Living in The Oasis by Emaar: location, schools, homes and running costs (2026)

Living in The Oasis means a large villa in a gated Emaar community in Dubailand, set around man-made lagoons, canals and parks. It is a new community that is still being built, so the first years will look different from the finished plan. See all projects and prices on our The Oasis page.

This guide covers what the area page does not: daily life. It explains where The Oasis is, how far it is by road, which schools and hospitals are nearby, what the villa clusters are like, what running a large villa costs and who the community suits. It is general information, not advice on any particular home.

The Oasis is Emaar's villa and mansion community in Dubailand, planned around water and open space. Emaar gives these figures for it:

• About 100 million sq ft of land, which the launch release put at about 9.4 million sq m.
• About 2,600 villas, on Emaar's current community page.
• 25% of the land for lakes, water canals, parks, jogging tracks, green spaces and amenities.
• A 54 km bicycle route running through the community.
• A total development value of USD 20 billion at launch.

Emaar unveiled The Oasis on 14 June 2023 at a launch event at Burj Khalifa. The launch release described more than 7,000 units, mainly large mansions and villas on spacious plots, and 1.5 million sq ft of retail with restaurants and lifestyle brands. Emaar's community page today gives about 2,600 villas, so the mix has shifted towards fewer, larger homes. Treat the current page as the reference and ask Emaar about the retail plan for your phase.

Who builds it. Emaar is the master developer and also the developer of every cluster on sale. That matters for daily life: one company sets the community rules, runs the shared facilities and decides the order in which amenities open. See our Emaar Properties page for its other communities.

The Oasis is in Dubailand, in the south of Dubai, inland from Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Investments Park. Emaar gives road access via Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Road (D54), with the planned extension of Al Khail Road (E44) also set to serve it.

Its neighbours are other new Emaar communities. Emaar describes Grand Polo Club & Resort as neighbouring both The Oasis and The Heights Country Club. To the north are the established communities of Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Sports City and Arabian Ranches.

What this means day to day. The Oasis is well placed for the south of the city: Expo City Dubai, Dubai Investments Park, Jebel Ali, Dubai South and Al Maktoum International. Dubai Marina, Al Barsha and Dubai Hills are a medium drive. Downtown Dubai, DIFC and Business Bay are across the city, and DXB is the far side of it.

Metro and buses. There is no Metro in or near the community. The closest is the Red Line's Route 2020 branch, whose Dubai Investments Park and Expo stations opened on 1 June 2021; the Expo City Dubai end is about 13.5 km by road. No bus routes into The Oasis have been announced. Every household will need at least one car, and many will need two.

Commuting tips. Drive the route to work at rush hour before you commit. Check which entrance your cluster will use, because a large community can add several minutes from the gate to your door. Once the Al Khail Road extension opens, journeys north may change.

There is no school inside The Oasis yet; the nearest KHDA-rated schools are in Dubai Investments Park, Dubai Sports City and Arabian Ranches. Emaar describes schools and educational institutions as nearby. School ratings in Dubai come from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

What to do before you buy. Popular schools keep waiting lists, and KHDA resumes inspections in the 2026-27 school year, so ratings can change. Apply well before your handover date, and drive the school run at 7.30 am. Our guide to off-plan family communities near good schools explains KHDA ratings, fees and admissions.

On the mainland around the community, for now. The Oasis's own retail centres and community buildings are planned but not yet open.

Healthcare. One of the nearest private hospitals is NMC Royal Hospital in Dubai Investments Park 1, a short drive west. Clinics and pharmacies are spread across Dubai Investments Park, Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Sports City. Check which hospitals your insurance covers and where the nearest emergency department is.

Shopping. Emaar plans retail centres inside The Oasis. Until they open, the nearest large malls by road are Ibn Battuta Mall (about 17.4 km), Dubai Hills Mall (about 21.5 km) and Mall of the Emirates (about 22.7 km). Expo City Dubai, about 13.5 km away, has its own shops and restaurants. Everyday groceries will mean a short drive at first.

Mosques. Emaar lists local mosques among the community's planned facilities. Ask which ones serve your cluster and when they open.

Quiet, green and built around water. The community is designed for people who want space at home and outdoor life on the doorstep.

Emaar lists these amenities across The Oasis and its clusters:

• Water: lagoons and water canals, a swimmable lagoon, and lagoon beaches.
• Moving around on foot and by bike: a 54 km bicycle route, jogging tracks and walkways.
• Parks: community parks, pocket parks, landscaped gardens, and at Mirage a sculptural park, events lawn, waterfall stage and boulevard.
• Sport and wellness: sports courts, an outdoor gym, fitness facilities, yoga spaces, and wellness and spa facilities.
• Family and social: a community centre, children's playgrounds, a splash park, Bedouin seating and barbecue areas, community gardens and dog parks.
• Golf: Emaar points to four international golf courses close to the community, in the surrounding districts.

Gated living. Emaar describes The Oasis as a gated community. Expect controlled entrances, security patrols and community rules on landscaping, extensions, pets and short-term letting. Ask for the community rules before you sign, especially if you plan to extend a villa or let it.

In the early years. Amenities open in phases, usually as nearby clusters are handed over. Some neighbouring plots will still be construction sites when you move in. If quiet matters to you, ask Emaar which clusters around yours are still to be built and when.

Villas and mansions only, from four to seven bedrooms, in clusters with their own designs. There are no apartments or townhouses on Emaar's current list.

Mirage. Mirage at The Oasis has five and six-bedroom villas in Contemporary, Chamfered and Classic facade styles, each with a flat and a drop layout. Total areas run from about 10,225 sq ft for the smallest five-bedroom villa to about 12,967 sq ft for the largest six-bedroom villa, including the basement, roof floor, terraces and carport.

Address Villas Tierra. Address Villas Tierra are branded villas carrying Emaar's Address hospitality name, with four, five and six-bedroom layouts of about 7,269 to 12,959 sq ft. Branded villas usually come with extra services and a separate service charge; ask what the brand covers and what it costs each year. Our guide to branded residences in Dubai explains how these arrangements work.

Compare like with like. Total area on a villa floor plan often includes the basement, roof terrace and covered parking. Ask for the built-up area, the plot area and the garden area separately, and compare the price per square foot of built-up area between clusters.

Our villas hub lists villa projects across Dubai, and our AED 10 million to 20 million and over AED 20 million pages show what else sells at these prices.

No service charge budget is yet listed for The Oasis clusters; the first budgets are set around handover and approved by RERA. Running a large villa costs more than the service charge alone, so budget for all of it.

1. Service charge. Under Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned property, each project's management entity prepares a yearly budget for the shared areas and services, and RERA approves it. The approved rate appears in the Dubai Land Department's Service Charge Index, searchable by project on the DLD website and the Dubai REST app.
2. Master community charge. Large communities often add a charge for the lagoons, canals, roads, landscaping and security across the whole masterplan. Ask Emaar whether there is one and how it is calculated.
3. Brand fees. Branded clusters such as Address Villas Tierra and Palace Villas Ostra can carry extra charges for hotel-style services.
4. Utilities and cooling. DEWA electricity and water, and the cooling arrangement for your villa. A villa of 10,000 sq ft or more uses a lot of power in summer.
5. Upkeep. Garden, private pool, roof terrace and facade maintenance, plus home insurance.

Ask Emaar in writing for its estimated service charge and any master community charge per square foot before you sign. Our guide to the true cost of buying off-plan lists every cost from booking to handover.

Rents. Few or no homes have been handed over yet, so there are no official rent figures for The Oasis. Once tenancies start, the Dubai Land Department's rental index and Ejari registrations will be the reference. Our Ejari guide explains how leases are registered.

It suits households who want a large villa, water and green space, and whose daily lives point to the south and west of the city.

It sits between established villa districts to the north and newer Emaar communities to the south and west. Each has a different feel:

• Arabian Ranches and Arabian Ranches 3. Established and newer Emaar villa communities about 18 km north by road, with schools and retail already open. See our guide to living in Arabian Ranches 3.
• Grand Polo Club & Resort. Emaar's equestrian community next door, with villas and townhouses from three bedrooms, built around polo fields and stables. See our guide to living in Grand Polo Club.
• The Valley. Emaar's villa and townhouse community on the Dubai to Al Ain Road, with smaller homes. See our guide to living in The Valley.
• Dubailand as a whole. Dozens of separate master communities with the widest choice of home types. See our guide to living in Dubailand.

For a wider view of Dubai's newest districts, see our guide to new areas in Dubai.

This table lists The Oasis projects we track that are still open, with prices, plans and handover dates, and updates automatically.

For other new releases across Dubai, see new launches and all projects.

The process is the same as for any Dubai off-plan home, with a few checks that matter more on large villas.

1. Choose the plot. Ask for the exact villa type, plot number, plot area, built-up area and the position relative to the lagoon, parks and roads.
2. Get the numbers in writing. The price, the payment plan, the anticipated completion date and the estimated service charge.
3. Book and sign. Pay the booking deposit and sign the sale and purchase agreement (SPA).
4. Register. The sale is registered with the Dubai Land Department on Oqood, and the DLD registration fee is paid. Our DLD fee guide explains it.
5. Pay instalments into escrow. Payments go into the project's escrow account. Our guide to the Dubai escrow law explains how it protects you.
6. Take handover. Inspect the villa, pay any final instalment and receive the title deed.

Our guides on how to buy off-plan property in Dubai, the handover process and checking an off-plan project cover each stage in detail. A villa at these prices may also qualify for a UAE Golden Visa; see our Golden Visa guide.

• Master community: a large development planned and run by one master developer, here Emaar, with shared roads, parks, lagoons and security.
• Cluster: a group of villas released and built together under one name, such as Mirage or Palmiera.
• Total area: the floor plan figure that may include the basement, roof floor, terraces and carport.
• Oqood: the Dubai Land Department's register for off-plan sales.
• Service Charge Index: the DLD's public list of approved service charges, by project and year.