Gold rate in Dubai and the UAE today
The gold rate in the UAE is the world ounce price in dollars, times 3.6725, the US dollar rate against the dirham in the UAE central bank tables, divided by 31.1034768 grams. So the price in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or Al Ain moves with the ounce alone. The board in a Gold Souk shop does not always follow the simple karat ratio, though: its 22K gram sits a little above 22/24 of its 24K gram, because shops add a roughly fixed amount on every gram. The calculator shows the metal value, which you can set against the board. When you buy jewellery, the shop adds a making charge and then 5% VAT on the total, while investment bars and coins of 99% purity or more are zero-rated. A visitor who is not resident can claim part of the VAT back at the airport, which matters if you are flying home with a 22K set.
10.00 g of 22K in UAE
AED 4,486
Metal value before making charges and VAT
| 1 g 24K | AED 489.37 |
| 1 g 22K | AED 448.59 |
| 1 g 21K | AED 428.20 |
| 1 g 18K | AED 367.03 |
| Ounce (31.10 g) 24K | AED 15,221 |
Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate · Editorial policy
From the ounce to dirhams
The UAE central bank exchange rate tables list the US dollar at 3.6725 dirhams day after day. We multiply the dollar ounce price by that figure and divide by the ounce weight to get a gram of 24K in dirhams, then apply the karat ratio: 22/24 for the 22K that most Dubai jewellers stock, 21/24 and 18/24. No commercial exchange rate is involved.
The souq board and its fixed margin
Hold a board in a Deira shop against this page and the gap is wider on 18K than on 24K. Shops add an amount per gram that is close to the same for every karat, so it is a bigger share of a cheaper gram. Multiplying the 24K board price by the karat ratio will therefore not predict the 22K board price. In the jewellery price calculator you can type the shop board price instead of ours and see the real final price.
5% VAT, zero for bars
Article 3 of Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 sets a standard rate of 5%, which applies to jewellery on gold and making. Article 36 of the Executive Regulation zero-rates the supply or import of investment precious metals, defined as gold, silver or platinum of 99% purity or more in a form tradeable in global bullion markets. It covers every sale, not just the first one as in Saudi Arabia; more on the UAE gold VAT page.
For visitors: the refund at departure
Under FTA Decision No. 2 of 2018 as amended, a tourist gets the VAT back less 13% of it and a fixed AED 4.8 per claim, provided the purchase from one retailer is at least AED 250 and the goods leave within 90 days. Work out the net figure in the refund calculator, then compare with the price at home.