registry
Fixed charges	Registration and trustee office fees; ask the trustee office for the current schedule	Revolving-fund fee (döner sermaye), plus a flat extra charge for foreign buyers reported at 20,868 TL in the 2026 tariff
VAT on homes	Generally none: the first supply of a new home is zero-rated and resales are exempt	New builds: 10% up to 150 m² net, 20% from 150 m²; non-resident foreigners can be exempt on a first sale if conditions are met
Payment rules	Off-plan payments go into the project's escrow account	Foreign currency sold to a bank in Turkey, shown by a DAB
Other	Agent commission as agreed	Agent commission as agreed; sworn translator at the tapu office if you do not speak Turkish

The Turkish VAT exemption requires at least 50% of the price to be brought into Turkey in foreign currency before the invoice, the rest within 1 year, and the home to be kept for at least 1 year. To estimate the Turkish side, use our Turkey buying costs calculator. Our buying costs comparison adds Northern Cyprus, Portugal, Spain and the UK to the picture.

Off-plan protection: escrow and Oqood or sales promise contracts

In Dubai, an off-plan sale is registered with the DLD through the Oqood system and your payments go into the project's escrow account. The Dubai guide explains both.

In Turkey, a home under construction usually carries a construction-servitude title (kat irtifakı); the full condominium title (kat mülkiyeti) follows the occupancy permit (iskân). For a citizenship purchase, an off-plan contract must be a notarised sales promise contract with the 3-year annotation. Either way, check the building permit, the title type and the payment schedule with an independent lawyer before you pay a deposit.

Running costs and tax on rental income

Dubai

No annual property tax appears among the taxes listed on the UAE government portal.
A housing fee of 5% of the annual rental value is billed through DEWA (water and electricity); sources disagree on whether the owner or the tenant of a let home bears it.
Service charges are set per building or community.
The UAE does not levy income tax on individuals, and income from real estate held personally, without a licence, is outside the 9% corporate tax.
Holiday lets need a permit from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism.

Turkey

Annual property tax (emlak vergisi) on a home is 0.1% of its tax value, or 0.2% within metropolitan municipalities.
Homes with a building tax value above 17,711,000 TL pay a high-value residential property tax (değerli konut vergisi) for 2026.
Earthquake insurance (DASK) is compulsory for residential buildings.
Rental income is taxed at the progressive rates for 2026, from 15% on taxable income up to 190,000 TL to 40% above 5,300,000 TL.
Letting a home for 100 days or less at a time needs a tourism rental permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under Law 7464.

See Turkey property taxes for owners and renting out property in Turkey for details. In both countries, your home country may also tax the rent.

Selling and capital gains

Dubai: individuals pay no income tax on a gain, and a sale of personally held real estate without a licence is outside corporate tax. The 4% DLD fee applies to the new sale. If the home supports a Golden Visa, selling it affects the visa, as the property must be kept for the permit term.

Turkey: a gain is taxable only if you sell within 5 years of the tapu registration date. For 2026:

the purchase cost is indexed to the producer price index (Yİ-ÜFE) where it rose by 10% or more;
the first 150,000 TL of total gains in the year is exempt;
the rest is taxed at the progressive rates of 15% to 40%;
a non-resident seller files a special return within 15 days of the sale.

A citizenship property also cannot be sold during its 3-year annotation. Our seller guide explains how to calculate capital gains tax on a Turkish sale.

Prices and stock: what our listings show

As of 11 November 2026, our live listings show:

Dubai: 9 homes, all apartments, priced in sterling from GBP 584,000 to about GBP 6.4 million; 3 of them are marked as Golden Visa properties, from GBP 668,000. Browse properties in Dubai.
Turkey: about 260 homes, including more than 100 in Fethiye (sterling prices from GBP 172,000), about 80 in Bodrum (euro prices from EUR 250,000) and nearly 30 in Istanbul (dollar prices from USD 170,000). Browse properties in Turkey, or go straight to Fethiye, Bodrum or Istanbul.

These figures describe our own stock on that date, not the market as a whole.

Checklist before you choose

Goal: decide whether you need citizenship, residence, rental income or a holiday home.
Eligibility: check that your nationality may buy in Turkey and that the plot is in a Dubai freehold area.
Visa terms: confirm the Golden Visa term with the GDRFA or the DLD, or the citizenship conditions with a Turkish lawyer.
Total cost: add up the 4% fee, fixed charges, VAT and agent commission for each option.
Tax at home: ask a tax adviser how your home country taxes foreign rent and gains.
Off-plan: check escrow and Oqood registration in Dubai, or the permit, title type and contract in Turkey.

Frequently asked questions

Does buying property in Dubai give citizenship?

No. Property worth at least AED 2 million supports a Golden Visa, which is a long-term residence visa. Turkey's real-estate route, from USD 400,000, leads to citizenship.

Is the Dubai Golden Visa for property 5 or 10 years?

Official sources differ. The GDRFA and the DLD describe a 10-year renewable permit, while the federal portal u.ae lists 5 years for real-estate investments. Confirm the term when you apply.

Are purchase costs higher in Turkey or in Dubai?

The main fee is 4% in both. Turkey adds a revolving-fund fee and, on many new builds, VAT unless you qualify for the exemption; Dubai adds registration and trustee office fees.

Do I pay tax on rental income in Dubai or Turkey?

In Dubai, individuals pay no income tax on rent, though a 5% housing fee is billed through DEWA. In Turkey, rental income is taxed at 15% to 40% for 2026.

Can I sell my citizenship property in Turkey?

Not during the 3-year annotation period. After that, a sale within 5 years of the tapu date is subject to capital gains tax.

Next steps

Compare homes in Turkey and Dubai, see our investment opportunities, read our other country guides, or contact us to talk through both options.

Sources (checked November 2026)

Updated: November 2026

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice; rules and fees change, so check the current position with the relevant authority and a qualified adviser before you act.

Turkey or Dubai? Buying Property as a Foreigner Compared (2026)