Talay by Aldar, Marsa Al Saadiyat: Prices, Payment Plan, Handover (2026)

The short answer

Talay is a gated community of 351 standalone villas with four to six bedrooms, built by Aldar as the first homes of Marsa Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.¹ Portals list villas from about AED 13.5 million, a plan of 5% on booking, 45% during construction and 50% on handover, and handover in 2029 for Talay and 2030 for Talay Beach.^{9, 10} It is freehold for all nationalities, and Aldar says more than AED 4 billion had been sold by late October.⁸ Availability changes weekly, so always ask for the current price list.

Talay key facts, with sources

Aldar has published the number of villas, the bedroom mix, the design and the amenities, but no prices, sizes or handover dates. Those come from property portals and differ between them. The table shows each figure together with who says it, so you can see what is confirmed and what is a listing.

Item	Figure	Source
Developer	Aldar Properties	Aldar¹
Master plan	Marsa Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi	Aldar¹
Announced	17 September 2026	Aldar¹
Sales launch	23 September 2026, at Aldar’s sales centres on Yas Island and in Dubai	Aldar²
Homes	351 standalone villas	Aldar¹
Bedrooms	4, 5 and 6	Aldar¹
Clusters	Talay (167 villas) and Talay Beach (184 villas)	Aldar^{7, 8}, portals^{13, 14}
Built-up area	about 5,400 to 6,800 sq ft	Portals^{9, 10}
Plot sizes	about 7,922 to 9,505 sq ft	Portal¹²
Starting price	about AED 13.5M to 14M (4 bedrooms)	Portals^{9, 11, 12}
Payment plan	5% booking, 45% construction, 50% handover	Portals^{9, 11, 13}
Handover	Talay Q3 to Q4 2029, Talay Beach Q4 2030	Portals^{9, 10, 11}
Ownership	Freehold, open to all nationalities	Law No. 13 of 2019¹⁶
Sales so far	more than AED 4 billion at Talay and Talay Beach	Aldar CFO, 27 Oct 2026⁸

Official source Property portals, not confirmed by Aldar

Talay and Talay Beach: what is the difference?

Aldar’s launch announcement speaks of one community, “Talay”, with 351 villas.¹ In its third quarter results on 27 October 2026, Aldar named Talay and Talay Beach as two separate launches.^{7, 8} The portals agree on how the 351 villas are split, and on what sets Talay Beach apart:

	Talay	Talay Beach
Villas	167 (60 with four, 49 with five, 58 with six bedrooms)¹³	184^{13, 14}
Setting	Inland cluster around the green spine, beach access	Direct beach access, views towards the Al Reem Island skyline^{10, 14}
Built-up area	5,403 / 6,264 / 6,781 sq ft⁹	5,446 / 6,318 / 6,824 sq ft¹⁰
4 bedrooms from	AED 13.5M to 14M^{9, 11}	AED 14M¹⁰
Expected handover	Q3 to Q4 2029^{9, 11}	Q4 2030¹⁰

In short: Talay Beach costs a little more, its villas are a few dozen square feet larger, and you wait about a year longer for the keys. In exchange you live directly on the water. For a family that wants to move in sooner, the inland cluster is the better fit. For a buyer who values the beach above all, Talay Beach is the stronger long-term address.

Beachfront at Marsa Al Saadiyat, looking across to Al Reem Island. Animation by STOREYS, based on an Aldar rendering

What the sources disagree on

Listings for a new launch are copied from site to site and change quietly. We checked each figure on the same day, 27 October 2026, and this is where they do not match.

Starting price. fäm, OPR and Property Finder’s own FAQ say AED 13.5 million for four bedrooms; the headline on the same Property Finder page says AED 14 million.^{9, 11, 12} One likely explanation: AED 13.5 million is the lowest launch price, while AED 14 million reflects villas still available. We use “about AED 13.5 million” as the floor.
Five and six bedrooms. AED 15.5 million and AED 17.2 million on one broker site and in OPR’s FAQ, AED 16 million and AED 17 million on Property Finder.^{9, 12, 13}
Payment plan. Some listings say 5/45/50, others 50/50.^{9, 12} This is the same plan: the 5% booking payment counts towards the 50% paid before handover. An earlier 60/40 listing has disappeared.
Handover. fäm gives 30 September 2029, Property Finder December 2029 for Talay and December 2030 for Talay Beach, OPR Q4 2030 for the whole project.^{9, 10, 11, 12} The most consistent reading is 2029 for Talay and 2030 for Talay Beach. Aldar has not published a date.
Launch date. fäm lists 1 September 2026. Aldar announced Talay on 17 September and opened sales on 23 September.^{1, 2, 11}
Sold out or not. AGBI wrote in October that Aldar “had sold out” the 351 villas.²⁷ On 27 October Aldar’s CFO said “over AED 4 billion” had been sold and sales continue into the fourth quarter.⁸ At listed prices, 351 villas are worth roughly AED 5 to 6 billion, so a large share is sold, but not necessarily all of it.

The villas: types, sizes and prices

All 351 homes are standalone villas on their own plots. Aldar describes contemporary architecture with louvred screens and a curved, overhanging roof line, designed with the Emirati artist Abdalla Almulla.¹ Portal listings give these figures:

Type	Built-up area	Listed from	Price per sq ft
4 bedrooms	5,403 to 5,446 sq ft	AED 13.5M to 14M	about AED 2,500 to 2,570
5 bedrooms	6,264 to 6,318 sq ft	AED 15.5M to 16M	about AED 2,450 to 2,550
6 bedrooms	6,781 to 6,824 sq ft	AED 17M to 17.2M	about AED 2,490 to 2,540

Sources: Property Finder, OPR and marsaalsaadiyat.ae, checked 27 October 2026.^{9, 10, 12, 13} Price per square foot is our own calculation from the listed price and built-up area. Plots range from about 7,922 to 9,505 sq ft.¹² Aldar does not publish per-plot prices, so two villas of the same type can differ in price depending on position, plot size and orientation.

~AED 2,500Listed price per sq ft of built-up area, across all three villa types

~9,500 sq ftLargest listed plot¹²

60 / 49 / 58Four, five and six bedroom villas in the Talay cluster¹³

1Commissioned art fountain at the heart of the community¹

Payment plan, with a worked example

The listed plan asks for 5% on booking, 45% in instalments during construction and 50% on handover.^{9, 11} One broker site publishes the full schedule with dates.¹³ For a four-bedroom villa at AED 13,500,000, paid in cash, it works out as follows:

Due	Share	Amount	Paid so far
On booking	5%	AED 675,000	AED 675,000
1 March 2027	5%	AED 675,000	AED 1,350,000
1 September 2027	5%	AED 675,000	AED 2,025,000
1 March 2028	5%	AED 675,000	AED 2,700,000
1 August 2028	10%	AED 1,350,000	AED 4,050,000
1 January 2029	10%	AED 1,350,000	AED 5,400,000
1 June 2029	10%	AED 1,350,000	AED 6,750,000
On handover	50%	AED 6,750,000	AED 13,500,000

Two things stand out. First, the plan is gentle at the start: in the first two years you pay only 20%, or AED 2.7 million. Second, half the price, AED 6.75 million, is due on a single day at handover, so plan where that money will come from well in advance. A developer payment plan is not a loan and carries no interest. For a general explanation of how these plans work, read our guide to off-plan payment plans.

The dates above come from one broker listing and apply to the first release. Your own schedule is the one printed in your Sale and Purchase Agreement, and later releases may follow different dates.

What a purchase really costs

In Abu Dhabi, off-plan sales are registered with the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) through its DARI platform. Portals and purchase guides list a registration fee of 2% of the price plus an electronic service fee of about AED 400.^{9, 26} Who carries the 2% is set out in the sale agreement: guides describe a default split between buyer and seller, in practice it is often the buyer, and developers sometimes cover it as an incentive. We could not find an official ADREC fee table online, so ask for the fee breakdown in writing before you book.

Item	4 bedrooms at AED 13.5M	6 bedrooms at AED 17M
Purchase price	AED 13,500,000	AED 17,000,000
Registration fee, 2% (if fully paid by the buyer)	AED 270,000	AED 340,000
DARI service fee (approx.)	AED 400	AED 400
Total, cash purchase	AED 13,770,400	AED 17,340,400

Not included: service charges after handover (not yet published for Talay), furniture and fit-out, and utility connection deposits.

How fast Talay has sold

Talay has sold quickly. Within its first week, Talay and Yas Riva Reserve together brought in more than AED 5 billion in sales. Emiratis made up 31% of buyers, expatriates and overseas buyers 69%, and 54% were buying from Aldar for the first time. The most active nationalities after Emiratis were the UK, Russia, Jordan and India.⁵

On 27 October 2026, in Aldar’s third quarter results call, the CFO said the company had sold “over AED 4 billion” at Talay and Talay Beach alone, with sales continuing into the fourth quarter.⁸ The same results show the wider picture: Aldar’s group development sales fell 34% year on year to AED 6.8 billion in the quarter, while its backlog of sold but not yet recognised revenue stands at AED 71.6 billion.⁶ In a slower market, Talay is the exception, not the rule. For the market context, see our property market update for Q3 2026.

Location: Marsa Al Saadiyat, explained

Marsa Al Saadiyat, formerly known as Saadiyat Marina District, is Aldar’s largest master plan. Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, inaugurated it on 22 July 2026.^{3, 4} Talay is its first residential community. The master plan in figures:

AED 100bnGross development value of the master plan; Aldar develops more than AED 60bn of it itself^{4, 19}

8 kmOf coastline, including 5.6 km of beach⁴

350+Berths in Abu Dhabi’s largest marina⁴

58,000+Future residents across 6.4 million m²⁴

Marsa Al Saadiyat master plan along 8 km of coastline. Animation by STOREYS, based on an Aldar rendering

The plan also includes a one-kilometre promenade, about 140 km of walking paths, a 46 km cycling loop with every home within 150 metres of it, linear parks, clubhouses, three schools, a yacht club, two luxury hotels and a theatre district built around Dar al Funoon, with more than 6,000 seats.^{3, 4} New roads and tunnels will link it to Umm Yifeenah Island and Al Reem Island, and an underground Etihad Rail high-speed station is planned at its transport hub.⁴ No opening date has been given for the station.

The Saadiyat Cultural District next door

Marsa Al Saadiyat is within walking distance of the Saadiyat Cultural District: the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and teamLab Phenomena.⁴ Guggenheim Abu Dhabi opens on 11 December 2026.¹⁸ Schools already on Saadiyat include Cranleigh, Harrow International School, the American Community School and Muna British Academy, with NYU Abu Dhabi and Berklee Abu Dhabi for higher education.^{1, 4}

Travel times

Aldar has not published travel times from Marsa Al Saadiyat. These are general figures for Saadiyat Island and depend on traffic:

Destination	Approximate time by car	Basis
Louvre Abu Dhabi and Cultural District	Walking distance	Aldar⁴
Zayed International Airport	about 35 minutes	Visit Abu Dhabi, airport to the Louvre²⁵
Yas Island	about 20 minutes	Our estimate
Dubai Marina or Downtown Dubai	about 1 hour 15 minutes or more	Our estimate

The Saadiyat Cultural District next to Marsa Al Saadiyat. Animation by STOREYS, based on an Aldar rendering

Design and amenities inside Talay

The heart of Talay is a green spine, a landscaped walkway lined with falaj water channels, the traditional irrigation system of the region, with shaded seating along the way.¹ Aldar lists these features for the community:^{1, 2}

A commissioned art fountain by Emirati artist Abdalla Almulla, who also shaped the louvred details of the villas
An outdoor majlis pavilion for gatherings
A community garden with an outdoor kitchen
Maritime-themed children’s play areas
Gym, swimming pool and wellness facilities
Dining and beach access

Christie’s Real Estate Dubai also mentions padel courts, a jogging and cycling loop, a pet park and charging points for electric cars.¹⁴ These are not in Aldar’s own announcement, so confirm them against the brochure.

The green spine with falaj water channels and the commissioned fountain. Animation by STOREYS, based on an Aldar rendering

Freehold ownership and the Golden Visa

Can foreigners buy?

Yes. Since Law No. 13 of 2019, foreign individuals and companies may own land and property on a freehold basis in Abu Dhabi’s investment zones. Before that, foreigners could only hold long leases of up to 99 years.¹⁶ Saadiyat Island is one of these zones, alongside Yas Island, Al Reem Island and Al Maryah Island.¹⁷ The buyer mix proves it in practice: 69% of September’s buyers at Talay and Yas Riva Reserve were expatriates or overseas buyers.⁵

Does Talay qualify for a Golden Visa?

The ten-year Golden Visa for property investors requires a property worth at least AED 2 million. For off-plan property, the Abu Dhabi government portal sets an additional condition: proof that at least AED 2,000,000 has already been paid to the developer.¹⁵ So signing the contract alone is not enough.

When a Talay buyer reaches the threshold

On a AED 13.5 million villa with the schedule above, you have paid AED 2,025,000 after the instalment of 1 September 2027. From that point, the payment condition on the government portal is met, about two years before handover. On larger villas the 15% mark is reached at the same instalment with a higher amount. This is our own calculation based on the portal rule as of 27 October 2026; check the current requirements with the authorities before you apply.

Some broker blogs claim the off-plan payment condition was relaxed in February 2026. We could not find an official text confirming that, and the Abu Dhabi portal still states the AED 2 million payment rule.¹⁵

Aldar’s track record

Talay is not Aldar’s first villa community on Saadiyat Island. Some reference points:

Saadiyat Reserve, The Dunes: all 83 villas sold, 67% of them to Emiratis, with buyers from 14 countries (2021).²⁰
Saadiyat Lagoons: launched in November 2022 with 207 villas in the first phase from AED 6.1 million; Property Finder now lists it as sold out, with handover due in 2026.²⁴
Backlog: AED 71.6 billion of sales still to be recognised as revenue, at the end of September 2026.⁶

To be fair, the picture also includes delays. In March 2026 Aldar expected to hand over more than 3,500 homes this year.²¹ In October it lowered that to about 2,600, citing contractors, and its CFO said Aldar “needs to get better” at keeping promised delivery dates.⁸ Aldar still handed over about 1,900 homes in the first nine months of 2026, more than twice as many as in the whole of 2025.⁸ For a 2029 or 2030 handover, it is sensible to plan with a few months of buffer.

Who Talay suits, and who it does not

A good fit for

Families who want space near top schools. Four to six bedrooms on plots of up to about 9,500 sq ft, with Cranleigh, Harrow and the American Community School on the same island.
Buyers who want a cultural address. Few places in the world put a beach, a marina, the Louvre and the Guggenheim within walking or cycling distance.
Long-term owners. As the first community in a master plan worth AED 100 billion, Talay comes before the marina, hotels, rail station and theatre district are finished.
Buyers seeking a Golden Visa who can wait until AED 2 million has been paid under the plan.

Probably not the right choice if

You need to move in soon. Keys are expected in 2029 or 2030, and Aldar has had delivery delays this year.
You want a finished neighbourhood. For several years Talay will be surrounded by construction across the wider master plan.
Your budget is below AED 13 million. Look at Yas Riva Reserve or the resale market on Saadiyat instead.
You cannot fund half the price at handover. AED 6.75 million or more falls due on one date.

Talay compared with other Abu Dhabi villa launches

	Talay	Yas Riva Reserve	Saadiyat Lagoons
Developer	Aldar	Aldar	Aldar
Location	Marsa Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island	Yas Island waterfront	Saadiyat Island, inland
Villas	351	292, of which 45 on the water²²	207 in phase one²⁴
Bedrooms	4 to 6	4 to 6²²	4 to 6²⁴
Starting price	about AED 13.5M	AED 7.9M to 8.5M^{22, 23}	AED 6.1M at launch in 2022²⁴
Sales launch	23 Sep 2026	26 Sep 2026²²	Nov 2022
Status	More than AED 4bn sold⁸	More than AED 1bn sold⁸	Listed as sold out²⁴

Yas Riva Reserve costs about 40% less and puts you close to Yas Island’s theme parks, golf and Formula 1 circuit. Talay costs more because of its position next to the Cultural District and the new marina. Saadiyat Lagoons shows how villa prices on the island have moved: its launch price in 2022 was less than half of Talay’s today, for villas of similar size.

What we could not verify

We prefer to say what we do not know rather than repeat unconfirmed numbers. As of 27 October 2026, we found no reliable source for:

Official prices, sizes, plot sizes and handover dates from Aldar
How many villas are still available, and whether there will be a second release
The architect of the villas and the master plan
Service charges per square foot
An official ADREC fee table for off-plan registration
The opening date of the Etihad Rail station and the names of the three new schools and two hotels

We will update this page as soon as any of these are published. The change log below lists every update.

Frequently asked questions

What is Talay?

Talay is the first residential community at Marsa Al Saadiyat, Aldar's master plan on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. It has 351 standalone villas with four, five and six bedrooms. Aldar announced it on 17 September 2026 and opened sales on 23 September 2026.

How much does a villa in Talay cost?

Aldar does not publish prices. Property portals list four-bedroom villas from about AED 13.5 million to AED 14 million, five-bedroom villas from about AED 15.5 million to AED 16 million and six-bedroom villas from about AED 17 million to AED 17.2 million (checked 27 October 2026). The final price depends on the plot and must be confirmed from Aldar's current price list.

What is the difference between Talay and Talay Beach?

Aldar now refers to Talay and Talay Beach as two separate launches. Portals list 167 villas in Talay and 184 in Talay Beach, which together make the 351 villas Aldar announced. Talay Beach is described with direct beach access and views towards Al Reem Island, its villas are slightly larger and its expected handover is about a year later, in Q4 2030.

What is the Talay payment plan?

Portals list 5% on booking, 45% in instalments during construction and 50% on handover. Some listings call this a 50/50 plan, which is the same thing. No interest is charged on a developer payment plan.

When is the handover of Talay?

Aldar has not published a handover date. Portals list Talay for Q3 or Q4 2029 and Talay Beach for Q4 2030. The binding date is the one in your Sale and Purchase Agreement.

Is Talay sold out?

Not officially. On 27 October 2026 Aldar's CFO said the company had sold more than AED 4 billion at Talay and Talay Beach and that sales were continuing into the fourth quarter. One business publication reported a sell-out in October, but Aldar has not confirmed it. Ask us for current availability.

Can foreigners buy a villa in Talay?

Yes. Saadiyat Island is one of Abu Dhabi's investment zones where foreign individuals and companies may own property on a freehold basis under Law No. 13 of 2019. 69% of buyers at Talay and Yas Riva Reserve in September were expatriates or overseas buyers.

Does buying in Talay qualify for a Golden Visa?

It can. For off-plan property, the Abu Dhabi government portal requires proof that at least AED 2 million has already been paid to the developer. On a AED 13.5 million villa with the listed plan, that point is reached after about 15% has been paid, which is scheduled for September 2027. Check the current rules with the authorities before applying.

What are the purchase costs in Abu Dhabi?

Off-plan sales in Abu Dhabi are registered with the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre through the DARI platform. Portals and guides list a registration fee of 2% of the price plus a small electronic service fee of about AED 400. Who pays the 2% is set in the sale agreement. On AED 13.5 million, 2% is AED 270,000.

How far is Talay from the airport and from Dubai?

Aldar has not published travel times for Marsa Al Saadiyat. Visit Abu Dhabi gives about 35 minutes from Zayed International Airport to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which is next to Marsa Al Saadiyat. Dubai is roughly one hour or more by car, depending on traffic and the part of Dubai.

Change log

27 October 2026: Page published. Added Aldar's Q3 2026 sales figure for Talay and Talay Beach, portal prices checked on 27 October 2026, the Golden Visa rule for off-plan buyers from the Abu Dhabi government portal and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi opening date.

Sources

Figures are taken from the sources above as of the date shown and can change without notice. This page is general information, not investment advice. STOREYS does not provide financing advice.

Talay at Marsa Al Saadiyat: Prices, Payment Plan, Handover and Every Verified Fact