The UAE Mortgage Calculator models a home loan in the United Arab Emirates using the rules that actually govern UAE lending: the Central Bank’s loan-to-value caps, EIBOR-linked variable rates, and the substantial upfront transaction costs that catch many first-time buyers off guard. It gives you the monthly repayment and, just as importantly, the full cash you need on the day of completion.
How it works
The repayment uses the standard amortising mortgage formula:
M = P × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)^−n)where P is the loan principal (price minus deposit), r is the monthly interest rate
(APR ÷ 12), and n is the term in months. The tool then applies the UAE Central Bank LTV
caps — 80% for expats and 85% for nationals on a first home up to AED 5 million, dropping to
70% and 75% above that — and warns you if your deposit is too small.
On top of the deposit, it adds the real UAE purchase costs: the 4% DLD transfer fee, mortgage registration (0.25% of the loan plus admin), the agency fee (around 2% plus 5% VAT), and a bank arrangement fee of roughly 1% of the loan. The sum is the cash you actually need at completion.
Affordability and stress-testing
UAE banks cap total debt servicing at about 50% of gross monthly income (the debt-burden ratio), so the tool reports the implied minimum income for the payment. Because most UAE mortgages are variable and tied to EIBOR, it is wise to re-run the calculation at a rate one or two percentage points higher to see whether your budget survives a rate rise.
Example
On a AED 1,500,000 apartment with a AED 300,000 deposit (20%, the expat minimum), a 7.5% rate over 25 years, the monthly repayment is roughly AED 8,860, and the upfront cash — deposit plus DLD, agency, registration and arrangement fees — comes to well over AED 400,000. Every figure is computed in your browser and never uploaded.