One hundred billion dirhams, eight kilometres of waterfront and the largest marina in Abu Dhabi. Phase 1 sales open at the end of September 2026.
Aldar releases pricing and floor plans roughly a week before sales open, and the people who registered their interest in advance receive them first. That week is all the time you get to decide: flagship Saadiyat launches move fast, and the best lots — front row and marina views — go in the first hours. Take the brochure now, and the price list and payment plan will reach you the moment they are out, together with my numbers on specific lots.
The opening phase of the project consists entirely of villas. Apartments and branded residences will follow in later phases.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of villas | 174 |
| Layouts | 4, 5 and 6 bedrooms |
| Villa size | 5,000 – 6,500 sq ft |
| Pricing | coming soon |
| Payment plan | coming soon |
| Sales open | End of September 2026 |
Open map
Saadiyat is an island of roughly 27 square kilometres, a few minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and connected to the main island by bridges. The name translates from Arabic as "island of happiness".
It has been developed since the mid-2000s under a single government masterplan, and from the outset it was conceived not as another residential district but as the cultural showcase of the emirate.
Island map with the key landmarks. Aldar materials. Click to open at full size.
The map shows how the island is organised. The western tip holds the Cultural District: the Louvre, Guggenheim, Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum, with the beach and the Mamsha Al Saadiyat pedestrian promenade with its restaurants and retail running alongside them.
The northern shore is the resort strip — St. Regis, Park Hyatt, Rixos, Jumeirah, Nobu and the beachfront golf club. The middle of the island holds the NYU Abu Dhabi campus and Manarat. To the east lies the Saadiyat Lagoons villa community.
Marsa Al Saadiyat occupies the southern waterfront section of the island.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, architect Jean Nouvel. Photo: Mohamed Somji.
Saadiyat consistently holds first place in the emirate for both villas and apartments. The average villa transaction in the year to June 2026 was around AED 26,500 per square metre, the highest figure in Abu Dhabi. Completed apartments in the Cultural District trade at roughly AED 1,900–2,400 per square foot. For comparison, the average transaction across all off-plan in the emirate is around AED 2,191 per square foot.
The reason is not only the beaches. The island is finite, development follows an approved plan, and there is physically very little land left to build on. Add the cultural status: land next to world-class museums does not get cheaper.
The project occupies the island's remaining waterfront — eight kilometres of shoreline. Aldar unveiled the masterplan on 22 July 2026.
The marina, promenade and beach at Marsa Al Saadiyat. Developer render.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Site area | 6.4 million sqm |
| Waterfront | 8 km, including 5.6 km of beaches |
| Development value | AED 100 billion |
| Planned population | more than 58,000 |
| Marina | 350+ berths |
| Developer | Aldar Properties |
The district masterplan with its eleven community pillars. Aldar presentation.
Etihad Rail passenger trains. A high-speed station is planned inside the district.
In total, Aldar's masterplan presentation lists eleven community pillars for the district:
Based on Aldar's masterplan presentation. Composition may be refined by phase.
Approximate driving times in normal traffic:
Figures are approximate, based on maps and normal traffic. Not a marketing promise.
Aldar has announced a broad product range, from investment apartments to ultra-luxury. The phasing breakdown and floor plans have not been published yet.
| Collection | Sizes | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfront apartments | Coming soon | Coming soon |
| Branded residences | Coming soon | Coming soon |
| Beach Access villas Phase 1 | 5,000–6,500 sq ft | Coming soon |
| Hillside villas Phase 1 | 5,000–6,500 sq ft | Coming soon |
| Private mansions | Coming soon | Coming soon |
Developer renders.
The cost of entry into Marsa Al Saadiyat will vary enormously by product. An apartment and a waterfront mansion are two different markets inside one project. Front-row villas almost always sell out in the first wave and almost never return to the market at launch price. Apartments offer a clearer yield calculation and a lower entry threshold.
What separates Saadiyat from any other waterfront project in the UAE is that value here does not rest on water and views alone. The densest concentration of world-class museums anywhere is taking shape next door — a rare case where "amenities" means institutions that generate tourist and rental demand in their own right.
A Frank Gehry building and the largest museum of his career: around 80,000 sqm, 30 galleries, 11,600 sqm of exhibition space and a further 23,000 sqm of outdoor display areas. The date was announced officially by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The "house of the arts" — the opera house and principal stage of the region, and the final project designed by Frank Gehry. Construction began in summer 2026. A main hall seating more than 2,000, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 400-seat studio theatre and a 250-seat jazz venue — more than 6,000 seats in total. Year-round programming: opera, ballet, theatre, jazz and contemporary work.
Developer and architectural renders.
For the district this means a permanent evening footfall — exactly what waterfront residential projects usually lack, emptying out after sunset.
Internal streets: low-rise architecture, landscaping, community pools. Developer render.
As of August 2026 Aldar has not published a price list for Marsa Al Saadiyat.
There are no official starting prices, sizes or floor plans in the public domain. If you see a specific figure on a website along the lines of "from N million", it is either an agency estimate or an outright invention to harvest leads. Check the source.
What can be assessed properly is the market context this project is launching into. In the first quarter of 2026 residential sales in Abu Dhabi reached a record AED 38.1 billion. Off-plan grew 184% year on year and accounted for around 90% of sales value and more than 80% of all transactions. The average off-plan transaction reached roughly AED 2,191 per square foot, up about 18% year on year. Across the first half of 2026 total real estate transactions in Abu Dhabi exceeded AED 117 billion, and foreign direct investment into the sector tripled.
The official plan for this project has not been published. Based on previous Aldar launches the structure usually looks like this:
Indicative, based on previous Aldar launches. The exact plan for Marsa Al Saadiyat comes with the price list.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Masterplan officially unveiled | 22 July 2026 |
| Phase 1 sales open — 174 villas | End of September 2026 |
| Price list and floor plans released | With the launch |
| Dar Al Funoon opens | 2030 |
| Residential handovers | Phased |
A masterplan of this scale takes years and dozens of phases to deliver. Buying at masterplan stage means that for the first years your property sits inside an active construction site. That is normal mechanics in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but it has to be built into your yield calculation.
Together with my numbers on specific lots, matched to your goal — to live in, to rent out, or to flip.
A breakdown without this section is useless, so let me be direct.
A district for 58,000 residents is not a two-year project. Your property may be handed over while the surroundings are still being built out for another five to seven years. For rental income that means a lower rate in the early years.
Around 15,900 new homes are entering the Abu Dhabi market in 2026. When large phases complete simultaneously, that puts short-term pressure on both rental rates and resale prices.
The "buy at launch, sell before keys" strategy does not always work. It depends on the developer's assignment terms, the percentage you have paid in, and how many sellers just like you come to market at the same time.
Service charge, marina and premium amenity management fees, registration and agency costs. In projects with a yachting component, running costs sit noticeably above market average. Real yield is only what remains after all of it.
Phase 1 is villas only: 174 villas with 4, 5 and 6 bedrooms, 5,000 to 6,500 sq ft of built-up area. Two precincts — Beach Access with direct beach frontage and Hillside Villas on elevated ground. Sales open at the end of September 2026. Apartments and branded residences follow in later phases.
As of August 2026 there is no official price list. Aldar releases pricing roughly a week before sales open, and registered buyers receive it first. Any specific figures already circulating should be treated as unconfirmed.
Aldar has indicated the end of September 2026 for the first release. A precise date is usually announced two to three weeks before launch. If you are registered, you hear about it ahead of the open market.
Saadiyat Island is one of Abu Dhabi's investment zones, where foreign nationals can buy freehold — full ownership. The exact status for each individual release is confirmed by Aldar documentation at launch, and that is the first thing to verify before reserving.
The UAE operates an investor residency visa programme for property purchases above a certain value threshold. Conditions and thresholds are revised periodically, so the current requirements need to be checked at the time of the transaction — I will verify them against the rules in force before you sign, not after.
A performing arts centre next to the Saadiyat Cultural District and the final project designed by Frank Gehry. Construction started in 2026 and it is scheduled to open in 2030. A main hall seating more than 2,000, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 400-seat studio theatre and a 250-seat jazz venue — over 6,000 seats in total.
It depends on the goal. If you need rental income from month one, the Saadiyat secondary market gives you a known rate and a known service charge today. If you are after capital growth over a five-year horizon and can wait, a new phase at launch has historically delivered the bigger spread. These are different instruments, and neither is always better.
Abu Dhabi is a smaller market with slower turnover and fewer speculative transactions. Volatility tends to be lower and entry is often cheaper per square foot, but exiting a position takes longer. Dubai is more liquid, Abu Dhabi is steadier.
When buying a new build directly from the developer, the commission is paid by the developer, not by you. The price is identical to the sales office. The only difference is that you have someone running the numbers with you and telling you when a deal is not worth doing.
Phase 1 of Marsa Al Saadiyat opens at the end of September 2026. The project brochure is available now — take it, and the price list and payment plan will reach you as soon as they are published.