Living in Expo City Dubai: a buyer's guide to the homes, plans, transport and costs (2026)

Living in Expo City Dubai means living on the former Expo 2020 site, which the government is turning into a permanent city of homes, offices, parks and event venues in Dubai South. This guide is for buyers weighing an off-plan home there: what the districts are, what is on sale, how the payment plans work, how you get around and what to check before you sign.

See all projects and prices on our Expo City Dubai developer page and the Expo Valley community page. For the wider district around the airport, see our Dubai South area page.

Expo City Dubai is the permanent city built on the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, in Dubai South beside Al Maktoum International Airport. It is run by Expo City Dubai, a government-linked master developer that also builds and sells the homes.

The site drew 24 million visitors during Expo 2020 and later hosted COP28. Since then the pavilions, plazas and shaded streets have been kept and turned into offices, venues and residential districts.

It sits in the south-west of the city, where Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), Emirates Road (E611) and Expo Road (E77) meet. Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone are to the north and Al Maktoum International is next door.

The master plan, approved in October 2024, covers 3.5 sq km in five districts and plans for more than 35,000 residents and 40,000 professionals. The Dubai Media Office describes it as an efficient grid with a smart transport system and a network of green and blue spaces.

The districts each have a different character:

• Expo Hills, in the north, is planned as a low-density residential community.
• Expo Fields, in the south, is designed around healthy living, with a school, sports fields and open performance areas.
• Expo Business is a campus for new and growing companies, including the Emirates Group's Ebdaa aviation innovation hub.
• Expo Downtown is the dense centre. It runs from the Metro station to the eastern edge of the site and holds the Dubai Exhibition Centre, the Al Wasl dome, the Terra Gardens and Terra Tower, planned as the tallest building on the site.
• Expo Valley is built around a landscaped wadi and a natural reserve. It is the most advanced residential district, with villas, townhouses and the Expo Valley Views apartments.

The plan also places DP World's new global headquarters in Expo City, and it names Expo City as one of the five main urban centres in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. Development is phased, so parts of the plan will take years to build.

Expo City Dubai builds every home in the city itself, so its portfolio is the list. The table below is built from our project data and changes whenever we add or update a project. Sold-out projects drop out.

What each project is:

• Expo Valley Views is a collection of four low-rise buildings in Expo Valley: Ghadeer from AED 1,594,000, Mahra from AED 1,639,000, Roudah from AED 1,692,000 and Dana from AED 2,566,000. One- to three-bedroom homes run from about 890 sq ft to 2,403 sq ft, and handover is scheduled for 31 October 2029.
• Sidr Residences is three towers in Expo Downtown with one- to four-bedroom apartments of 984 to 4,128 sq ft, from about AED 1.88 million. Some homes look towards Al Wasl Plaza, Terra and the UAE Pavilion.
• Sky Residences sits in the centre of the city above the Surreal water feature. One- to three-bedroom homes run from 810 to 2,215 sq ft, with four-bedroom duplexes, from AED 1.599 million.
• Al Waha Residences 2 is 276 apartments and duplex lofts made from former Expo 2020 country pavilions, under the Al Waha canopies. One- and two-bedroom homes and two-bedroom lofts run from 740 to 2,487 sq ft, from AED 1.89 million, with handover in the second quarter of 2027.
• Maha Villas is 40 five-bedroom standalone villas in Expo Valley, each with a private pool and underground parking on a plot of 7,537 to 13,261 sq ft. They launched from AED 13,000,000 and were handed over in 2026.

Expo City Dubai also lists Yasmina Villas and Shamsa Townhouses in Expo Valley and Mangrove Residences. Prices and availability for these are on request.

One-bedroom apartments started from about AED 1.6 million in late 2026, two-bedroom homes from about AED 2.5 million and three-bedroom homes from about AED 3.4 million. Villas are a different market: Maha Villas launched from AED 13 million.

Compare by price per square foot as well as by headline price. The lowest-priced one-bedroom in Al Waha Residences 2 is smaller than those in Expo Valley Views but sits in the heart of the former Expo site.

On top of the price, the Dubai Land Department charges 4% when the sale is registered. With registration and administration fees, buying costs usually come to about 4% to 8% of the price. Every fee is explained in the true cost of buying off-plan in Dubai. For other homes in this range across Dubai, see projects from AED 1 million to 2 million and from AED 2 million to 3 million.

Most Expo City buildings leave a large share of the price until after handover. Every Expo Valley Views building leaves 25%, Sidr Residences leaves 30% and Sky Residences 50%, paid over five years. Al Waha Residences 2 is the exception: 50% during construction and 50% on completion.

A worked example. On Ghadeer's lowest-priced one-bedroom at AED 1,594,000, the 10/59/6/25 plan works out as follows. At booking you pay AED 159,400 plus the 4% DLD fee of AED 63,760. During construction you pay AED 940,460. On handover you pay AED 95,640, and in the year after handover AED 398,500.

That shape suits a buyer who wants the keys before paying the last quarter. It also means owning, paying service charges and paying the developer at the same time for a year. If you plan to fund the handover share with a mortgage, read off-plan mortgages in the UAE first. Our guide to off-plan payment plans compares these structures, and live projects with post-handover plans are listed on one page.

By Metro and by road. Expo 2020 station, the last stop on the Red Line's Route 2020 branch, is inside the city, and three major roads meet around it. The developer's drive times are about 16 minutes to Dubai Marina and 30 minutes to Downtown Dubai.

The Metro. Route 2020 is a 15 km branch of the Red Line with seven stations. It leaves the main line at Jebel Ali and ends at Expo 2020 station, so you reach Dubai Marina, Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown on the Red Line without changing to another line. Ghadeer is about five minutes from the station by car, and Sky Residences and Sidr Residences are within walking distance.

The roads. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) runs north-east towards the centre and Sharjah. Emirates Road (E611) is the outer ring road, and Expo Road (E77) runs towards Abu Dhabi. The master plan adds a 138 lane-km road network inside the city with nine flyovers, plus bus routes and taxis.

The airports. Al Maktoum International is about 15 to 20 minutes away. Dubai International and Abu Dhabi International are both within an hour.

Two large public projects sit beside the homes: the Dubai Exhibition Centre expansion inside Expo City and the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International. Both bring jobs and visitors to the area, and both bring construction for years.

The Dubai Exhibition Centre. In September 2024 an AED 10 billion expansion plan was approved. The first phase, due in 2026, raises exhibition space from 58,000 sq m to 140,000 sq m. The second, due in 2028, takes it to nearly 160,000 sq m with new roads and multi-storey parking. The final phase, due in 2031, reaches 180,000 sq m in 26 halls, with a hotel of more than 300 keys.

Al Maktoum International. In April 2024 designs were approved for an AED 128 billion passenger terminal. When fully developed the airport is planned for 260 million passengers a year, with 400 aircraft gates and five parallel runways across about 70 sq km. The Dubai Media Office says operations at Dubai International will move there in the coming years.

What that means for a resident. Expo City will be busier on event days and the area will see construction traffic through the decade. Ask which side of a building faces the exhibition halls, the roads or the valley before you choose a unit. For the district beyond the city, see our Dubai South page.

Expo City is built as a walkable, shaded city with parks, venues, cafés and offices on the doorstep. It is quieter than central Dubai on ordinary days and busy during large events.

What is already there. The former Expo site keeps Al Wasl Plaza and its dome, Terra, the Surreal water feature, parks and running routes, restaurants, cafés and shops, and event venues. Expo City runs its own visitor programme of attractions, workshops and camps.

What comes with the homes. Expo Valley Views lists pools, horse trails through the valley, yoga decks, fitness studios, play areas and community cafés. Sidr Residences adds a clubhouse, library pods, community gardening and a hammock park. Sky Residences has a lap pool, an indoor gym and a sky deck. Maha Villas back onto the Expo Valley nature reserve and wadi.

Sustainability. Expo City describes itself as the UAE's first Green Innovation District. The master plan sets targets for biodiversity, energy use and wellness and aims for net zero by 2050. Expo Valley uses native planting, smart irrigation and water reuse.

Schools and healthcare. The master plan places a school in Expo Fields. Which schools and clinics will be open when your building hands over is a question to put to the developer, and you can check every school's rating and fees on the KHDA website. Our guide to family communities and schools compares other options.

It depends on whether you want a villa by the valley, an apartment near the Metro or a home in the former Expo streets.

For the Golden Visa rules and how the AED 2 million value is counted on an off-plan home, see the Golden Visa and UAE property.

Yes. Homes in Expo City Dubai are sold freehold to buyers of any nationality, resident or not. The sale is registered with the Dubai Land Department like any other off-plan purchase in Dubai.

On an off-plan home the sale is entered on the interim register, known as Oqood, when you pay the booking amount and the 4% fee. After completion, and once the home is paid for, the Oqood registration converts to a title deed. Where part of the price falls after handover, ask how and when your title deed will be issued.

Our guide to whether foreigners can buy property in the UAE explains freehold areas and title, and how to buy off-plan property in Dubai covers each step from reservation to handover.

After handover you pay service charges, cooling and utilities every year, alongside any post-handover instalments. The service charge rate for a new building is on request until RERA approves its budget.

• Service charges. In Dubai the budget must be approved by RERA, and invoices run through the Mollak system. Ask the developer for its estimate per square foot, and check the Dubai Land Department's Service Charge Index once the building is registered.
• Cooling and utilities. Ask whether the building uses district cooling and how it is billed. Electricity and water accounts open at handover.
• Master community charges. Expo City is a managed city with shared parks, roads and landscaping. Ask whether a master community charge applies on top of the building's service charge.
• Furnishing and management. If you plan to let the home, budget for furnishing and for a property manager unless you manage it yourself.

Each of these is explained in the true cost of buying off-plan, and what happens at the keys is in the off-plan handover process.

Use this list on any Expo City home before you pay the booking amount.

1. The district and the view. Which district is the building in, and does your unit face the valley, the venues or the roads?
2. The handover date. Read the anticipated completion date and the grace period in the sale and purchase agreement.
3. The plan in money. Turn the percentages into amounts and dates, including the share due after handover.
4. The running costs. Ask for the estimated service charge, any master community charge and how cooling is billed.
5. The Metro walk. Check the walking or driving time from your building to Expo 2020 station.
6. Schools and shops. Ask what will be open in the city at handover, and check schools on the KHDA website.
7. Registration. Confirm the project's registration and escrow account with the Dubai Land Department. The steps are in how to check an off-plan project and developer.
8. Your exit. If you might sell before handover, ask what share must be paid before the developer allows a resale. See selling off-plan before handover.

• Expo City Dubai. Both the place, the city on the former Expo 2020 site, and the master developer that builds and sells its homes.
• Expo Living. Expo City Dubai's name for its residential districts and homes.
• Route 2020. The 15 km branch of the Red Line that ends at Expo 2020 station.
• Post-handover plan. A plan in which part of the price is paid to the developer after you receive the keys.
• Oqood. The Dubai Land Department's interim register for off-plan sales.
• Service Charge Index. The Dubai Land Department's public list of approved service charge rates by building.

For the full list of homes and today's prices, see the Expo City Dubai developer page, the Expo Valley community page and our page of new launches. If you are comparing Expo City with other parts of the south of the city, start with Dubai South and our guide to Dubai's areas and districts.

Tell us which part of Expo City suits you and your budget, and we will check today's availability, unit by unit, and send the floor plans and payment schedule for each.