Studio vs 1 bedroom in Dubai, for a furnished monthly stay, is a trade of space for money: in the same building, a one-bedroom hotel apartment is typically about 70% larger than a studio and costs about 25% more a month. Across the Dubai hotel apartments on HotelApartments.com, the median studio measures 40 m² (431 sq ft) and the median one-bedroom 74 m² (797 sq ft), and their median asking prices are AED 7,700 a month (109 units) and AED 10,600 (173 units).
This compares furnished hotel apartments booked by the month (447 of our 448 Dubai units have a 30-night minimum), not unfurnished flats on a yearly lease. Sizes are as the properties list them, converted to square metres; we left out four entries that were clearly wrong and two with no size. Prices are asking prices from our listings and market rates on 29 October 2026, with the number of units behind every median.
Studio vs 1 bedroom: the short answer
| Dubai hotel apartments | Studio | One-bedroom |
|---|---|---|
| Units on HotelApartments.com | 109 | 173 |
| Median size | 40 m² (431 sq ft) | 74 m² (797 sq ft) |
| Middle half of sizes | 35 – 48 m² (377 – 517 sq ft) | 62 – 82 m² (667 – 883 sq ft) |
| Median monthly asking price | AED 7,700 | AED 10,600 |
| Middle half of prices | AED 6,000 – 10,500 | AED 8,000 – 16,000 |
| Median price per m² a month | AED 195 (AED 18.1 per sq ft) | AED 159 (AED 14.7 per sq ft) |
| Maximum guests listed | 2 on 107 of 109 | 2 on 159 of 173; 3 on 13 |
| Fully equipped kitchen | 88 of 109 (kitchenette 11) | 155 of 173 (kitchenette 7) |
| Washing machine | 89 of 109 | 154 of 173 |
| Desk | 58 of 109 | 105 of 173 |
Source: HotelApartments.com listings and market rates, 29 October 2026. Sizes from the 108 studios and 172 one-bedrooms with a usable listed size.
How big is a studio apartment in Dubai?
On our listings, a hotel-apartment studio in Dubai has a median size of 40 m² (431 sq ft), and half of them measure between 35 and 48 m² (377–517 sq ft). The smallest is listed at 25 m² (269 sq ft), and only 4 of the 108 reach 60 m². A studio is one room for sleeping, sitting and cooking, plus a bathroom.
Studio sizes also vary by area. Palm Jumeirah's are the smallest of the areas we can compare, at a median 32 m² (10 units), and JBR's the largest, at 50 m² (5 units). Property portals quote much wider ranges for Dubai's yearly rental market; the figures here are only for furnished hotel apartments listed by the month, so check the size on the listing you are looking at.
How big is a one-bedroom apartment in Dubai?
A one-bedroom hotel apartment on our site has a median size of 74 m² (797 sq ft), and half measure between 62 and 82 m² (667–883 sq ft). You get a bedroom with a door, a living area with the kitchen, and one bathroom on 125 of the 173; another 41 list one and a half, which usually means a guest toilet, and 7 list two.
The two sizes barely overlap. The largest tenth of studios, 55 m² (592 sq ft) and up, are about the size of the smallest tenth of one-bedrooms, and only one one-bedroom on our site is listed at 40 m² or less.
How much more does a one-bedroom cost than a studio?
In the 65 buildings on our site that list both, the one-bedroom's median asking price is 25% higher than the studio's, typically AED 2,200 more a month. For the middle half of those buildings the premium is 18% to 38%, or AED 1,300 to 3,500 a month. In 5 of the 65, a one-bedroom is listed for the same as a studio or less.
Across the whole city, the gap looks wider: AED 7,700 against AED 10,600, or 38%. That is partly because one-bedrooms are more often in buildings listed as five-star: 56 of our 173 one-bedrooms, against 26 of 109 studios. It also means a one-bedroom in a cheaper area can cost less than a studio elsewhere: 38 of the 173 one-bedrooms are listed at AED 7,700 or less, the median studio price.
| Area | Studio median, AED a month (units) | One-bedroom median, AED a month (units) | Gap | Median size, studio / one-bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBR | 9,000 (5) | 9,000 (7) | 0% | 50 / 75 m² |
| Barsha Heights | 6,500 (7) | 7,000 (11) | 8% | 35 / 60 m² |
| Al Barsha | 5,600 (6) | 6,700 (11) | 20% | 42 / 75 m² |
| Sheikh Zayed Road | 9,000 (8) | 11,000 (18) | 22% | 44 / 70 m² |
| Bur Dubai | 5,500 (9) | 8,100 (6) | 47% | 39 / 71 m² |
| Al Jaddaf | 6,300 (9) | 9,600 (7) | 52% | 40 / 80 m² |
| Palm Jumeirah | 8,625 (10) | 14,000 (12) | 62% | 32 / 79 m² |
| Dubai Marina | 10,000 (15) | 17,000 (24) | 70% | 47 / 80 m² |
| Deira | 8,000 (7) | 13,750 (20) | 72% | 37 / 72 m² |
| Business Bay | 9,100 (8) | 16,000 (13) | 76% | 45 / 75 m² |
Source: HotelApartments.com market rates and listings, 29 October 2026. Only areas with at least five studios and five one-bedrooms are shown.
An area's gap depends on which buildings have which units. In Dubai Marina, 8 of the 24 one-bedrooms (and 5 of the 15 studios) are at The Address Dubai Marina Residences, at AED 25,300 to 36,300 a month; without that building, the Marina medians are AED 8,900 for a studio (10 units) and AED 12,185 for a one-bedroom (16 units), a 37% gap. In JBR, three of the five studios are at Hilton Dubai The Walk and Sheraton The Walk (AED 9,000–10,000), while the cheapest one-bedrooms, at Suha JBR Hotel Apartments, start at AED 7,700. In Business Bay, three of the eight studios are at Aura Suites Downtown (AED 7,200–9,200), while 6 of the 13 one-bedrooms are at SLS Dubai, InterContinental Residences and ME Dubai Residences, at AED 18,000–24,750.
For more on these areas, see Palm Jumeirah vs Dubai Marina and Al Barsha vs Barsha Heights, and for every bedroom count by area, how much a hotel apartment costs per month in Dubai.
In the same building, a one-bedroom is typically about 70% larger than a studio.
What do you get in a studio and in a one-bedroom?
Most of both sleep two and come with a kitchen and a washing machine. What the one-bedroom adds is a door between the bed and the rest of the flat, and, more often than a studio, a desk, an oven, a dishwasher and a sofa bed. The counts below are what the properties list for each unit on our site.
- Guests: 107 of 109 studios and 159 of 173 one-bedrooms list a maximum of two guests. 13 one-bedrooms take three and one takes four; 2 studios take three. A sofa bed is listed in 16 one-bedrooms and 4 studios.
- Kitchen: a fully equipped kitchen in 88 studios and 155 one-bedrooms, a kitchenette in 11 and 7. An oven in 57 studios and 110 one-bedrooms; a dishwasher in 32 and 74.
- Laundry: a washing machine in 89 studios and 154 one-bedrooms.
- Work: a desk in 58 studios (53%) and 105 one-bedrooms (61%).
- Bathroom: one in 108 of 109 studios; in one-bedrooms, one in 125, one and a half in 41 and two in 7.
Every guest shows an original passport or Emirates ID at check-in under our reservation terms, so book for the number of people who will actually stay.
Should you get a studio or a one-bedroom?
Choose a studio if you are on your own, out most of the day and want the lowest monthly price. Choose a one-bedroom if two of you are staying more than a month, one of you works from the apartment, or you expect visitors: a door between the bed and the living space matters more the longer you stay.
- On your own: a studio. Bur Dubai (AED 5,500, 9 units), Al Barsha (AED 5,600, 6 units) and Barsha Heights (AED 6,500, 7 units) have the lowest studio medians in the table above.
- A couple: both sizes sleep two on almost every listing. A studio works for a month if you keep similar hours; for longer, or if one of you sleeps late, a one-bedroom.
- Working from home: a one-bedroom. More of them list a desk, and you can take calls in one room while the other sleeps.
- Visitors or a child: a one-bedroom with a sofa bed, or a two-bedroom (105 of our 112 list four guests; median AED 15,000, 112 units).
- On a budget but want the space: look where the gap is small. In Barsha Heights a one-bedroom's median is 8% above a studio's, in Al Barsha 20%, and in JBR the two medians are the same.
Compare the listed size, not just the label One studio in ten on our site measures 30 m² or less and one in ten 55 m² or more; for one-bedrooms, the same marks are 55 and 95 m². Two units with the same label can differ by more than the typical gap between a studio and a one-bedroom, so check the size in each listing.
Browse one-bedroom hotel apartments in Dubai or all monthly hotel apartments in Dubai, or send us your dates and tell us who is staying: we will suggest studios and one-bedrooms that fit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average studio size in Dubai?
On HotelApartments.com, the median furnished hotel-apartment studio in Dubai is 40 m² (431 sq ft), and half of the 108 studios with a listed size measure 35–48 m² (377–517 sq ft), on 29 October 2026.
How many sq ft is a 1-bedroom apartment in Dubai?
The median one-bedroom hotel apartment on our site is 797 sq ft (74 m²), and half of the 172 with a listed size measure 667–883 sq ft (62–82 m²).
Can two people stay in a studio in Dubai?
Usually yes: 107 of the 109 Dubai studios on our site list a maximum of two guests, and two list three. Every guest shows an original passport or Emirates ID at check-in.
Is a studio cheaper per square metre than a one-bedroom?
No. A studio costs a median AED 195 per m² a month (AED 18.1 per sq ft) and a one-bedroom AED 159 (AED 14.7 per sq ft). A studio costs less in total but more for each square metre.
Do studios in Dubai have a full kitchen?
Most hotel-apartment studios do: 88 of our 109 Dubai studios list a fully equipped kitchen and 11 a kitchenette. Ovens are less common in studios (57 of 109) than in one-bedrooms (110 of 173).
How much more is a one-bedroom than a studio in Dubai?
In buildings that list both, a median 25% more, typically AED 2,200 a month. City-wide, the median asking prices are AED 7,700 for a studio (109 units) and AED 10,600 for a one-bedroom (173 units).
Is a one-bedroom worth it for a month?
If two of you are staying, one of you works from the apartment, or you will have visitors, usually yes: in the same building it is typically about 70% larger for about 25% more. On your own and out all day, a studio does the job for less.
Sources
- HotelApartments.com: Dubai listings and market rates (448 hotel apartments: asking prices, listed sizes, maximum guests, amenities and minimum stays; market rates generated 29 October 2026, listings read the same day)
- HotelApartments.com: reservation terms (ID at check-in for every guest; checked 29 October 2026)
Prices and facts checked on 29 October 2026.
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