Living in Dubai Islands: beaches, roads, services and new homes (2026)

Living in Dubai Islands means a home on the beach in a brand-new island community off the old trading heart of Deira. It is one of the few places in Dubai where new apartments sit a short walk from a long, open beach and still within about 12 km of Dubai International Airport. It is also a place under construction: many of the buildings, the golf course and the schools are still to come.

This guide covers daily life on the islands now, what will change, and what to check before buying. For every project on sale with live prices and handover dates, see our Dubai Islands area page.

Dubai Islands is a group of five reclaimed islands in the Arabian Gulf, directly off the Deira coast in the north of Dubai, between the mouth of Dubai Creek and Al Mamzar. It is master-developed by Nakheel, and was called Deira Islands until it was renamed in 2022.

On Nakheel's figures, the islands cover 18.6 square kilometres with 21 km of beachfront, and are planned for 49,000 homes and more than 231,000 residents. The five islands are named Central, Marina, Shore, Golf and Elite, and are linked to each other by bridges. Three bridges connect the islands to the mainland through the Al Shindagha Corridor, which includes the Infinity Bridge across the mouth of Dubai Creek.

Put simply: at full build-out this will be a dense waterfront city, not a quiet resort island. 231,000 people on 18.6 square kilometres is more than 12,000 residents per square kilometre.

Key terms

• Deira Islands: the former name, still used in older records and some listings.
• Infinity Bridge: the arched bridge across the mouth of Dubai Creek, part of the Al Shindagha Corridor that carries traffic to and from the islands.
• Blue Flag: an international award for beaches that meet standards on water quality, safety, services and environmental management.
• Serviced building: a residential building where housekeeping, concierge or hotel-style services are part of the service charge.

By car or taxi, over the bridges into Deira. Most of the places residents use every day, from the Metro to the hospital, are 5 to 15 km away on the mainland.

The islands face the old city, not the new one. Deira, Bur Dubai, the airport and DIFC are within about 15 km; Dubai Marina and the south of the city are 30 km or more. Traffic through Deira and over the Creek crossings is the main variable in any commute, so drive your route at rush hour before you commit.

Metro, buses and water transport

There is no Metro station on the islands. The nearest is Gold Souq on the Green Line, about 5 km by road. RTA launched a bus service from the Gold Souq bus station to Souk Al Marfa in 2021; check the current route and timetable in RTA's S'hail app.

The islands are also reachable by sea, and Nakheel's plans include waterfront access for cruises and water transport. For daily life, plan on driving.

None of KHDA's rated schools are on the islands yet, so families use schools on the mainland. The closest established options are in Al Mamzar, Deira, Al Qusais and Mirdif.

• Al Ittihad Private School, Al Mamzar: US curriculum, rated Good by KHDA in 2023-24, about 8 km by road.
• Deira International School: UK and IB curriculum, rated Outstanding in 2023-24, in Dubai Festival City across the Creek.
• More schools in Al Qusais, Al Nahda and Mirdif, many on Indian or UK curricula. Use KHDA's school directory and filter by area and curriculum.

KHDA's latest overall ratings are from the 2023-24 cycle, and inspections resume in the 2026-27 academic year, so check the current rating before you decide. Fees are frozen for 2026-27. Buying a home near a school does not give priority for admission; apply early. Our guide to family communities near good schools explains how ratings and admissions work.

Nakheel's masterplan for the islands includes community facilities, and schools may open there over time. Count only schools KHDA lists as open.

Hospital care is close, on the Deira side. Dubai Hospital, run by Dubai Health in Al Baraha, is about 5 km by road from the middle of the islands. Dubai Health's Al Mamzar Health Center, on Cairo Street, provides primary care about 8 km away.

For private hospitals, Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City is about 13 km by road, and American Hospital Dubai in Oud Metha about 12 km. Nakheel's plan lists wellness facilities among the islands' amenities; check what is open in your building's neighbourhood before you move.

At Souk Al Marfa on the islands for some things, and in Deira for the weekly shop. Malls and supermarkets on the islands are in the masterplan but most are not yet built.

Souk Al Marfa opened to the public on 18 August 2021. It is an indoor, air-conditioned wholesale and retail souk that runs for 1.9 km along the waterfront, with 4,000 parking spaces; its first phase opened with 400 stores.

For supermarkets and malls, Deira City Centre is about 10 km by road, and the old Deira souks are just across the bridges.

The beach is the main reason people choose the islands. Nakheel describes more than 20 km of beaches, including a Blue Flag-certified beach, and Rixos Hotel & Residences has its own 700 m beach.

• Beaches: a Blue Flag-certified beach, and hotel beaches at the resorts already on the shore, including Riu Dubai and Centara Mirage. Which stretches each building's residents can use depends on who runs them, so ask.
• Al Mamzar Beach Park: the established public beach park on the mainland, about 10 km by road.
• Parks and golf: Nakheel's plan includes parks and open spaces and golf courses overlooking the Gulf; these are not yet open.

For the first residents, a typical week splits between the islands and Deira. The beach, a walk along the waterfront and a meal at Souk Al Marfa or a hotel are on the doorstep. The supermarket run, the school run, the clinic and most errands mean crossing the bridges.

A realistic picture for a household moving in at handover:

• Mornings: a drive over the bridges to work or school. To DIFC or Downtown, allow for Creek-crossing traffic; to the airport, the distance is short.
• Groceries: a weekly shop in Deira or at Deira City Centre, with top-ups from whatever shops have opened near your building.
• Health: a family doctor at Al Mamzar Health Center or a private clinic in Deira; Dubai Hospital for emergencies.
• Weekends: the beach, watersports and the hotels on the shore, with Al Mamzar Beach Park and the old souks close by.
• Deliveries: food and grocery delivery apps make island living easier; check which services deliver to your building before you move.

As more buildings complete and the island's own retail and community buildings open, more of this will move onto the islands. Ask the developer which shops and services are planned in your building's podium or neighbourhood, and when.

Far enough that people live and stay on the islands, but with a long way to go. In April 2026 Nakheel awarded an AED 527 million infrastructure package for Island B. In June 2026 it reported progress of 33.36% at Rixos Beach Residences and 55.85% at Bay Residences and Villas.

What this means for daily life: roads, utilities and landscaping will be finished in stages, and neighbouring plots may be building sites for years after you move in. If you are buying to live, ask the developer what is planned on the plots next to and in front of your building, and visit at different times of day.

Mostly apartments, in buildings by many different developers, with Nakheel's own townhouses and villas due later. Many of the private buildings are boutique, with roughly 40 to 150 homes each.

Nakheel's own projects

Bay Grove Residences is Nakheel's beachfront apartment project of one to four-bedroom homes, duplexes and penthouses, with Phase 3 due in March 2029. Bay Estate is its townhouse and villa community, split into three collections, with handover estimated for January 2031. These are the main options for buyers who want a house rather than an apartment.

Boutique and branded buildings

Most other projects are smaller buildings by private developers, such as Imtiaz Developments' buildings, including Beach Walk 4, and MR Eight's series of "Villa del" residences. Some are serviced, with housekeeping or concierge in the service charge, and some have private pools on terraces. Compare the size, the view, the distance to the beach and what the service charge includes, not only the price.

Our hubs for apartments, penthouses and townhouses list projects by home type across Dubai.

Budget for service charges, cooling and utilities, and parking if it is not included. The purchase costs are the 4% Dubai Land Department fee and registration charges, covered in the true cost of buying off-plan.

Service charges

Service charges fund security, cleaning, maintenance, common-area utilities, insurance, a reserve fund and the master community charge. On the islands, where buildings range from plain apartment blocks to fully serviced residences, rates vary a lot between buildings.

One example: MR Eight publishes a service charge of AED 25 per sq ft a year for the interior and AED 6.25 per sq ft for balconies at Villa del Gavi, a serviced building. A building without hotel-style services will usually set a lower rate, but ask for the estimate for the exact building. Once a building is completed, its approved rate is published on the Dubai Land Department's Service Charge Index.

Rents

Few buildings on the islands are complete, so there is little rental history yet. Once your building is finished, check the Dubai Land Department's rental index, which since January 2025 classifies individual buildings rather than giving one figure per area.

The islands suit some buyers very well and others not at all. Test them against how you live.

They tend to suit:

• People who want to live by a beach and are willing to wait for the rest of the community to grow around them.
• Those who work in Deira, Bur Dubai, DIFC or near the airport, and fly often.
• Buyers who prefer smaller, boutique buildings to large towers.
• Buyers with a long horizon who are comfortable with construction nearby.

They may not suit:

• Families who need schools and clinics within walking distance now.
• People who work in Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali or the south of the city.
• Anyone who wants a finished, quiet neighbourhood from the day of handover.

The table below lists every project we track on Dubai Islands, with its starting price, developer and handover date. It updates as projects are added or prices change.

New launches on the islands appear first on our new launches page, and buildings due soon are listed on our 2027 handover and 2028 handover pages.

The process is the standard Dubai off-plan process; our step-by-step guide covers it in full. On the islands, add a few checks.

1. Check the project on Dubai REST. Confirm the project registration, the registered developer and the escrow account on the Dubai Land Department's Dubai REST app.
2. Ask which island and which plot. Views, beach access and noise depend on the island and on what will be built next door.
3. Read the completion date and grace period in the sale and purchase agreement, and compare it with the construction progress the developer reports.
4. Ask what the service charge covers, especially in serviced or branded buildings.
5. Register the sale on Oqood and pay the 4% DLD fee.
6. Plan your handover: our handover guide covers snagging, utility connections and the title deed.

1. Drive from the islands to your office, the airport and your children's school at rush hour.
2. Find the nearest supermarket, pharmacy and clinic you would use in the first year.
3. Confirm which beach your building's residents can use and how far it is on foot.
4. Ask what is planned on the plots around your building.
5. Get the service charge estimate in writing, with what it includes.
6. Check the project on Dubai REST before paying any deposit.
7. Visit Souk Al Marfa and the beach to see what is open today.

For how Dubai Islands compares with the city's other districts, see our guide to Dubai's areas and districts.