In 2026, a bathroom renovation in Dubai costs about AED 6,000–15,000 for a refresh, AED 20,000–38,000 for a full renovation of a standard 4–6 sqm apartment bathroom, AED 40,000–75,000 for a master bathroom with premium finishes and AED 80,000 or more for a luxury stone bathroom. A full renovation takes two to four weeks on site once the building NOC is in hand. Below is a line-by-line breakdown, the factors that push the price up, and where you can and cannot save.
In short:
- Keeping the WC, basin and shower where they are is the single biggest saving.
- Waterproofing costs little and protects everything: always ask for a flood test.
- Large-format tiles look better but take more labour and a flatter wall.
- In apartments, the building NOC and working hours set the pace as much as the work itself.
Bathroom renovation cost in Dubai by scope
| Scope | What it includes | Indicative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh | Regrout or recoat, new vanity, mixers, mirror, lights and accessories. No tiles removed. | AED 6,000–15,000 |
| Standard full renovation | Strip to the walls, new waterproofing, plumbing, tiles, sanitaryware, vanity and glass screen in a 4–6 sqm bathroom. | AED 20,000–38,000 |
| Premium master bathroom | 8–12 sqm, large-format porcelain, wall-hung WC, walk-in shower with linear drain, double vanity, niche lighting. | AED 40,000–75,000 |
| Luxury | Marble or slab walls, freestanding bath, bespoke vanity, imported fittings, steam or rain shower. | AED 80,000+ |
Line-by-line cost of a standard bathroom
For a typical 5 sqm apartment bathroom with a shower, renovated to a good mid-range standard, these are realistic 2026 ranges in Dubai, excluding VAT:
| Item | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| Removal of tiles and fixtures, debris disposal | AED 1,200–2,000 |
| Waterproofing of floor and shower walls, flood test | AED 900–1,500 |
| Plumbing: new supply and drainage, concealed cistern or valves | AED 3,000–6,000 |
| Wall and floor tiling labour | AED 2,000–3,500 |
| Tiles (about 25 sqm with wastage) | AED 2,000–5,000 |
| Sanitaryware and fittings (WC, basin, mixers, shower set) | AED 4,000–9,000 |
| Vanity unit | AED 1,800–3,500 |
| Frameless glass shower screen | AED 1,800–3,500 |
| Moisture-resistant gypsum ceiling and paint | AED 700–1,200 |
| IP-rated lighting and extract fan | AED 1,000–2,000 |
| Mirror and accessories | AED 600–1,500 |
| Total | about AED 20,000–38,000 |
What pushes the price up
- Moving the WC or shower. In an apartment, new drainage runs through the floor screed or the ceiling of the unit below, which needs building approval and sometimes access to your neighbour’s ceiling. Budget AED 3,000–8,000 extra.
- Large-format tiles and slabs. 60×120 cm tiles and porcelain slabs need flatter walls, two-part adhesive and more labour than standard tiles.
- Walk-in showers. A level-access shower with a linear drain needs the floor screed rebuilt with proper falls.
- Wall-hung WCs and concealed cisterns need a frame and a boxed-in wall, but give a cleaner look and an easier floor to clean.
- Natural stone costs more to buy, cut and seal than porcelain.
- Villas often mean larger rooms, longer pipe runs and more fittings, while apartments add NOC rules and restricted working hours.
Bath-to-shower conversion
Replacing an old bathtub with a walk-in shower is one of the most common requests in Dubai. Including removal, new drainage and falls, waterproofing, tiling, a glass screen and a shower mixer, it typically costs AED 8,000–18,000.
Never skip the waterproofing
Most bathroom leaks in Dubai towers come from failed waterproofing at the shower floor and wall junction, not from the pipes. A two-coat flexible membrane on the floor and up the shower walls, with reinforcing tape at every corner and drain, followed by a 24–48 hour flood test before tiling, is cheap insurance against damage to your unit and the one below. It is a standard step in every bathroom renovation we carry out.
How long a bathroom renovation takes
- Refresh: 3–7 days.
- Standard full renovation: 2–3 weeks on site.
- Master or luxury bathroom: 3–5 weeks, longer if fittings or stone are imported.
- Building NOC: usually 1–2 weeks before work can start in an apartment.
Approvals for bathroom renovation
In most Dubai towers, a bathroom renovation counts as a modification that needs the building management’s NOC, a licensed contractor, sometimes plumbing drawings and a refundable deposit. Villas need the community’s NOC. Our guide to building NOCs for renovation in Dubai walks through the documents and the common reasons for rejection.
Where to save, and where not to
Save by keeping the layout, choosing good porcelain instead of marble, using standard tile sizes, and spending on one feature wall instead of every wall. Do not save on waterproofing, concealed valves and cisterns, or the electrical safety of lights and sockets near water: these sit inside the wall, and fixing them means breaking new tiles.
Renovating the whole apartment? Bathrooms are usually 20–30% of the budget; see our apartment renovation cost guide for the full picture, or our villa renovation cost guide for larger homes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to renovate a bathroom in Dubai?
In 2026, about AED 20,000 to 38,000 for a full renovation of a standard apartment bathroom, AED 6,000 to 15,000 for a refresh, AED 40,000 to 75,000 for a premium master bathroom and AED 80,000 or more for luxury stone bathrooms, before VAT.
How long does a bathroom renovation take in Dubai?
A standard full renovation takes two to three weeks on site and a master or luxury bathroom three to five weeks. In apartments, allow one to two weeks before that for the building NOC.
Do I need approval to renovate my bathroom in Dubai?
Yes, in most cases. Apartment buildings require a building management NOC for bathroom work, and villa communities require a community NOC. Moving drainage or structural changes may need more detailed drawings.
How much does it cost to convert a bathtub to a shower in Dubai?
Usually AED 8,000 to 18,000, including removing the tub, new drainage and floor falls, waterproofing, tiling, a glass screen and the shower mixer.
Can I tile over my existing bathroom tiles?
It is possible on sound, flat walls, but it hides the waterproofing you cannot inspect, raises the floor level at the door and the shower drain, and often costs nearly as much as doing it properly. For wet areas, removing the old tiles is the safer choice.
What is the bathroom renovation cost per square metre?
For a full mid-range renovation, roughly AED 4,000 to 7,500 per square metre of bathroom floor, because a small room still needs the same plumbing, fittings and glass as a larger one.
Get a fixed price for your bathroom
Send us a photo and the size of your bathroom, or book a free site visit. You receive an itemised, fixed-price quote, and we handle the NOC, waterproofing test and the full bathroom renovation in Dubai.
