Nomination results · Dubai Rating 2024–2025

Best district to live in: results

DZCH is happy to announce that the results of the first nomination of our rating are in. The 11 districts selected by experienced experts and Dubai residents have been ranked from first to last — both overall and for each individual criterion. Every district was rated in detail on a five-point scale.

11 participants3028 ratings7 criteriascale 1–5

About the nomination

Best district

Creek Harbour

A promising district tipped to become the new Downtown, especially once a new metro line reaches it and Creek Tower — the 'female' counterpart of Burj Khalifa — is built. Even now it offers a pleasant family life and some of the best sunsets over the waters of Dubai Creek.

Average score 4.40 · leads in: real estate prospects, cost of housing.

Where is housing most expensive? Where is it best to settle with children? And which district is simply the coolest? Now we know the answers, thanks to the scores given by our users.

Scores by criterion

There is no single favourite: each criterion has its own leader. The nomination winner is highlighted in yellow.

Infrastructure

Dubai Hills4.74
1. 2Palm Jumeirah4.68
2. 3Dubai Marina4.63
3. 4Creek Harbour4.62
4. 5Downtown4.55
5. 6City Walk4.54
6. 7Greens4.50
7. 8Arabian Ranches4.45
8. 9Bluewaters4.36
9. 10Sobha Hartland4.24
10. 11Al Barsha3.92
Conditions for families with children

Greens4.78
1. 2Dubai Hills4.69
2. 3Sobha Hartland4.67
3. 4Arabian Ranches4.60
4. 5Creek Harbour4.44
5. 6Palm Jumeirah4.42
6. 7City Walk4.19
7. 8Dubai Marina3.74
8. 9Bluewaters3.69
9. 10Downtown3.55
10. 11Al Barsha3.00
Transport access

City Walk4.72
1. 2Downtown4.58
2. 3Greens4.52
3. 4Al Barsha4.33
4. 5Palm Jumeirah4.31
5. 6Dubai Marina4.28
6. 7Dubai Hills3.96
7. 8Creek Harbour3.95
8. 9Bluewaters3.92
9. 10Arabian Ranches3.90
10. 11Sobha Hartland3.50
Ecology

Greens4.78
1. 2Arabian Ranches4.70
2. 3Dubai Hills4.68
3. 4Creek Harbour4.60
4. 5Palm Jumeirah4.56
5. 6Sobha Hartland4.36
6. 7Bluewaters4.00
7. 8City Walk3.68
8. 9Downtown3.32
9. 10Dubai Marina2.88
10. 11Al Barsha2.67
Social appeal

Downtown4.92
1. 2City Walk4.61
2. 3Palm Jumeirah4.56
3. 4Bluewaters4.38
4. 5Creek Harbour4.38
5. 6Dubai Marina4.03
6. 7Dubai Hills4.01
7. 8Sobha Hartland3.27
8. 9Greens3.22
9. 10Arabian Ranches3.20
10. 11Al Barsha2.75
Real estate prospects

Creek Harbour4.88
1. 2City Walk4.83
2. 3Sobha Hartland4.55
3. 4Palm Jumeirah4.50
4. 5Dubai Hills4.48
5. 6Downtown4.36
6. 7Bluewaters4.31
7. 8Arabian Ranches4.10
8. 9Dubai Marina3.72
9. 10Greens3.64
10. 11Al Barsha2.80
Cost of housing

Creek Harbour3.83
1. 2Al Barsha3.82
2. 3Sobha Hartland3.80
3. 4Palm Jumeirah3.56
4. 5Greens3.54
5. 6Arabian Ranches3.50
6. 7Dubai Hills3.46
7. 8Dubai Marina3.35
8. 9City Walk3.35
9. 10Downtown3.32
10. 11Bluewaters2.77
Overall

2 of 7

Creek Harbour — first place by the average score across all criteria (4.40); leads in 2 of 7.
Compare all participants

All participants in one table

The best score in each column is yellow, the lowest is grey. On a phone the table scrolls sideways.

Average user score on a five-point scale, 3028 ratings
District	Overall	Infrastructure	Conditions for families with children	Transport access	Ecology	Social appeal	Real estate prospects	Cost of housing
Creek Harbour	4.40	4.62	4.44	3.95	4.60	4.38	4.88	3.83
Al Barsha	3.35	3.92	3.00	4.33	2.67	2.75	2.80	3.82
Arabian Ranches	4.07	4.45	4.60	3.90	4.70	3.20	4.10	3.50
Bluewaters	3.92	4.36	3.69	3.92	4.00	4.38	4.31	2.77
City Walk	4.29	4.54	4.19	4.72	3.68	4.61	4.83	3.35
Downtown	4.12	4.55	3.55	4.58	3.32	4.92	4.36	3.32
Dubai Hills	4.31	4.74	4.69	3.96	4.68	4.01	4.48	3.46
Dubai Marina	3.83	4.63	3.74	4.28	2.88	4.03	3.72	3.35
Greens	4.16	4.50	4.78	4.52	4.78	3.22	3.64	3.54
Palm Jumeirah	4.39	4.68	4.42	4.31	4.56	4.56	4.50	3.56
Sobha Hartland	4.07	4.24	4.67	3.50	4.36	3.27	4.55	3.80

How to read the scores

And now for the detailed scores! There was no single favourite, although Creek Harbour stood out twice more. One important note: the 'Cost of housing' criterion should be read as 'value for money per square metre' — how well the price of housing in the district matches what you get. A high score means excellent value; a low one means you overpay for no clear reason.

To learn more about how the vote worked, who our experts are and what each criterion means, visit the main nomination page.

Experts from different fields helped us shortlist Dubai's best districts using criteria such as:

Infrastructure — How rich and convenient the district's infrastructure is overall: greenery, places to walk, shop, study and do business
Conditions for families with children — Nurseries, development and entertainment centres for kids, and good schools
Transport access — How convenient the location is for people with and without a car
Ecology — Large parks and closeness to nature
Social appeal — Cultural and notable landmarks, tourist density, notable restaurants, leisure spots and shops
Real estate prospects — Average price per square metre, new construction, potential for price growth, proximity to one of Dubai's five centres
Cost of housing — Value for money per square metre — how well current prices match what you get. If prices seem too high to you, give a lower score; if everything feels fair and worth it, give a higher one.

Nomination experts

We shape the methodology and the list of nominees together with experts — opinion leaders in their fields. For the first nomination we chose people who can judge a district on its merits: infrastructure, convenience and even design

Nomination partner

Furni

A Russian-speaking online furnishing and renovation service in the UAE. With Furni you can relax while your future home fills with comfort. The team will renovate, design, furnish and fit out your apartment with stylish interior pieces. You don't even need to be in the Emirates — the whole process can be managed online. Furni has also expanded and now works not only in Dubai but also in Abu Dhabi.

Partner website