The UAE — and Dubai's Gold Souq in particular — is one of the world's great retail and trading hubs for gold, shaped by a 5% VAT on jewellery, an exemption for investment-grade bullion, and a shopper base spanning both Khaleeji and South Asian karat preferences.
Gold price today in United Arab Emirates: AED 129.46 per gram (24K), updated 08:29 UTC. Indicative price, not an offer to buy or sell.
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Total: 0.000000 AED
| Unit | Grams | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Common | ||
| Troy OunceUS, GB, CA, AU, DE, CH | 31.1035 | AED 4,026.60 |
| GramSA, AE, EG, TR, DE, FR, ES, IT | 1 | AED 129.46 |
| KilogramDE, CH, IN | 1,000 | AED 129,458.10 |
| TolaIN, PK, BD, NP | 11.6638 | AED 1,509.97 |
| Asian Units | ||
| BahtTH | 15.244 | AED 1,973.46 |
| Tael (HK)HK, MO | 37.429 | AED 4,845.49 |
| Tael (Japan)JP | 37.5 | AED 4,854.68 |
| Vori / BoriBD | 11.6638 | AED 1,509.97 |
| MashaIN, PK | 0.972 | AED 125.83 |
| Small Units | ||
| Carat (metric) | 0.2 | AED 25.89 |
| GrainUS, GB | 0.0648 | AED 8.39 |
| RattiIN, PK | 0.1215 | AED 15.73 |
| Karat | Purity | Price / gram (AED) |
|---|---|---|
24K | 99.9% | AED 129.33 |
22K | 91.7% | AED 118.67 |
21K | 87.5% | AED 113.28 |
18K | 75.0% | AED 97.09 |
14K | 58.3% | AED 75.47 |
10K | 41.7% | AED 53.98 |
The UAE introduced VAT at 5% in January 2018, and gold jewellery is subject to that standard rate on the full sale price, including making charges. However, "investment-grade" gold — bullion of at least 99% purity that is tradable on a recognised global market and meets the criteria set out by UAE Cabinet decision — is VAT zero-rated. This distinction is central to how the UAE gold trade operates: investment bars and coins bought purely for their metal value are taxed differently from a crafted jewellery piece bought for wear, even though both may contain the same purity of gold.
The UAE is more karat-diverse than its Gulf neighbours: 21K remains the standard Khaleeji purity for traditional Emirati jewellery, but 22K is also extremely popular, driven by the UAE's large South Asian expatriate community, for whom 22K is the customary standard back home. Dubai's Gold Souq stocks both side by side, along with 18K and 24K, more so than the more uniformly 21K-dominant markets in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Buyers should always confirm the exact karat stamped on a piece rather than assume — the mix genuinely varies shop to shop.
The UAE Dirham has been pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 AED per USD since 1997, managed by the Central Bank of the UAE. As with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, this fixed rate means AED gold prices move in close step with the global US-dollar gold price — local currency fluctuation contributes essentially nothing to day-to-day price movement, leaving international spot-market conditions as the main driver.
Dubai's Gold Souq in Deira is one of the most globally recognised gold markets anywhere, historically prized for competitive making charges and a huge concentration of licensed jewellers and bullion dealers in a few dense streets, regulated in part through the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and its "Dubai Good Delivery" standard for refined gold. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have their own established gold markets as well. Because the city draws both tourist buyers and a large resident expatriate population, shops routinely display the day's per-gram rate prominently and are accustomed to haggling over making charges — a practice that's less common in Qatar's more fixed-price retail culture.
Is gold subject to VAT in the UAE?
Yes — 5% VAT applies to gold jewellery, in effect since January 2018. Investment-grade gold bullion (at least 99% purity, tradable on a recognised global market) is VAT-exempt under UAE Cabinet decision, so bars and coins bought purely for investment are typically not taxed the same way jewellery is.
Is 21K or 22K more common in the UAE?
Both are widely sold. 21K is the traditional Khaleeji standard, while 22K is very popular too, largely due to the UAE's large South Asian expatriate community. This is a genuine difference from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where 21K is more uniformly dominant.
Does the AED exchange rate affect UAE gold prices much?
Not significantly. The UAE Dirham has been pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 AED per USD since 1997, so AED gold prices track the international dollar spot price closely, with day-to-day movement coming almost entirely from the global gold market.
Sources: Central Bank of the UAE (AED/USD peg); UAE Federal Tax Authority VAT guidance on jewellery and investment precious metals; Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) Dubai Good Delivery standard. Last reviewed 2026-07-13.