Living in Dubailand: where it is on the map, its communities, schools and commute (2026)

Living in Dubailand is less a single choice than a choice between many places. Dubailand is a large inland zone of southern Dubai made up of dozens of separate master communities, each with its own developer, masterplan, amenities and service charges. A studio in Dubailand Residence Complex and a standalone villa at The Acres are both "in Dubailand", but daily life in each is very different. See all projects and prices on our Dubailand page.

This guide answers the two questions buyers ask first, where is Dubailand and which part of it suits me, and then covers the commute, schools, healthcare, shops, parks, homes and running costs. It is general information, not advice on any particular home.

Dubailand is in southern inland Dubai, south-east of Downtown Dubai and Al Barsha and well back from the coast. It lies roughly between Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) and Emirates Road (E611), with the Dubai to Al Ain Road (E66) on its north-eastern edge and Al Qudra Road to the south-west.

Its neighbours help place it:

• To the west: Al Barsha South, Arjan, Motor City and Dubai Sports City.
• To the north: Mohammed Bin Rashid City and Nad Al Sheba.
• To the north-east: Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai International Academic City.
• To the south and south-east: open land towards Al Qudra and the newer communities along Emirates Road and the Dubai to Al Ain Road.

Dubailand was launched in 2003 as a large leisure and residential development zone. Over two decades it has filled up community by community, so today it holds established neighbourhoods, neighbourhoods still being built and attractions such as Global Village and IMG Worlds of Adventure.

Where is Dubailand located on the map?

On a map of Dubai, look inland from Dubai Marina and south-east of Downtown Dubai; Global Village, beside Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, sits near its centre. Majan and Arabian Ranches III are each within about 6 km of Global Village by road.

Three practical rules of thumb follow from the map:

1. The north-eastern communities (Dubailand Residence Complex, Wadi Al Safa, Liwan) are closest to Dubai International Airport, Dubai Silicon Oasis and the future Blue Line.
2. The central communities (Majan, Arabian Ranches III, The Wilds, Ghaf Woods, Falcon City of Wonders) cluster around Global Village and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.
3. The south-western communities (DAMAC Hills, DAMAC Lagoons, Tilal Al Ghaf) are closest to Motor City, Dubai Marina and Expo City, while DAMAC Hills 2 sits further south-east, off the Al Qudra and Emirates Road side.

Dubailand is a zone of separate master communities, not one estate. Each has its own master developer, gates or boundaries, amenities and service charge budget.

The villa and townhouse communities

• Arabian Ranches III: Emaar's gated community of more than 4,000 villas and townhouses beside Emirates Road. Our guide to living in Arabian Ranches 3 covers it in detail.
• DAMAC Hills: DAMAC's golf community around Trump International Golf Club Dubai, with DAMAC Mall. DAMAC quotes about 14 minutes to Global Village from DAMAC District.
• DAMAC Lagoons: Mediterranean-themed townhouse clusters around lagoons, near DAMAC Hills. See Lagoon Views for the apartment buildings inside it.
• DAMAC Hills 2: DAMAC's larger, lower-priced community to the south-east, with its own mall, a Carrefour supermarket and a clinic, near Water Town. See ELO.
• DAMAC Islands 2: a new DAMAC masterplan of about 20 million sq ft, following the original DAMAC Islands. See DAMAC Islands 2.
• Sobha Sanctuary: Sobha's township off the Dubai to Al Ain Road, planned for around 20,000 families, with roughly half the site open and green space.
• The Wilds, Haven and Athlon: Aldar's communities. The Wilds is opposite Global Village beside Majan and Al Barari; Haven is on Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road near Villanova; Athlon is beside Global Village, with a cycling loop that connects to the Al Qudra cycle track.
• The Acres: Meraas's standalone villa community, about 5 minutes from the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club on Meraas's figures. See The Acres Estates.
• Tilal Al Ghaf: Majid Al Futtaim's lagoon community on Hessa Street, between Motor City and DAMAC Hills.
• Older established communities such as Mudon, Villanova, Remraam, Living Legends and Al Barari, and Nshama's Town Square, which has its own area page.

The apartment districts

• Dubailand Residence Complex (DLRC): mid and high-rise apartment buildings by many developers, with direct access to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, the Dubai to Al Ain Road and Emirates Road, near Academic City and Dubai Silicon Oasis.
• Majan: apartment buildings with direct access to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and the Dubai to Al Ain Road, near Al Barari and Global Village. See Samana Barari Heights.
• Liwan and Wadi Al Safa: residential districts beside Dubai Silicon Oasis and Academic City. See Empire Lake Views.
• Ghaf Woods: Majid Al Futtaim's forest community beside Global Village and IMG Worlds of Adventure. See Capria.
• Falcon City of Wonders: apartments and townhouses beside a lagoon near IMG Worlds of Adventure. See Sakura Gardens.

Arjan, which has its own area page, is an apartment district inside the wider Dubailand zone near the junction of Umm Suqeim Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.

By car, mostly, and the distance to work depends entirely on which community you choose. Dubailand is wide enough that a commute from one side can be twice as long as from the other.

The main roads. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) and Emirates Road (E611) run north-east to south-west through or beside the zone, Al Khail Road and Umm Suqeim Road lead west towards Al Barsha and the coast, and the Dubai to Al Ain Road (E66) leads into the city from the north-east. Al Qudra Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street serve the southern communities. Rush hour on the E311 and E611 adds real time, so drive your commute on a weekday morning before you buy.

The Metro. There is no Metro station inside Dubailand today. RTA's Blue Line, a 30 km line with 14 stations, will run from the Green and Red Lines through International City to Dubai Silicon Oasis and Academic City, with completion scheduled for 2029. That will help the north-eastern communities most. The western communities are a drive from Mall of the Emirates station on the Red Line.

Buses and taxis. RTA buses serve parts of Dubailand, but routes into newer communities are added and changed as they fill up. Check the current route and stop in RTA's journey planner. Taxis and ride-hailing are widely available.

KHDA-rated schools are spread across the zone, with the strongest cluster on the western and northern sides. All ratings below come from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority's directory, checked on 4 November 2026; most are from the 2023-24 inspection cycle.

What this means in practice. Families in Arabian Ranches III, Majan, The Wilds and the DAMAC Hills area have Outstanding and Very good schools within a short drive. Those in Dubailand Residence Complex and Liwan are close to the Academic City and Dubai Silicon Oasis schools. The newer southern and eastern communities, including DAMAC Hills 2 and Sobha Sanctuary, have fewer rated schools nearby so far; Sobha's plan for Sobha Sanctuary includes a nursery.

KHDA inspections resume in the 2026-27 school year, so ratings may change. Popular schools keep waiting lists, and buying nearby gives no priority. Our guide to off-plan family communities near good schools explains ratings, fees and admissions.

Each large community has its own retail centre and clinic, and the bigger hospitals and malls are on the edges of the zone.

Healthcare. Mediclinic Parkview Hospital is on Umm Suqeim Street in Al Barsha South, on the western side. Mediclinic Arabian Ranches is a clinic in the centre of the original Arabian Ranches. Dubai Silicon Oasis, on the north-eastern edge, has a hospital inside the free zone; see our Dubai Silicon Oasis page. DAMAC says the DAMAC Hills 2 mall includes a clinic. Check which facilities your insurance covers and the drive to the nearest emergency department.

Shops.

• Community malls: DAMAC Mall in DAMAC Hills; the DAMAC Hills 2 mall with a Carrefour supermarket; and Town Square's retail, which Nshama describes as more than 250 shops.
• Larger malls nearby: Dubai Outlet Mall on the Dubai to Al Ain Road, Dubai Hills Mall, Mall of the Emirates and, for the western communities, First Avenue Mall in Motor City.
• Attractions: Global Village, IMG Worlds of Adventure and the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club are inside or beside the zone.

Dubailand trades the beach for space: big parks, golf, lagoons, forests and cycle tracks.

• Golf: Trump International Golf Club Dubai in DAMAC Hills.
• Lagoons: DAMAC Lagoons and Tilal Al Ghaf are built around water, and Falcon City of Wonders has a lagoon.
• Parks and green space: Town Square's 50,000 sq m central park; Sobha Sanctuary's planned park of roughly 800,000 sq ft; Ghaf Woods' central forest; and Arabian Ranches III's Central Park with a cricket field.
• Cycling: Aldar's Athlon has a cycling loop that links to the Al Qudra cycle track, the long desert cycle route south of the city.
• Beaches: none. The nearest public beaches are on the coast, about 19 km by road from DAMAC Hills to Dubai Marina and further from the eastern communities.

Almost every type, from studios to large standalone villas, depending on the community. That range is what draws many buyers to Dubailand.

Prices cover a very wide range. In October 2026, the lowest-priced off-plan studio in our Dubailand data was AED 563,000 at Lumina by Vision in Wadi Al Safa 2; at the other end, villas at The Acres Estates start from AED 14.5 million. Our guide to the cheapest apartments in Dubai tracks entry prices across the city, and our apartments, townhouses and villas hubs list releases by type.

Sizes. Sizes depend on the developer and release, so compare like with like: built-up area, plot size for houses, and balcony or terrace area for apartments, which some developers include in the total. Ask for the floor plan of the exact unit.

Service charges are set separately for each project in a RERA-approved budget, so they differ from one Dubailand community to the next. Look up the specific project rather than a Dubailand average.

1. Budget. Under Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned property, each project's management entity prepares a yearly budget, and RERA approves it.
2. Index. The Dubai Land Department's Service Charge Index, on its website and the Dubai REST app, shows the approved charges by project, use and budget year.
3. Bill. Charges are quoted per square foot and paid by the owner through the Mollak system.
4. Off-plan homes. The first approved budget is set around handover. Ask the developer for its estimate in writing.

As a general pattern, villa and townhouse communities without lifts or shared chillers cost less per square foot to run than apartment towers, but pools, clubhouses, lagoons and landscaping all add to the budget. Add utilities, cooling where the building uses district cooling, and insurance. Our guide to the true cost of buying off-plan lists every cost.

Rents. If you plan to let the home, use the Dubai Land Department's official rental index for the community and home type, and register the tenancy on Ejari. We do not quote rents here.

Dubailand suits buyers who want more space for their budget and are comfortable driving. Which community suits you depends on your work, school and budget.

It is a less natural fit for buyers without a car, those who want to walk to the beach or Metro, and those who want a finished neighbourhood around them on day one: many Dubailand communities are still being built, and off-plan buyers in new phases move in beside construction.

These tables list the open off-plan projects we track in Dubailand, updated automatically. The first covers the whole zone (newest 20 shown); the next two cover its two largest tracked sub-communities.

Dubailand Residence Complex

Sobha Sanctuary

For the newest releases across Dubai, see new launches. For Arabian Ranches III, see its area page.

The process is the same as anywhere in Dubai. Choose the unit and ask for the floor plan, price and payment plan in writing; pay the booking deposit; sign the sale and purchase agreement; register the sale on the Dubai Land Department's Oqood register, paying the 4% DLD fee; pay instalments into the project escrow account; then take handover and receive the title deed.

Because so many developers build in Dubailand, check each one before you commit: the project's registration and escrow on the Dubai REST app, the construction progress and the handover date. Our guides on how to buy off-plan property in Dubai and checking an off-plan project and developer cover each step.

• Dubailand: a large development zone in inland southern Dubai, launched in 2003, made up of separate master communities.
• Master community: a planned community run by one master developer, such as DAMAC Hills or Arabian Ranches III.
• DLRC: Dubailand Residence Complex, an apartment district on the zone's north-eastern side.
• E311 and E611: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road, the two main highways through and beside Dubailand.
• KHDA: the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, which rates Dubai's private schools.
• Service Charge Index: the Dubai Land Department tool showing each project's RERA-approved service charge budget.