The names are almost identical, the developer is the same, and both are golf-and-villa communities in the broad Dubailand belt. That is where the similarity ends. On DLD data, DAMAC Hills trades at a median of AED 14,585 per square metre and DAMAC Hills 2 at AED 11,066 (DLD Open Data). One is 32% more expensive than the other, and they are not in the same place.
The confusion is understandable, and expensive if you act on it. Here is what actually separates them.
The Name Is the Trap
DAMAC Hills 2 was originally launched and marketed as Akoya Oxygen, and DAMAC still uses both names (DAMAC Properties). Older listings, portals and even some developer material refer to the same community by either name, so "DAMAC Hills 2", "Akoya" and "Akoya Oxygen" are all the same place. That rebranding, attaching the established "DAMAC Hills" name to a separate, further-out project, is the root of the mix-up.
They are genuinely different locations. DAMAC Hills 2 sits roughly 40 minutes from the city centre, connected via Al Qudra Road (D63), deeper into the desert corridor (DAMAC Properties, DAMAC Hills 2 guide). The original DAMAC Hills is the more central of the two, which is exactly what its price premium in the DLD data reflects.
The Headline Table
Ready resale apartments, 2026 year to date, same methodology for both.
| Metric | DAMAC Hills | DAMAC Hills 2 (Akoya) |
|---|---|---|
| Median AED/sqm (ready) | 14,585 | 11,066 |
| Gross yield | 7.62% | 8.91% |
| Median ready price | AED 690,000 | AED 571,717 |
| Off-plan share (2026) | 58.2% | 47.5% |
| Price change YoY (ready resale) | +4.5% | -3.9% |
| Ready resale sales (2026) | 249 | 42 |
DAMAC Hills 2's figures rest on a thin sample: 42 ready apartment resales in 2026. Treat its median and yield as indicative and directional, not precise. DAMAC Hills, at 249 ready sales, is far more reliable.
Two rows diverge sharply and are worth reading together. DAMAC Hills 2 shows a higher yield (8.91% against 7.62%), which is the standard reward for its lower price and less central location. But its prices fell 3.9% year on year while DAMAC Hills rose 4.5%. The cheaper, higher-yielding community is also the one losing value, on current data.
How to Read the Divergence
This is the classic distance-versus-yield trade, made unusually clear by two communities under one brand.
DAMAC Hills is the more central, more established and more expensive community. Its prices are rising (+4.5% year on year), its yield is solid at 7.62%, and its resale market is deep enough (249 ready sales) to price and exit with confidence. You pay more per square metre for the location and the stability.
DAMAC Hills 2 (Akoya) is cheaper to enter (median AED 571,717 against AED 690,000) and yields more (8.91%), but you are buying 40 minutes out on Al Qudra Road, into a market whose prices softened 3.9% last year and whose resale volume is thin (42 completed sales all year). The higher yield is the compensation for the remoteness and the weaker liquidity, not a free lunch.
The honest framing: DAMAC Hills 2's headline yield looks like the better deal, but the price is falling and the exit market is shallow. DAMAC Hills costs more and yields less, but it is appreciating and liquid. Which is right depends on whether you are buying income today at a location discount, or a more stable asset closer in.
Who Each One Suits
DAMAC Hills suits a buyer who wants a central-ish, established golf community with rising prices and a liquid resale market, and who is willing to pay the premium per square metre for it. It is the lower-risk of the two on the data.
DAMAC Hills 2 (Akoya) suits a buyer whose priority is the lowest possible entry price and the highest headline yield, who genuinely does not mind a 40-minute commute, and who is comfortable with a thin resale market and recently softening prices. It is the higher-yield, higher-risk option, and the distance is not a detail.
Above all, do not treat them as interchangeable because of the name. They differ by roughly a third on price per square metre, they are moving in opposite directions on value, and they are 40 minutes apart.
| If your priority is... | Better pick |
|---|---|
| Rising prices / capital stability | DAMAC Hills (+4.5% YoY) |
| Liquid resale market | DAMAC Hills (249 ready sales) |
| Highest headline yield | DAMAC Hills 2 (8.91%) |
| Lowest entry price | DAMAC Hills 2 (AED 571,717) |
| Central-ish location | DAMAC Hills |
FAQ
Are DAMAC Hills and DAMAC Hills 2 the same community?
No. They are two separate DAMAC communities in different locations. DAMAC Hills 2 was formerly branded Akoya Oxygen and sits about 40 minutes from the city centre on Al Qudra Road; DAMAC Hills is the original, more central community. The similar names cause frequent confusion.
Which has the higher rental yield?
DAMAC Hills 2 (Akoya), at roughly 8.91% gross against DAMAC Hills' 7.62%, on DLD data. But its ready resale sample is thin (42 sales) so treat that figure as indicative, and note that its prices fell 3.9% year on year.
Which is cheaper?
DAMAC Hills 2, on both measures: AED 11,066 per square metre against AED 14,585, and a median ready price of AED 571,717 against AED 690,000.
Why are DAMAC Hills 2 prices falling while DAMAC Hills is rising?
DLD shows the moves (-3.9% versus +4.5% year on year) but not the cause. A plausible reading is location and supply: DAMAC Hills 2 is further out with a thinner, more volatile resale market, while DAMAC Hills is more central and established. Treat this as interpretation, and note the DAMAC Hills 2 sample is small.
Does the 4% DLD fee apply to both?
Yes. The Dubai Land Department registration fee is 4% of the sale value and is paid in practice by the buyer on the secondary market (DLD, Property Sale Registration), identically in both.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department, Open Data: Real Estate Data (all price, yield, off-plan and year-on-year figures): https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/open-data/real-estate-data/
- DAMAC Properties, DAMAC Hills 2 community page (formerly Akoya Oxygen, villas, townhouses and apartments): https://www.damacproperties.com/en/communities/damac-hills-2
- DAMAC Properties, DAMAC Hills 2 area guide (40 minutes from city centre, Al Qudra Road connectivity, Akoya Oxygen name): https://www.damacproperties.com/en/blog/damac-hills-2-community-guide-0/
- Dubai Land Department, Property Sale Registration (4% registration fee): https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/property-sale-registration/
Methodology. Prices are medians of DLD-registered ready resale transactions (Existing Properties, residential units) for 2026 year to date, grouped by master project (DAMAC HILLS and DAMAC HILLS 2). Year-on-year change compares the 2026 median AED/sqm with the 2025 full-year median on the same basis (DAMAC Hills n=757 in 2025, 249 in 2026; DAMAC Hills 2 n=118 and 42, a thin sample). Yields are gross: median new-lease annual rent per square metre divided by median resale price per square metre, new contracts only from the 12 months to June 2026, residential flats. Service charges, vacancy and management costs are not deducted. Note that both communities also contain villas and townhouses; this apartment-based comparison does not cover those.
