Calculator
Abu Dhabi or UK buy-to-let?
Put the same kind of investment side by side, after UK tax, and see which leaves you with more. Start from our worked example, then change any number to match your own.
Luluat Marina, 3 bedroom, from 2,635 sq ft at AED 5,215,464. Rent is our estimate of AED 115 per sq ft a year, with the service charge (AED 38,998 a year) plus 3% of rent for insurance and upkeep. Growth is our Abu Dhabi assumption of 5% a year on price and rent. About Luluat Marina
Growth a year
Abu Dhabi
UK
On these assumptions, Abu Dhabi returns 8.9% a year, against 4.4% for the UK property, after all taxes.
The two investments use very different amounts of your money (£550,339 against £59,450), so compare the annual return rather than the profit.
Abu Dhabi is assumed to grow faster: 5% a year on price and 5% on rent, against 2.5% and 3.5% in the UK. Part of the difference comes from that assumption.
Profit over 10 years, after all taxes
Abu Dhabi
£522,828
UK
£31,487
Annual return (IRR)
Abu Dhabi
8.9%
UK
4.4%
Cashflow in the first full year let, after tax
Abu Dhabi
−£1,619
UK
−£608
Abu Dhabi: year 5, the first full year after handover.
Your own cash put in
Abu Dhabi
£550,339
UK
£59,450
Abu Dhabi: booking payment, instalments, handover balance and fees.
Your own capital in the Abu Dhabi property is AED 2,607,732, which could give you a route to a 10-year Golden Visa. How it works
AngelBrics modelling, in pounds at AED 4.98 to £1. Illustrative only, not a forecast for any property. Capital at risk. Not tax or financial advice.
The two properties
Change anything. The results above update as you type.
Luluat Marina, Abu Dhabi
AEDOff-plan, handover Q2 2030
Payment plan: 3% down payment, 42% quarterly instalments, 55% on completion. Construction payments are spread evenly by quarter. No rent until handover, and any mortgage starts then.
Running costs, fees and selling costs+
Also included: 2% registration fee, NOC, conveyancing and title fees (AED 10,500), and mortgage valuation, arrangement (0.5%) and registration (0.1%) fees.
UK buy-to-let
£Running costs, fees and selling costs+
Stamp duty is worked out for you, including the 5% surcharge on additional homes (England).
How the calculator works
Each year, rent is collected after a vacancy allowance, then running costs and mortgage payments are paid. If you're UK tax resident, UK income tax is charged on the rental profit from both properties, with mortgage interest relieved as a tax credit. At the end, each property is sold at its grown price, less selling costs, the mortgage still owed and UK capital gains tax.
Profit is everything you get back, less the cash you put in on day one. The annual return is the internal rate of return (IRR) on those same cashflows, so a larger deposit and a smaller one can be compared fairly.
UK property income tax at today's rates (20%, 40%, 45%, with mortgage interest relieved at 20%), as in our guide, or at the rates expected from April 2027 (24%, 44%, 49%) after the 28 October 2026 Budget. For 2027 the calculator assumes mortgage interest relief rises to 24% with the basic rate; that relief rate is not yet confirmed (Claims Register T12). CGT at 18% or 24% with the £3,000 annual exemption. The calculator assumes you stay in one tax band throughout.
It leaves out some real-world factors: currency moves between pounds and dirhams, changes to the rules in either country, the costs of a Renters' Rights Act dispute, and void periods longer than the allowance you set. If Abu Dhabi prices don't grow, the UK can come out ahead, which is why the "Flat prices" example is there.
Sources
- UK property income tax rates
- GOV.UK, 2026/27 rates; from April 2027: HM Treasury, Budget 2025 and Budget 2026 (28 October 2026), expected until Finance Bill 2026-27
- Capital gains tax on residential property
- GOV.UK: 18% and 24%, £3,000 annual exempt amount
- Stamp duty and the 5% surcharge
- GOV.UK: SDLT residential rates from 1 April 2025; surcharge raised to 5% from 31 October 2024
- Abu Dhabi purchase costs
- AngelBrics Investor Guide (UK), October 2026: 2% registration, NOC, conveyancing and title fees
- Exchange rate
- AED 4.98 to £1, as used in the AngelBrics Investor Guide
Rates checked 8 November 2026. This calculator is an illustration based on the assumptions you enter. It is not a forecast for any property, and not tax, legal or financial advice. Property values can fall as well as rise, and leverage increases losses as well as gains. Take independent tax advice on your own position. AngelBrics is a trading name of PRSIM Property Management L.L.C, a licensed real estate brokerage in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Talk it through before you decide anything
A 30-minute video call with Ashley. Tell us what you own now and what you want it to do, and we'll tell you honestly whether Abu Dhabi fits.