How much does a cleaner cost in Dubai?
Move-out cleaning is a Dubai institution, because the annual tenancy cycle ends in an inspection with a deposit attached. The checklist that inspection uses is the thing to buy against, not the lowest hourly rate.
Cleaning is priced two different ways and the two are not comparable. Regular cleaning is sold by the hour and the hourly figure is low. Deep and move-out cleaning is sold by the property, because it is a fixed scope with a checklist behind it, and the number reflects a team and most of a day rather than a person and an hour.
Describe the work, location and access details. Review any offers you receive before choosing a professional.
UAE price references for planning a job in Dubai
| Job | AED |
|---|---|
| Cleaner, per hour, one-off booking 30–45 AED The rate falls as the booking lengthens — around 45 for a premium daytime slot, 30–34 from four hours up. | 30–45 |
| Supplement for materials and equipment +10 per hour AED For the cleaner to bring vacuum, mop and chemicals rather than using yours. | +10 per hour |
| Deep clean, studio 229–450 AED The providers genuinely disagree here — one starts at 229, another quotes from 350. Ask what is included before comparing. | 229–450 |
| Deep clean, five-bedroom villa 1,200–2,199 AED Ten to fourteen hours with two or three cleaners. | 1,200–2,199 |
| Move-out clean, studio 169–399 AED The widest proportional spread on this page. The cheap end and the expensive end are not the same service — ask whether it covers the oven, the inside of cupboards and the balcony. | 169–399 |
| Move-out clean, apartment by size 169–799 AED Studio to four bedrooms. | 169–799 |
| Move-out clean, villa 599–1,199 AED Two to five bedrooms. | 599–1,199 |
Published UAE price references, largely drawn from Dubai sources, compiled on 13 September 2026. The table is not a separate price survey of Dubai. Confirm local availability, scope and price directly with the provider.
What moves the price in Dubai
Dubai is the reference market: nearly every published price list in the UAE is a Dubai list, which is why the ranges below are quoted the way they are. Marina, Downtown and JLT sit at the top of them — parking and lift access cost the pro time before the work starts.
Towers are the complication. Building management usually wants an NOC or a work permit for the contractor before anyone is let upstairs, some require it a day ahead, and a few hold a refundable deposit against damage to the lifts. Ask your building what it needs when you agree the job, not when the pro is at the barrier.
Who has to approve the work
DEWA — Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. Anything that touches the incoming supply — the distribution board, a new circuit, meter-side work — has to be done by a DEWA-registered contractor. Replacing a socket, a switch or a light fitting on an existing circuit does not, and that is where most handyman electrical work sits.
Homes and access in Dubai
Most of Dubai rents rather than owns, and most of it lives in towers held by management companies. Tenancies turn over on an annual cycle, so the same snag list — a dripping mixer, a socket that stopped working, a wardrobe to rebuild — arrives in waves every summer.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a deep clean and a move-out clean?
Scope, and who is judging it. A deep clean is for you and stops when the place looks and smells right. A move-out clean is for whoever inspects it after you leave, so it goes after the things an inspection looks at — inside the oven and the fridge, the tracks of the sliding doors, skirtings, extractor grilles, marks on the paint.
Will a move-out clean get my deposit back?
It removes the most common reason for a deduction, which is not the same as a guarantee — a deposit also covers damage and unpaid bills, and no cleaner touches either. Photograph the property once it is clean and empty, on the day you hand the keys over. That photograph settles more disputes than the invoice does.
Should I be there while they clean?
For a regular clean, no. For a deep or move-out clean, be there at the start to walk the property and agree what is included, and at the end to look at it before the team leaves. Fifteen minutes at each end is what stops the argument about what was in scope.
Why is an hourly quote sometimes higher than a fixed one?
Because a fixed price is a bet the provider has made on how long the property takes, and they have priced it from having cleaned a hundred like it. If your place is in normal condition the fixed price usually wins. If it is unusual in either direction, hourly is the honest way to buy it.
Get a price for your own job
Use these price references to prepare your questions. Describe the work you need, review any offers you receive, and confirm the scope, inclusions and total directly with the professional before agreeing to the work.
Where these numbers come from
This reference set was compiled on 13 September 2026 from published UAE price lists and cost guides, largely covering Dubai. Source dates, units and inclusions differ. The figures are not HandyMan transaction data or a separate survey of each emirate; follow the linked sources for their context.
Cleaning prices elsewhere in the UAE
Other trades in Dubai
Longer read: How to Hire a Handyman: What to Check Before You Book. Work in this trade yourself? See Dubai jobs on HandyMan. Explore handyman services across the UAE. Read the cleaners hiring guide.