Is Gold Cheaper in Dubai? Duty Free, the Souk and the Daily Rate

Whether gold is cheaper in Dubai than at home depends on the parts of the price, not on one headline number. The gold itself is priced from one daily rate per karat that applies across the UAE, set from the international gold price converted into dirhams.²³ The making charge is set by each store and can be negotiated.⁶⁸ Jewellery carries 5% VAT, and a visitor gets most of it back on leaving.¹⁰¹² No official body publishes a comparison with other countries, so this guide explains each part and how to compare it yourself on the same day.

1 rate

per karat each day, announced for the whole UAE market

80-90%

of the final price is the gold, according to Visit Dubai

4.25%

of the price returned to a tourist, before the tag fee

60,000 AED

above this, gold carried out of the UAE must be declared

What a gold price in Dubai is made of

Many stores price jewellery as the weight of gold plus a making charge, the Dubai Jewellery Group (DJG) says.⁴ Visit Dubai puts the gold at roughly 80 to 90 per cent of the final price.⁶ The parts:

Part of the price	Who sets it	Same in every shop?
Gold value: weight × day's rate for the karat	DJG suggested retail rate, followed by the retail trade3	Yes, one announced rate across the UAE2
Making charge	Each store, by the intricacy of the design6	No, and it can be negotiated8
VAT	UAE VAT: 5% on jewellery, 0% on qualifying investment gold10	Yes
Tourist refund	Tax Refund for Tourists scheme12	Only at retailers in the scheme12

The daily rate: one gold price across the UAE

Every day DJG publishes a suggested retail gold jewellery price in dirhams per gram for 24K, 22K, 21K, 18K and 14K.¹ It recommends this price in coordination with the Consumer Protection Department of Dubai Economy, bases it on the real-time international gold price converted into dirhams, and says the whole retail trade follows it.³ DJG also announces it as a unified retail price across the UAE market.²

…unified gold price, which ensures consistency and trust across all stores.

Dubai Jewellery Group, Value

The dirham itself is held at a fixed rate to the US dollar: the Central Bank of the UAE buys dirhams at 3.673 and sells them at 3.672 per dollar.⁵ So the dirham price of gold follows the dollar price of gold. Here is today's DJG rate:

Karat	1 g, AED	10 g, AED	50 g, AED
24K 999	468.00	4,680.00	23,400.00
22K 916	433.50	4,335.00	21,675.00
21K 875	415.50	4,155.00	20,775.00
18K 750	356.25	3,562.50	17,812.50

Because the rate is unified, the gold part costs the same in the Gold Souk, in a mall in Dubai, or in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah on the same day. Where shops differ is the making charge.

Making charges: where prices differ

• Set by each store. A labour charge is added by each store, depending on the intricacy of the design.⁶ Visit Abu Dhabi describes the same: a charge for craftsmanship on top of the weight price, varying with the intricacy of the piece.⁹
• Open to negotiation. At the Sharjah Gold Centre gold is sold by weight at international rates, and you can negotiate on the craftsmanship.⁸ In the Dubai Gold Souk, Visit Dubai says retailers will offer a bargain provided you are fair with your price.⁷
• Not published. No official body publishes making-charge levels, so there is no official figure to compare against. Ask each shop for the making charge of a piece in writing, separately from the gold value.

Our guide to gold making charges in Dubai explains how shops quote them, and the Gold Souk guide covers the market where most shops sit side by side.

VAT and the tourist refund

Jewellery carries the standard 5% VAT. Investment gold, silver and platinum is zero-rated when it is 99% pure or more and in a form tradeable in global bullion markets.¹⁰¹¹

A visitor can reclaim VAT on purchases of at least AED 250 from retailers in the scheme, validated on exit within 90 days. The refund is 85% of the VAT, minus AED 4.80 per tax-free tag.¹² On jewellery that means 4.25% of the price comes back before the fee (5 × 0.85), and 0.75% of the price plus the fee stays paid. Investment bars and coins that are zero-rated carry no VAT, so there is nothing to refund on them.¹¹ Validate before you check in your luggage, because the goods may be inspected.¹³ UAE residents are not eligible; the full conditions are in our guide to VAT on gold in the UAE.¹³

Dubai Duty Free and gold

On 14 November 2026, the Gold category of Dubai Duty Free's online shop, listed under Collectibles, showed seven products. All were DMCC UAE Bullion 24KT gold coins, in 1 oz, 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz sizes, each with a price in dirhams.¹⁴ DMCC states that these coins are of 9999 purity.¹⁶

• How the online shop works. You order at least 48 hours before your flight, pay online or reserve, and collect the order at the Click & Collect counters in Terminal 1, 2 or 3 on your travel day. The service is for departing and arriving passengers.¹⁵
• VAT. The shop notes that VAT charges may apply for arriving flights.¹⁵ It does not say more on the pages we read; ask whether VAT is on your invoice.
• Comparing a coin price. One ounce of gold is 31.1035 grams, as DJG gives it.²⁰ Divide a coin's price by its weight in grams to get a price per gram, and set that against the day's rate on our 24K gold rate page or the gold bars and coins guide. The DJG figure is a jewellery retail rate, so treat it as a reference point, not a coin price.

Taking gold out of the UAE

Travellers leaving or entering the UAE with more than AED 60,000 in cash, or the equivalent in other currencies, financial instruments, precious metals or valuable stones, must declare it to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP).¹⁸

• Per person. Each family member over 18 may carry up to AED 60,000 without declaring it.¹⁹
• Children. What a passenger under 18 carries is added to the limit of the accompanying parent, guardian or adult.¹⁸¹⁹
• How to declare. On the official website declare.customs.ae or in the Afseh app.¹⁸
• At the other end. Each country has its own customs limits on what you bring in duty free; Dubai Duty Free tells shoppers to check with the destination's customs authority.¹⁷ Do this before you buy, since duty at home is part of the real price.

Carrying gold from Dubai to India: the duty-free allowance

Many buyers in Dubai take their gold home to India, so the Indian allowance is part of the real price. India's Baggage Rules, 2026 replaced the Baggage Rules, 2016 and came into force on 2 February 2026.²¹ What they say about gold:

• Jewellery. A resident or tourist of Indian origin who has lived abroad for more than one year may bring in jewellery free of duty up to 40 grams for a female passenger, or 20 grams for any other passenger, in bona fide baggage. The rule sets a weight, not a rupee value.²¹
• Bars and coins. Gold and silver in any form other than ornaments are on Annexure I, the list of goods left out of the general duty-free allowance.²¹
• Jewellery means worn pieces. The rules define jewellery as articles of adornment ordinarily worn by a person, made of gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals, studded or not.²¹
• Above the allowance. Duty is due on the rest. The rates sit in India's customs tariff, which we have not summarised here; check with Indian customs (CBIC) before you buy.

Keep the Dubai invoice that shows the weight and karat of each piece, so you can show what you carry.

Is gold cheaper in Dubai than at home? How to compare

DJG says gold and diamond pieces in Dubai are offered at better value than in other leading markets, and Visit Dubai writes that buying gold in Dubai is considered cheaper than in other countries.⁴⁶ Neither page publishes figures for other countries, and we have not found an official comparison. To make your own:

1. Use the same day. Gold prices change daily, so compare rates read on the same date.¹
2. Compare the same karat, per gram. A 22K rate against a 22K rate, never 22K against 24K.
3. Convert at the day's official exchange rate. Use your own central bank's rate for the dirham or the dollar.
4. Add the making charge on both sides. Ask for it in writing in Dubai and at home.
5. Add the taxes on both sides. 5% VAT in the UAE, less the refund if you qualify, against the taxes and import duty at home.¹²¹⁷

When you are ready to buy, our directory lists gold shops in Dubai with addresses and phone numbers.