Dubai Water Canal

Prime canal front homes between Safa Park and the sea

Community guide

Dubai Water Canal is the strip of new freehold apartment projects lining the canal through Al Safa, Al Wasl and Jumeirah 2, between Sheikh Zayed Road and the beach. It suits buyers wanting central, low key waterfront living; a typical two bedroom sold for about AED 4.65M.

Key takeaways

DLD records show 267 sales across the ten canal side buildings we track in the 12 months to September 2026, at an average of about AED 4,000 per sq ft.
Canal Front Residences by Meydan handled 91 sales and 303 of the 329 recorded rentals, making it the main ready market.
A typical one bedroom let for about AED 150,000 a year, a gross yield of roughly 5.7%.
Just over half of all sales (155 of 267) were off plan, led by Eden House The Park with 109 deals.
Projects along the canal are sold freehold, opening Al Wasl and Jumeirah 2 addresses to buyers of every nationality, while the villa streets around them are not freehold.

The Dubai Water Canal area is a short run of upscale residential projects on both banks of the canal, from Safa Park and Al Wasl Road down to Jumeirah 2 and the sea, and it is one of the few places to own a freehold home in this established villa district. The canal opened in 2016 and links Business Bay with the Gulf. Meydan's Canal Front Residences supplies most of the ready apartments, while H&H Development, Muraba, DAMAC and AHS are adding boutique and branded buildings. Prices are high for Dubai: about AED 4.65M for a typical two bedroom, with rents around AED 210,000 a year. It suits professionals, families and buyers who value Jumeirah living near Downtown.

Key facts

Location: Both banks of the Dubai Water Canal, Al Safa, Al Wasl and Jumeirah 2
Main developers: Meydan, H&H Development, Muraba, AHS Properties, DAMAC
Property types: Apartments, duplexes and penthouses
Typical 2 bedroom sale price: AED 4.65M (DLD, 12 months)
Typical 2 bedroom rent: AED 210,000 a year (Ejari, 12 months)
Tenure: Freehold projects, open to all nationalities
Best for: Central waterfront living near Jumeirah and Downtown

Building guides in Dubai Water Canal

Facts, live asking and sold prices, yields and amenities for each tower.

Market data

Dubai Water Canal prices and rents by bedroom

Dubai Land Department registered sales and Ejari registered rents from 26 Sept 2025 to 25 Sept 2026, across the 10 buildings and communities we track in Dubai Water Canal.

Sales registered: 267; 155 off plan
Rents registered: 329
Typical price per sq ft: AED 4,009
Homes listed now: 436

Size	Sales	Typical price	AED per sq ft	Typical rent	Gross yield
Studio	5	AED 2.5M	4,009	·	·
1 bed	41	AED 3.2M	3,789	AED 150K a year	5.7%
2 bed	99	AED 4.7M	2,958	AED 210K a year	4.5%
3 bed	103	AED 10M	4,083	AED 300K a year	4.6%
4 bed	15	AED 16M	4,017	AED 420K a year	·

What sold here

267 homes changed hands in Dubai Water Canal over the last 12 months, 58% of them bought off plan.

Most traded: Eden House The Park (109, AED 10M); Canal Front Residences (91, AED 4.7M); Eden House The Canal (25, AED 9M)

Top buildings in Dubai Water Canal

Building	Developer	Completion	Sales, 12 months	Typical price
Canal Front Residences	Meydan Group	·	91	AED 4.7M
Eden House The Park	H&H Development	off plan	109	AED 10M
Eden House The Canal	H&H Development	2026	25	AED 9M
Muraba Veil	Muraba	off plan	19	AED 20M
Mr. C Residences Jumeirah	Alta Real Estate Development	2023	2	·
Cavalli Couture	DAMAC Properties	off plan	8	AED 22M
Four Seasons Private Residences Dubai at Jumeirah	H&H Development	2023	2	·
One Canal	AHS Properties	off plan	5	·

See every Dubai Water Canal building on the map →

Typical figures are medians weighted by the number of deals. Yields are gross: typical rent divided by typical price.

A new residential edge along the canal

The Dubai Water Canal was inaugurated on 9 November 2016. It runs for about 3.2 km from Business Bay, under Sheikh Zayed Road and through Safa Park, to the Gulf at Jumeirah, with boardwalks, cycle paths and pedestrian bridges along its banks. This page covers the homes on the stretch between Sheikh Zayed Road and the coast; Business Bay upstream has its own guide.

For decades this part of the city was mostly private villas, and freehold apartments were rare. The canal changed that: Meydan's Canal Front Residences, a group of mid rise blocks named CF1 to CF9 beside Safa Park, was delivered in phases between 2024 and early 2026. Closer to the beach, H&H Development completed Eden House The Canal, a seven storey building on the Jumeirah 2 bank, and the Four Seasons Private Residences and Mr. C Residences add hotel branded options. Towers such as Muraba Veil and Cavalli Couture are now rising off plan.

Parks, beaches and getting around

Living on the canal puts residents between Jumeirah's beaches and the business districts along Sheikh Zayed Road. Most daily needs are a few minutes by car, and the canal itself has public water transport.

•Safa Park is about 0.3 km from Canal Front Residences and about 1.3 km from Eden House The Canal.
•Box Park on Al Wasl Road is around 1.4 to 1.6 km away for cafes, gyms and shops.
•Mercato Shopping Mall and City Walk are each under 3.5 km away.
•La Mer beach is about 3.9 km from Eden House The Canal.
•RTA water taxis and Dubai Ferry call at canal stations including Sheikh Zayed Road, Safa Park, Al Wasl and Jumeirah.
•The Dubai Mall is about 10 minutes by car from Canal Front Residences, and DIFC about 15 minutes.

What canal front homes cost

These are DLD registered deals in the 12 months to September 2026 across the ten canal side buildings we track. Two bedrooms were the busiest segment, with 99 sales at a typical AED 4.65M for about 1,550 sq ft, close to AED 2,960 per sq ft. One bedrooms of around 960 sq ft traded for about AED 3.16M, and three bedrooms, mostly off plan in Eden House The Park, for about AED 10M. Four bedrooms changed hands at around AED 15.9M from 15 deals, and studio sales were few.

On the rental side, Ejari shows one bedrooms at about AED 150,000 a year, two bedrooms at AED 210,000 and three bedrooms at AED 300,000, for gross yields of about 4.5 to 5.7%. Rents come almost entirely from Canal Front Residences, with smaller numbers in Eden House The Canal and the branded residences. At the top end, Casa Canal penthouses and Cavalli Couture sold above AED 5,000 per sq ft. There were around 440 units listed for sale or rent in September 2026.

Reasons people choose the canal

•Freehold title in Al Wasl and Jumeirah 2, districts long dominated by private villas.
•Waterfront promenades and cycle tracks that connect to Safa Park and the beach.
•A central position between Jumeirah, City Walk, Downtown Dubai and DIFC.
•Boutique buildings, many under ten storeys, so neighbours are few and lifts rarely queue.
•Solid rental demand, with more than 300 leases registered at Canal Front Residences in a year.

Worth knowing before you commit

•Prices per sq ft are among the higher in the city, so compare like for like sizes and views across buildings.
•Several towers are still under construction until later this decade; early buyers can secure the best canal facing layouts.
•Metro stations are along Sheikh Zayed Road rather than at the canal, so most residents rely on cars, taxis or the water taxi.
•Traffic on Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Street builds at school times; leaving a little earlier keeps commutes easy.

Good to know

Dubai Water Canal questions, answered

Is the Dubai Water Canal a good place to live?+

Yes, especially for people who want Jumeirah living with a modern apartment. Homes sit on landscaped boardwalks beside Safa Park, the beach is a short drive away and Downtown Dubai is about 10 minutes from Canal Front Residences. Buildings are low and mid rise, which keeps the setting calm, and the new projects bring pools, gyms and waterfront cafes.

How much does a two bedroom cost on the Dubai Water Canal?+

DLD records for the 12 months to September 2026 put a typical two bedroom at about AED 4.65M for roughly 1,550 sq ft. One bedrooms traded around AED 3.16M and three bedrooms about AED 10M, the latter driven by large off plan units. The average across the ten buildings we track was close to AED 4,000 per sq ft.

What is the rent for an apartment by the Dubai Water Canal?+

Ejari data for the past year shows one bedrooms renting at about AED 150,000 a year, two bedrooms at AED 210,000 and three bedrooms at AED 300,000. Nearly all leases were in Meydan's Canal Front Residences, the largest ready project. Gross yields worked out at roughly 4.5 to 5.7%, with one bedrooms the strongest performers.

Can foreigners buy property on the Dubai Water Canal?+

Yes, in the canal front projects. Dubai Land Department records register the completed canal buildings, such as Canal Front Residences and Eden House The Canal, as freehold, and developers sell off plan towers such as Muraba Veil on the same basis, so buyers of any nationality can register full ownership with the DLD. The surrounding villa streets of Al Wasl and Jumeirah 2 are mostly not freehold, so confirm the title type of a specific unit with the Dubai Land Department before buying.

How do you get around from the canal?+

Most residents drive: Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Street are all close. RTA runs water taxis and Dubai Ferry services along the canal, with stations at Sheikh Zayed Road, Safa Park, Al Wasl and Jumeirah linking to Business Bay. Red Line metro stations sit along Sheikh Zayed Road, a short taxi ride away.

Is the Dubai Water Canal a good investment?+

It suits buyers looking for scarce freehold stock in central Jumeirah. Over the past year 267 sales were registered across the buildings we track, more than half of them off plan, and one bedrooms returned about 5.7% gross. Values sit well above the city average per sq ft, so the appeal is location and limited supply rather than headline yield.

Buyer guides

Sources