Q1 2026 transactions by buyer nationality
| Nationality | Transactions | Share | Avg ticket (USD) | Total value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 263 | 31.0% | $815K | $214M |
| Kuwait | 118 | 13.9% | $680K | $80M |
| India | 89 | 10.5% | $540K | $48M |
| United Kingdom | 72 | 8.5% | $925K | $67M |
| United States | 61 | 7.2% | $1,100K | $67M |
| Egypt | 54 | 6.4% | $420K | $23M |
| Pakistan | 47 | 5.5% | $385K | $18M |
| Singapore + HK | 38 | 4.5% | $1,250K | $48M |
| Bahrain | 34 | 4.0% | $695K | $24M |
| Other (40+ nationalities) | 71 | 8.4% | $640K | $45M |
Q1 2026 transactions by city
| City | Transactions | Share | Avg ticket (USD) | Top sub-area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | 491 | 58.0% | $780K | Diriyah Gate, Olaya, KAFD |
| Jeddah | 179 | 21.1% | $650K | Al Shati, Corniche, Obhur |
| NEOM | 76 | 9.0% | $1,400K | Sindalah, NEOM Bay |
| Khobar / Dammam | 52 | 6.1% | $520K | Al Aziziyah, Half Moon Bay |
| Red Sea Project | 29 | 3.4% | $1,800K | Shebara, Ummahat |
| AlUla | 14 | 1.7% | $1,150K | Sharaan, Hegra |
| Mecca / Medina | 6 | 0.7% | $1,950K | (restricted ownership) |
Monthly transaction trend (Q1 2026)
| Month | Transactions | Total value (USD) | Avg ticket | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 189 | $132M | $698K | Law took effect 1 Jan; first wave |
| February 2026 | 248 | $175M | $705K | UAE buyers accelerated |
| March 2026 | 410 | $305M | $744K | Foreign-buyer flow tripled vs Jan |
| April 2026 (YTD partial) | ~210 (est.) | ~$155M | ~$738K | Iran-war shock paused some flow mid-month |
Limitations. Mecca/Medina ownership remains restricted to specific use cases. Cross-GCC residents (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain) had ownership rights pre-2026; the new law expanded broader foreign access in January 2026. Some legacy GCC transactions may be double-counted in early-period data.
Update cadence. First Sunday of each month, covering the prior month’s transactions plus any quarter-end revisions to REGA data.
About this tracker
The Saudi Foreign Buyer Tracker is The Middle East Insider’s proprietary monthly running count of foreign-investor property transactions in Saudi Arabia, broken down by buyer nationality, destination city, and average ticket size. It exists because no other publication is consolidating this data in one place — Saudi REGA publishes quarterly aggregates but doesn’t break out nationality and city detail in real time, and individual transactions are scattered across Reuters, Bloomberg, FT, and developer press releases.
We started this tracker in January 2026 when Saudi Arabia’s expanded foreign property ownership law took effect. The first quarter (Q1 2026) is the first full quarter of data because the law had no foreign-buyer flow before January.
The tracker updates on the first Sunday of each month, covering the prior month’s transactions plus any quarter-end revisions to REGA disclosures.
What this data tells us
UAE residents are the dominant buyers. 31% of Q1 2026 foreign transactions came from UAE-resident buyers — disproportionately high relative to the UAE’s population size, but consistent with the existing GCC-resident familiarity with Saudi real estate and the cross-border investor base already operating between Dubai and Riyadh.
Riyadh dominates with NEOM premium pricing. Riyadh accounts for 58% of foreign-buyer transactions but at average tickets of $780K. NEOM accounts for only 9% of transaction volume but at average tickets of $1.4M — confirming NEOM’s positioning as the high-end destination for foreign capital. Red Sea Project transactions are even higher-ticket at $1.8M but very low volume.
Average ticket size is rising month-over-month. Average foreign-buyer ticket grew from $698K in January to $744K in March. Two effects: (1) higher-quality buyers entered the market as legal certainty grew, and (2) developers shifted offer to higher-end product as demand confirmed.
Indian and US buyers are the fastest-growing nationalities. Indian transactions grew 65% from January to March. US buyers grew 80% (from a smaller base). Both reflect the Saudi Premium Residency property route’s marketing push in those source markets.
Iran-war disruption affected April flow. April 2026 transactions are running roughly 50% of the March pace, as foreign capital paused new commitments during the height of the regional escalation. Expect a rebound in May-June if the situation stabilizes.
How journalists, analysts, and developers can use this
This data product is provided as a free editorial resource. We ask that any citation include a link back to themiddleeastinsider.com/saudi-foreign-buyer-tracker with attribution to “The Middle East Insider’s Saudi Foreign Buyer Tracker.”
For institutional research clients who need higher-resolution data — sub-area level, individual developer transactions, longitudinal time series — contact [email protected] for a licensed data feed.
Methodology in detail
Sources. Primary sources are REGA quarterly transaction disclosures, the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC) data, and Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) foreign-investor reports. Secondary sources are Reuters, Bloomberg, FT, AGBI, and direct disclosures from Saudi developers (ROSHN, Diriyah Company, Red Sea Global, NEOM, AMAALA).
Inclusion criteria. A transaction is counted in the tracker when (1) the buyer is non-Saudi, (2) the property is in a city/zone where foreign ownership is permitted under the January 2026 framework, and (3) the transaction has been confirmed by either REGA registration or a credible secondary source. Cross-GCC residents (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain) are counted as foreign buyers for tracker purposes despite their pre-2026 access rights.
Exclusion criteria. We exclude (1) transactions where buyer nationality cannot be confirmed, (2) commercial-only transactions where no residential or mixed-use property is involved, (3) Mecca and Medina transactions outside the limited foreign-ownership exceptions, and (4) inheritance and family transfers across generations.
Currency. All ticket sizes converted to USD at the SAR/USD peg of 3.75 in force throughout 2026. Property values stated by REGA in SAR; we round to nearest thousand USD.
Caveats. Off-market transactions are not captured. Transactions through holding-company structures (where the ultimate buyer is foreign but the registered buyer is a Saudi-incorporated SPV) are typically not visible to REGA’s nationality disclosure. We estimate this captures 70-85% of true foreign-buyer flow.
Related Saudi property coverage
- Saudi Foreign Property Ownership 2026: Complete Rulebook
- Saudi Premium Residency via Property 2026
- Riyadh vs Jeddah vs Dammam for Foreign Buyers
- Saudi White Land Tax 2026
- NEOM Investment Scorecard Q2 2026
- Saudi Premium Residency Updated May 2026
- Saudi Premium Residency Cost Calculator
- Saudi Foreign Investment 2026: Complete Guide (pillar)
FAQ
How current is this data?
Updated on the first Sunday of each month, covering the prior month’s transactions plus any quarter-end revisions to REGA. The tracker is current as of 2026-05-04.
Why isn’t every Saudi foreign property transaction in this dataset?
Three reasons: (1) some transactions go through Saudi-incorporated SPVs that mask the foreign buyer’s nationality at REGA registration, (2) off-market transactions don’t surface in any public dataset, and (3) some smaller transactions don’t get individual disclosure. We estimate this captures 70-85% of the true foreign-buyer flow.
Where can I get higher-resolution data?
For sub-area breakdowns, individual developer transactions, or longitudinal time series, contact [email protected] about a licensed data feed.
How does this compare to Dubai Land Department data?
Dubai Land Department publishes more granular real-time transaction data than Saudi REGA. Foreign buyer activity in Dubai is substantially larger ($28B+ in 2025) but well-tracked by official sources. Saudi is smaller in absolute terms but rapidly growing post-2026 law.
Can I cite this tracker in my research?
Yes — please credit “The Middle East Insider’s Saudi Foreign Buyer Tracker” with a link to themiddleeastinsider.com/saudi-foreign-buyer-tracker. The data is provided as a free editorial resource.
How do you handle holding-company transactions?
Where REGA discloses ultimate beneficial ownership, we record the underlying buyer’s nationality. Where REGA records only the registered SPV (typically a Saudi LLC), we exclude from the foreign-buyer count even if the actual ultimate owner is non-Saudi. This may underreport true foreign capital flow by 10-20%.
Last updated: 2026-05-04. Next update: First Sunday of June 2026 (covering May data plus any Q1 revisions). Data product by The Middle East Insider editorial.