HoodEx scores areas of Dubai, دبي, United Arab Emirates from 0 to 10 on green space and air, comfort and safety, homes and buildings, shops and services, and getting around. Of the areas reported on in depth so far, Downtown Dubai scores highest at 6.8/10, against an average of 4.7/10. Open any report below, or find which part of Dubai fits you.
About Dubai
Dubai sits on a flat desert strip along the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf, with most of its measured neighborhoods strung between the shoreline and the inland desert. The city follows a car-dependent, highway-linked pattern anchored by Sheikh Zayed Road, though a driverless metro runs parallel to the coast and connects hubs like Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, and Jumeirah Beach Residence. Housing ranges from high-rise towers in Business Bay and DIFC to villa compounds in Emirates Hills and The Lakes, while master-planned districts such as Dubai South and Damac Hills sit farther from the center. The climate is hot desert, with long, sweltering summers and mild winters, and greenery is scarce across all areas. What an address provides is largely the building and its immediate surroundings, which change sharply from district to district, while access to open natural space remains limited nearly everywhere.
How Dubai scores
Across the 57 measured areas HoodEx has mapped in Dubai, the average score is 4.7 out of 10 — weak. That places Dubai 29th of the 33 cities measured so far, 1.9 below the 6.6 average across those cities.
The highest-scoring area is Downtown Dubai at 6.8/10; the lowest is Rashid Yachts & Marina at 2.9/10. A gap of 3.9 points across one city is large — in Dubai the address matters more than the city does.
What Dubai is good at
Averaged across Dubai: green & air 4.0, comfort & safety 5.3, homes & buildings 5.8, shops & services 4.3 and getting around 4.1, each out of 10.
Dubai's strongest category is homes & buildings — the buildings and housing stock — at 5.8/10, 0.8 below the 6.6 average for that category. The weakest is green & air — greenery and environmental quality — at 4.0/10, 1.7 below the 5.7 average. Those two are the shape of the city: what it gives you everywhere, and what you have to hunt for.
What your choice of area decides in Dubai
The score that swings most from one Dubai area to the next is homes & buildings: 2.9/10 in Emaar South, 9.7/10 in Downtown Dubai — a spread of 6.8 points. In practice that means what you are actually renting or buying is the thing your choice of address actually decides here.
By contrast green & air moves by only 3.7 points across the whole city, so it is close to a constant: worth knowing about Dubai, but not worth paying extra for one street over another.
Choosing an area in Dubai
No single area wins on everything, so it is worth knowing which one leads on the thing you care about. In Dubai that is most green space: Emirates Hills (6.1/10 green & air), best connected: Al Karama (6.4/10 getting around), strongest community life: Al Karama (7.5/10 shops & services) and best housing stock: Downtown Dubai (9.7/10 homes & buildings).
Open any of them below for the full breakdown — the five category scores, the components underneath them, and what residents have reported.
Describe the life you want — budget, commute, how much green you need, how lively the street should be — and HoodEx ranks Dubai's neighbourhoods against your answers instead of you looking up one address at a time.
If nobody has searched Dubai here before, the matcher maps it first — a one-off couple of minutes while you answer the questions. It runs without an account, and the top matches are free.
These parts of Dubai have been measured in full — each has its own page with the five scores, the readings underneath them and photos of the streets.
Downtown Dubai — 6.8/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (9.7), weakest on shops & services (5.5).
Jumeirah Beach Residence — 6.3/10 overall — strongest on comfort & safety (7.5), weakest on green & air (4.3).
Emirates Hills — 6.2/10 overall — strongest on comfort & safety (7.9), weakest on getting around (4.3).
Jumeirah Golf Estates — 5.8/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.3), weakest on getting around (4.7).
Al Karama — 5.7/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (7.5), weakest on green & air (4.2).
Mirdif — 5.6/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.0), weakest on green & air (4.2).
Jumeirah — 5.6/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.3), weakest on green & air (4.6).
Dubai Marina — 5.5/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (7.1), weakest on green & air (3.9).
The Meadows — 5.5/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (8.3), weakest on getting around (2.8).
DIFC — 5.4/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.3), weakest on green & air (4.3).
Deira — 5.3/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (6.5), weakest on green & air (3.7).
Bluewaters Island — 5.3/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.7), weakest on getting around (3.3).
Dubai Silicon Oasis — 5.3/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.6), weakest on green & air (3.7).
The Springs — 5.2/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.3), weakest on getting around (3.6).
Al Satwa — 5.2/10 overall — strongest on comfort & safety (5.8), weakest on green & air (3.4).
Damac Hills 2 — 5.2/10 overall — strongest on comfort & safety (7.3), weakest on green & air (3.8).
Jumeirah Lake Towers — 5.2/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (6.1), weakest on green & air (3.4).
City Walk — 5.1/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.0), weakest on green & air (3.4).
Dubai South — 5.1/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.9), weakest on green & air (3.5).
Mudon — 5.1/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.7), weakest on getting around (3.7).
Dubai Studio City — 5.0/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.6), weakest on getting around (4.2).
Business Bay — 5.0/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.2), weakest on green & air (3.3).
Remraam — 4.9/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.3), weakest on getting around (3.5).
Arabian Ranches 2 — 4.9/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.3), weakest on getting around (3.6).
Expo City — 4.9/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.6), weakest on getting around (3.9).
International City — 4.8/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (6.0), weakest on green & air (3.3).
Villanova — 4.8/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.1), weakest on getting around (3.5).
Palm Jumeirah — 4.8/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (6.1), weakest on green & air (3.4).
MBR City — 4.8/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (8.0), weakest on getting around (2.3).
The Lakes — 4.7/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.0), weakest on getting around (2.7).
Dubai Maritime City — 4.6/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (5.4), weakest on green & air (3.7).
Al Barsha — 4.5/10 overall — strongest on getting around (5.6), weakest on green & air (3.4).
Motor City — 4.5/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.6), weakest on green & air (3.1).
Jumeirah Village Circle — 4.5/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (5.5), weakest on getting around (3.5).
Jumeirah Village Triangle — 4.4/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.6), weakest on getting around (3.0).
Arjan — 4.4/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.4), weakest on green & air (3.3).
Town Square — 4.4/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (5.9), weakest on green & air (3.1).
Tilal Al Ghaf — 4.3/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (5.3), weakest on green & air (2.4).
Bur Dubai — 4.3/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.9), weakest on shops & services (2.8).
Al Warqa — 4.3/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (5.0), weakest on green & air (3.1).
Al Furjan — 4.2/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.4), weakest on shops & services (3.3).
Damac Hills — 4.2/10 overall — strongest on shops & services (4.8), weakest on green & air (3.3).
Liwan — 4.2/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.0), weakest on green & air (3.2).
Discovery Gardens — 4.2/10 overall — strongest on getting around (5.2), weakest on green & air (3.4).
Dubai Hills Estate — 4.1/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.8), weakest on shops & services (1.6).
Dubai Creek Harbour — 4.1/10 overall — strongest on comfort & safety (5.1), weakest on shops & services (2.8).
Majan — 4.0/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (6.6), weakest on shops & services (1.8).
Dubai Sports City — 3.9/10 overall — strongest on comfort & safety (4.4), weakest on homes & buildings (3.3).
Arabian Ranches — 3.8/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (4.7), weakest on shops & services (2.7).
Nad Al Sheba — 3.8/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.9), weakest on shops & services (1.6).
Sobha Hartland — 3.5/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (4.7), weakest on getting around (2.0).
Ras Al Khor — 3.4/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (7.4), weakest on getting around (1.3).
Dubai Production City — 3.2/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (4.4), weakest on shops & services (1.7).
Dubai Islands — 3.2/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (4.4), weakest on shops & services (1.7).
Arabian Ranches 3 — 3.0/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (4.7), weakest on shops & services (1.6).
Emaar South — 2.9/10 overall — strongest on comfort & safety (4.0), weakest on shops & services (1.4).
Rashid Yachts & Marina — 2.9/10 overall — strongest on homes & buildings (5.8), weakest on shops & services (1.4).
How we score neighbourhoods
Every HoodEx neighbourhood is scored from 0 to 10 in five categories. Scores are generated by AI analysis of satellite imagery, street-level imagery, points of interest and public datasets, then blended into a single overall score.
Green & air: Green space, parks, air quality, climate and overall environmental quality.
Comfort & safety: How the street feels day to day — space, privacy, human scale, street life and comfort.
Homes & buildings: Buildings and housing — construction quality, condition and architectural character.
Shops & services: Local services, culture, meeting places and the social fabric of the area.
Getting around: Public transport, walkability, roads and how much is reachable nearby.
Frequently asked questions
How many neighbourhoods in Dubai has HoodEx scored?
HoodEx has scored 57 neighbourhoods in Dubai. New areas are added when someone checks a local address.
What is the average neighbourhood score in Dubai?
The average overall score across scored Dubai neighbourhoods is 4.7/10, blended from our five scoring categories — 1.9 below the 6.6 average across the 33 cities HoodEx has measured.
Which is the highest-rated neighbourhood in Dubai?
Downtown Dubai currently has the highest overall score in Dubai at 6.8/10, 3.9 points ahead of the lowest-scoring measured area, Rashid Yachts & Marina (2.9/10).
Which Dubai neighbourhood has the most green space?
Emirates Hills scores highest on green & air in Dubai at 6.1/10, covering green space, air and water quality and natural features. The city average for green & air is 4.0/10.
Where is Dubai best connected and most walkable?
Al Karama leads on getting around — transit access, road connectivity, walkability and reaching everyday destinations — at 6.4/10, against a Dubai average of 4.1/10.
What matters most when choosing a neighbourhood in Dubai?
Homes & buildings varies most across Dubai — a spread of 6.8 points between Emaar South (2.9/10) and Downtown Dubai (9.7/10). That makes what you are actually renting or buying the thing your address decides here, while green & air is close to constant citywide (3.7 points).
How does HoodEx score neighbourhoods?
Every neighbourhood is scored 0–10 in five categories — Green & air, Comfort & safety, Homes & buildings, Shops & services, and Getting around — using AI analysis of satellite imagery, street-level imagery, points of interest and public datasets. The five category scores are blended into a single overall score.
Is Dubai neighbourhood data free to browse?
Yes — browsing neighbourhood scores and community insights is free. A detailed report for a new address is paid.
How current is the Dubai data?
Scores update as new analyses are run and community feedback comes in. Each neighbourhood page shows when it was last updated.