Al Barsha vs Barsha Heights is a choice between two neighbouring districts one metro stop apart, and on our listings they cost almost the same. A one-bedroom’s median asking price on HotelApartments.com is AED 6,700 a month in Al Barsha (11 units) and AED 7,000 in Barsha Heights (11 units). Al Barsha’s apartments are larger and closer to a station and to Mall of the Emirates; Barsha Heights is the closer base for Dubai Internet City, and the only one of the two with pet-friendly units.
The figures below are the median monthly asking prices of the units live on our site on 29 October 2026, with the number of units behind each one. Every unit in both districts has a 30-night minimum stay, and we show a median only where there are at least five units of that size.
Are Al Barsha and Barsha Heights the same?
No, though the names are easy to mix up. Al Barsha is the district around Mall of the Emirates. Barsha Heights, which Dubai’s government portal describes as formerly Tecom, is the high-rise district by Dubai Internet City metro station, the next stop on the Red Line. Some sources treat Barsha Heights as part of a wider Al Barsha, and Visit Dubai covers both on one page; on our site they are separate areas.
Older station names still turn up in addresses. The Red Line station that serves most of our Al Barsha listings was called Mashreq until the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) renamed it InsuranceMarket in late 2024, and three Al Barsha buildings on our site still give “Mashreq Metro Station” in their address. One gives Sharaf DG, which on RTA’s current map is a Green Line station in Bur Dubai. Go by the map location, not the station named in an address.
Al Barsha vs Barsha Heights: monthly prices compared
| Median monthly asking price (AED) | Al Barsha | Barsha Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 5,600 (6 units) | 6,500 (7 units) |
| 1 bedroom | 6,700 (11 units) | 7,000 (11 units) |
| 2 bedrooms | 13,500 (7 units) | 2 units, at 9,000 and 18,000 |
| 3+ bedrooms | 2 units, at 16,500 and 17,000 | 1 unit, at 18,000 |
| All units | 7,975 (26 units) | 7,700 (21 units) |
| Lowest asking price | 5,000 | 5,300 |
| Buildings | 8 | 7 |
Source: live listings and market rates on HotelApartments.com, 29 October 2026. These are asking prices for stays of 30 nights or more and can change with your dates; VAT, the Tourism Dirham and any event supplement may be added.
Which is cheaper, Al Barsha or Barsha Heights?
Al Barsha, by a little, for a studio or a one-bedroom: medians of AED 5,600 and AED 6,700 a month against AED 6,500 and AED 7,000 in Barsha Heights. The gap is a few hundred dirhams, smaller than the gap between buildings in either district. For two bedrooms, only Al Barsha has enough units for a median: AED 13,500 from 7 units.
- Al Barsha’s lowest prices: studios at Al Khoory Hotel Apartments (AED 5,000) and Skylark Hotel Apartments (AED 5,500). Rose Garden Hotel Apartment Al Barsha has the most units of either district, 8, with studios at AED 5,500 to 5,900 and one-bedrooms at AED 6,500 to 6,900.
- Barsha Heights’ lowest prices: First Central Hotel Suites, with studios from AED 5,300 and one-bedrooms at AED 5,775 to 6,875, and Grand Heights Hotel Apartments, with studios at AED 5,500 to 5,999 and one-bedrooms at AED 6,600 to 7,700.
- At the top: Novotel Hotel Al Barsha asks AED 10,500 to 16,500, and Millennium Place Barsha Heights AED 11,000 to 16,500. Barsha Heights’ highest one-bedroom asks AED 16,500, Al Barsha’s AED 12,500.
Which is closer to the metro?
Al Barsha, on our listings. 18 of the 22 Al Barsha units we could check are within 500 metres of a Red Line station in a straight line, and all 22 within a kilometre. In Barsha Heights, 10 of the 21 units are within 500 metres of Dubai Internet City station, 17 within a kilometre and all 21 within 1.5 km.
- One stop apart: RTA lists InsuranceMarket station between Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Internet City stations on the Red Line. InsuranceMarket is the nearest station for 20 of the Al Barsha units, Mall of the Emirates for 2, and Dubai Internet City for every Barsha Heights unit. The two districts’ main stations are about 2.2 km apart.
- Mall of the Emirates: 20 of the 22 Al Barsha units are within a kilometre of the mall (median 0.9 km); the Barsha Heights units are 3.0 to 3.8 km from it, two Red Line stops away.
- Dubai Internet City: Barsha Heights’ units are a median 640 metres from Dubai Internet City station. From Al Barsha it is one more stop.
- Leaving out one building: we did not measure Novotel Hotel Al Barsha’s four units, whose map location doesn’t match the station its address names.
Distances are straight lines from each listing’s map location to the nearest station on RTA’s current network map, using OpenStreetMap coordinates; walking routes are longer, especially where you have to cross Sheikh Zayed Road. For other areas near the metro, see living in Dubai without a car.
How much space do you get, and what is included?
Al Barsha’s apartments are larger: a median of 42 m² for a studio and 75 m² for a one-bedroom, against 35 m² and 60 m² in Barsha Heights. Both districts list free parking for every unit and twice-weekly housekeeping for most.
| Units whose listing includes | Al Barsha (26 units) | Barsha Heights (21 units) |
|---|---|---|
| Median size, studio | 42 m² / 452 sq ft (6 units) | 35 m² / 377 sq ft (7 units) |
| Median size, 1 bedroom | 75 m² / 807 sq ft (11 units) | 60 m² / 646 sq ft (11 units) |
| Kitchen (full or kitchenette) | 25 | 20 |
| Washing machine | 21 | 20 |
| Free car parking | 26 | 21 |
| Swimming pool | 22 | 16 |
| Desk | 15 | 15 |
| Terrace or balcony | 8 | 2 |
| Housekeeping twice a week | 21 | 20 |
| Other housekeeping | Weekly 2, not stated 3 | Three times a week 1 |
| Pets allowed (fees may apply) | 0 | 4 |
Deposits differ more than prices. In Al Barsha, 16 of the 26 listings ask for 10% of the total, Al Khoory and Novotel ask for 5%, and Icon Delux Hotel Apartments asks for AED 1,000 on a monthly stay. In Barsha Heights, fixed sums are more common: AED 1,500 for one to three months at First Central Hotel Suites and AED 2,000 for a month at Millennium Place Barsha Heights, while Grand Heights and Citadines Metro Central ask for 5% on bookings of three months or more.
Al Barsha or Barsha Heights: which suits you?
- The most space for the money: Al Barsha, where a one-bedroom’s median size is 75 m² against 60 m².
- A short walk to the metro or Mall of the Emirates: Al Barsha.
- Work in Dubai Internet City or nearby: Barsha Heights, on the doorstep of Dubai Internet City station.
- Two bedrooms: Al Barsha, with 7 units (median AED 13,500) against 2 in Barsha Heights.
- Travelling with a pet: Barsha Heights, where four units at Grand Heights Hotel Apartments accept pets; none of our Al Barsha units do.
- A small deposit for a short stay: compare the fixed-sum deposits in Barsha Heights with the 10% most Al Barsha listings ask.
Two districts, one line Living in one and working in the other is one Red Line stop. Size, deposit and the walk to the station vary more between buildings than between the two districts, so choose the building first.
Before you book a month in Al Barsha or Barsha Heights
- Ask for the total. Every listing in both districts says its rates are estimates that can vary with availability and season, and all but one mention an event supplement during major events and exhibitions.
- Check the fees. Ask whether VAT and the Tourism Dirham, where it applies, are included.
- Staying over the shopping festival? Mall of the Emirates makes Al Barsha a budget base for the Dubai Shopping Festival; ask whether a supplement applies to your dates.
- Read the terms. Under our reservation terms, unused nights are not refunded if you leave early.
Browse all monthly rentals in Al Barsha and in Barsha Heights, see what a hotel apartment costs per month across Dubai, or send us your dates and budget and we will suggest buildings in both districts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Barsha Heights the same as TECOM?
Yes. Barsha Heights is the district formerly known as Tecom, as Dubai’s government portal notes, and several building addresses there still read “Barsha Heights (Tecom)”. On our site it has 21 units in 7 buildings, all within 1.5 km of Dubai Internet City metro station.
Is Al Barsha a good place to stay for a month?
For value and transport, yes on our listings: a one-bedroom’s median asking price is AED 6,700 a month (11 units), 18 of the 22 units we could check are within 500 metres of a Red Line station, and Mall of the Emirates is a median 0.9 km away. None of our Al Barsha units accepts pets.
Which metro station is nearest Barsha Heights?
Dubai Internet City, on the Red Line, one stop from InsuranceMarket station in Al Barsha. On our listings, 10 of the 21 Barsha Heights units are within 500 metres of it in a straight line and 17 within a kilometre.
How far is Barsha Heights from Mall of the Emirates?
The Barsha Heights units we list are 3.0 to 3.8 km from Mall of the Emirates in a straight line, two stops away on the Red Line. Most Al Barsha units are within a kilometre of the mall.
Which is cheaper, Al Barsha or Barsha Heights?
Al Barsha, slightly, on HotelApartments.com on 29 October 2026: median asking prices of AED 5,600 for a studio and AED 6,700 for a one-bedroom, against AED 6,500 and AED 7,000 in Barsha Heights. Al Barsha’s apartments are also larger.
Are pets allowed in Al Barsha or Barsha Heights apartments?
On our site, only in Barsha Heights: four units at Grand Heights Hotel Apartments list pets as allowed, with fees. None of our 26 Al Barsha units do. Confirm the building’s rules before you book.
How were these prices calculated?
They are the medians of the monthly asking prices of every unit live on HotelApartments.com in each district on 29 October 2026, excluding villas and our luxury collection. We show a median only where there are at least five units of that size, and distances are straight lines from each listing’s map location.
Sources
- HotelApartments.com: live listings and market rates for Al Barsha and Barsha Heights, and our reservation terms, read on 29 October 2026
- Roads and Transport Authority: InsuranceMarket naming rights for Mashreq station (the rename and the station’s place between Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Internet City, checked 29 October 2026)
- Roads and Transport Authority: Dubai Rail Network map (station names and lines; September 2026 edition, checked 29 October 2026)
- Dubai.ae: Dubai neighbourhoods (Barsha Heights formerly Tecom; Mall of the Emirates in Al Barsha, checked 29 October 2026)
- Visit Dubai: Al Barsha and Barsha Heights (Dubai’s official tourism site, checked 29 October 2026)
- OpenStreetMap (station locations, © OpenStreetMap contributors)
Prices and facts checked on 29 October 2026.
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