Why is Delhi Obsessed with Dubai Real Estate?
If you walk around any major road in Delhi or Gurgaon you’ll probably spot a billboard with “Own a Home in Dubai” written on it. I noticed that it is everywhere, from Delhi airport to metro pillars. I keep seeing it, “Invest in Dubai,” “Luxury Living in the UAE,” “Golden Visa Included”.
It seems random, why would a Middle Eastern city care so much about advertising to Indians?
Dubai is OBSESSED with Indian investors right now.
Indians are the biggest foreign investors in Dubai’s real estate. In 2023 alone, we invested over ₹8,000 crore there. That’s insane. People are buying luxury apartments, beachside villas and even getting something called a “Golden Visa”(which you get if you invest AED 2 million), just for investing.
Dubai knows many Indians have money to spend.
India is one of the biggest sources of global capital right now, especially personal wealth. Our economy is growing and people want to invest somewhere that feels global, stable and not full of construction delays (like Delhi NCR).
But why now? Post pandemic, people across India, especially in Delhi NCR , Mumbai and Bangalore, have changed how they think about money. More families are considering second passports, alternative homes or backup options “just in case”.
India’s real estate scene isn’t the most exciting. Prices are extremely high (mostly unreasonably high), projects get delayed and you barely earn anything on rent. But in Dubai? You can get up to 8-10%+ rental income, no property tax and full ownership of a home, even if you’re NOT a UAE citizen.
The question that comes to mind is, why India? Why not countries in Europe or even the United States of America?
The reason is, Dubai knows Indians are emotionally invested in Dubai. Within Dubai, Indians account for roughly 25% to 30% of the total population. Flights are cheap and a short 3 hours. The culture is familiar and for NRIs or business owners, Dubai is already a second home.
Unlike Chinese investors (restricted), or Russians (sanctioned), Indians are allowed to send money abroad under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). This scheme permits each person to transfer up to $250,000 (about ₹2 crore) per year for purposes like education, travel, investments or buying property. This means even a family of four could collectively send a significant amount overseas within legal limits. Even for an upper middle class family in India, owning an apartment in a Dubai skyscraper is now possible.
Why is Delhi NCR Dubai’s favourite market? If Mumbai is about Bollywood and Bangalore about tech, Delhi NCR is about visibility and status. That’s why developers like Emaar, Danube and Sobha Realty are increasingly seen in this region. I myself live in an apartment built by Emaar and there are at least six more projects in the area owned by Dubai based real estate developers.
For comparison, investing in a 3BHK in Delhi’s GK-II or Gurgaon’s Golf Course Road costs roughly the same. But you won’t get tax free rental income, freehold ownership, 10 year Golden Visa options orr the ability to tell people you “own a place in Dubai”.
For many urban Indians, that’s reason enough to look towards the Middle East
The Fiscal Factor 
Leave a comment