A room's price is the number in the listing. The month costs more than that, and the extras differ enough between areas and setups to change which room is cheaper. Below are the pieces, in tables, with three worked totals at the end. Rents are Qozey's live medians on 6 September 2026: AED 874 for a bed space, AED 1,400 for a partition, AED 3,200 for a private room.
1. Rent: the ranges behind the medians
| Type | Live listings | Typical range (middle half) | Median | |---|---|---|---| | Bed space | 58 | AED 697 to 1,200 | AED 874 | | Partition | 35 | AED 1,200 to 1,800 | AED 1,400 | | Private room | 46 | AED 2,699 to 4,000 | AED 3,200 | | Master room | 2 | AED 2,799 to 2,999 | AED 2,899 |
The "middle half" is where half of all live listings sit. Below it you are in the cheapest quarter, which is usually Deira, Al Rigga or a crowded room; above it, the Marina and the business districts. Area by area figures are in the September price guide.
2. Bills
On live listings, 109 of 142 (77%) are all-inclusive of electricity, water and internet. Fifteen say bills are extra; a couple include DEWA only. When bills are extra, the usual shares in a flat of six to eight people are:
| Bill | Typical share per person | Notes | |---|---|---| | DEWA (electricity and water) | AED 100 to 250 | Highest June to September, when the AC runs all day | | Internet | AED 40 to 100 | One line split across the flat | | Gas | AED 20 to 50 | Cylinder flats only | | Cleaning | AED 0 to 100 | Some flats pay a cleaner, some clean themselves |
So a "not included" room at AED 800 can cost the same as an all-inclusive room at AED 1,050. Ask before comparing. What is included in shared rent has the detail.
3. The deposit
90% of live listings state a deposit. The median is AED 325, and the median deposit is about a quarter of one month's rent. It is money you get back, but it is money you need on day one.
| Rent | Typical deposit on Qozey | Out of pocket at move-in (rent + deposit) | |---|---|---| | AED 874 | AED 200 to 300 | About AED 1,100 | | AED 1,400 | AED 300 to 500 | About AED 1,800 | | AED 3,200 | AED 500 to 1,000 | About AED 4,000 |
A demand for two or three months' deposit on a shared room is out of line with the market; see how much deposit is normal.
4. Transport
This is the cost that moves the most with the area, and the one people forget when they pick the cheapest room.
| How you get to work | Rough monthly cost | |---|---| | Walk or one metro stop | AED 100 to 200 | | Metro daily, one or two zones | AED 200 to 300 | | Metro across the city (a monthly all-zones Nol pass) | About AED 350 (check RTA's current tariff) | | Metro plus a bus or a short taxi each way | AED 400 to 600 | | Taxi both ways | AED 1,000 and up |
A bed space in Deira at AED 650 with a AED 350 pass and 40 minutes each way is not cheaper than one in Al Barsha at AED 799 that you walk from. Choose your area by commute makes this case at length.
5. One-off costs
| Item | Typical | When | |---|---|---| | Agent commission | AED 0 on Qozey; elsewhere often half a month | Only if you use an agent | | Bedding, a lock, a fan | AED 100 to 300 | First week | | Moving | AED 0 to 150 | If you own more than a suitcase |
The worked totals
| | Bed space | Partition | Private room | |---|---|---|---| | Rent (median) | AED 874 | AED 1,400 | AED 3,200 | | Bills if not included | AED 0 to 300 | AED 0 to 300 | AED 0 to 400 | | Transport (metro, 1 to 2 zones) | AED 250 | AED 250 | AED 250 | | Food and the rest of life | AED 800 to 1,200 | AED 800 to 1,200 | AED 1,000 to 1,500 | | Monthly total | AED 1,900 to 2,600 | AED 2,450 to 3,150 | AED 4,450 to 5,350 | | Cash needed at move-in | About AED 1,100 plus first-week items | About AED 1,800 | About AED 4,000 |
Two things stand out. First, the gap between a bed space and a partition, about AED 550 a month, is smaller than the gap between a partition and a private room, about AED 1,800. Privacy gets expensive at the top. Second, once bills and transport are in, a cheap room in the wrong area is rarely cheap.
If the private-room total makes you look at studios, bed space or studio runs that comparison. And whatever you pick, the monthly budget guide covers the living costs beyond the room.
Are bills usually included in shared rent in Dubai?
Usually, yes. Of the 142 live listings on 6 September 2026, 109 were advertised all-inclusive and 15 said plainly that bills were extra. The rest said nothing, which is the answer you should chase before you agree to anything — summer electricity is where the surprise lands.
How much deposit will I be asked for?
Nine listings in ten state a deposit. The middle stated deposit on 6 September 2026 was about AED 325, which is a quarter of a month at the typical rent, though a full month is common at the top end. Ask what it is, whether it comes back, and get a dated receipt.
What does a bed space really cost per month, all in?
Take the rent, add your share of bills if they are not included, add transport, and spread the deposit and the one-off costs across the months you expect to stay. The worked totals above do exactly that. The number that comes out is usually a few hundred dirhams above the advertised rent.
Rents, bill inclusions and deposits are a snapshot of 142 live listings on Qozey, 6 September 2026. Bill shares and transport are typical figures, not quotations.