Business Bay is the canal district immediately south of Downtown Dubai, developed by Dubai Properties around a 3.2 kilometre engineered waterway that was inaugurated in November 2016. It was masterplanned for more than 230 towers and a working population north of 300,000, which explains both its energy and its price relative to Downtown.
The honest way to describe Business Bay is Downtown adjacency at a discount, with the discount earned. You get canal frontage, a Red Line station and a five minute drive to the Burj Khalifa. You also get a district that is still completing towers against a masterplan originally scheduled to finish between 2012 and 2015, which keeps a steady supply of new handovers competing with your resale.
Why buyers choose Business Bay
- Real waterfront in central Dubai. The Dubai Water Canal runs 3.2 kilometres at 80 to 120 metres wide, with 80,000 square metres of public promenade, cycle paths and four marina stations for public water transport.
- Marasi Bay. The marina district inside Business Bay, under construction since June 2017, is the only purpose built marina in inland central Dubai.
- Business Bay metro station on the Red Line, open since October 2010, at Sheikh Zayed Road and 35th Street.
- Downtown next door. Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and Dubai Opera are the adjoining district, without Downtown pricing.
- Canal side hospitality. The canal corridor was planned with four hotels and around 450 restaurants, and the F and B density along the water is now the district’s strongest lifestyle argument.
- Three road crossings and three pedestrian bridges over the canal, including the Bridge of Tolerance, all set 8.5 metres above the water for boat clearance.
Prices and what your money buys
Business Bay trades below Downtown on a per square foot basis, and the single number that matters here is not the district average but the spread between canal fronting and inland stock. Those are two different markets in the same postcode. Ask for both figures separately, and ask what is plotted on the opposite bank before you pay for the view.
Getting around
Sheikh Zayed Road crosses the canal here with eight lanes in each direction; Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Road cross with three each way. Al Khail Road forms the eastern boundary. The metro station sits on the Sheikh Zayed Road edge, so towers on the eastern and canal sides are a drive or a feeder bus from rail rather than a walk. Check the actual walk for the specific building.
What to watch
- Supply is the defining risk. A masterplan of 230 plus towers on 64 million square feet, still delivering against a schedule that originally ended in 2015, means a persistent handover pipeline competing with resale stock. This is the honest reason Business Bay trades below Downtown.
- Canal side construction is not finished. Marasi is still in delivery and the Dubai Creek extension is announced. A canal view today can become a construction view for several years.
- Metro walkability is uneven. One station on the western edge serving a district planned for 300,000 people. Walkability is a per building question, not a district claim.
- High investor and short-let ownership ratios affect building wear, lift and parking pressure, and income stability compared with an owner occupied tower.
Frequently asked questions
Is Business Bay a good area to invest in Dubai?
It offers central location and canal frontage at a discount to Downtown, with the trade off that ongoing supply caps price growth. It suits buyers who want a central address and are pricing in competition from new handovers, rather than buyers expecting scarcity driven appreciation.
How long is the Dubai Water Canal?
3.2 kilometres, 80 to 120 metres wide and 6 metres deep, built between 2014 and 2016 at a cost of around AED 2 billion and inaugurated on 9 November 2016.
What is Marasi Bay?
The marina and waterfront district within Business Bay on the Dubai Water Canal, with construction commencing in June 2017. It is where the district’s waterfront residential and berthing product sits.
Projects we hold in Business Bay
Price levels move quarter to quarter, so we quote current figures per building and per unit type from Land Department transaction data rather than publishing an average that ages badly. Ask us for the live numbers on any address on this page.
