The verdict in three sentences
A serious trilingual website for a real estate and distribution group costs USD 19,500 to 45,500 (about AED 72,000 to 167,000), and 25 to 35% of that budget comes from Arabic: right-to-left layout, dedicated typefaces, translation and review. The machine translation plugin at USD 33 a month looks cheap but produces pages Google indexes poorly and that an Arabic-speaking reader spots within two lines. Plan 14 to 20 weeks and a per-language URL structure with hreflang from day one.
What each language costs, line by line
For a group active in real estate and distribution, with 40 to 60 pages per language, the budget breaks down as follows (2026 order of magnitude).
| Line item | Lean 3-language version | Full 3-language version | Share driven by Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping, sitemap, keyword strategy per language | USD 1,950 | USD 3,800 | 30% |
| LTR template design + RTL adaptation | USD 4,350 | USD 9,750 | 35 to 40% |
| Development and multilingual CMS | USD 6,500 | USD 15,200 | 20 to 25% |
| Translation (35,000 to 60,000 words in total) | USD 3,450 | USD 9,100 | 50% |
| Native Arabic and English review | USD 1,100 | USD 2,700 | 60% |
| International SEO (hreflang, sitemaps, markup) | USD 1,300 | USD 3,000 | 33% |
| Mobile QA in 3 languages | USD 850 | USD 1,950 | 40% |
| Total | USD 19,500 | USD 45,500 | 25 to 35% |
Professional translation runs USD 0.10 to 0.15 per word depending on technicality. Legal and financial pages (annual report, governance) sit at the top of the range.
The RTL constraints quotes leave out
Adding Arabic is not just translating text. The whole interface flips, and a dozen details separate a credible site from a patched one.
| Constraint | What happens if ignored | Typical extra cost |
|---|---|---|
| dir="rtl" attribute and logical CSS properties | Menus, margins and icons stay on the left | USD 870 to 1,630 |
| Arabic typography (Noto Kufi, IBM Plex Arabic, Tajawal) | Text too small, broken line height | USD 330 to 650 |
| Directional icons (arrows, carousels) | Reversed arrows, confusing navigation | USD 220 to 430 |
| Numerals and dates (Western or Eastern Arabic) | Inconsistency between pages | USD 160 to 330 |
| Forms and mixed fields (email stays LTR) | Unreadable input, validation errors | USD 330 to 540 |
| Charts and maps (annual report) | Axes and legends to redo | USD 540 to 1,300 |
| Testing on iOS and Android in Arabic | Bugs found by end customers | USD 430 to 870 |
Human translation or automatic plugin: the SEO impact
| Criterion | Automatic plugin (USD 33/month) | Professional translation + multilingual CMS |
|---|---|---|
| 3-year cost | About USD 1,170 | USD 4,550 to 11,800 (translation + review) |
| Dedicated URLs per language (/en, /ar, /fr) | Sometimes, depending on plan | Yes |
| Correct hreflang tags | Often incomplete | Yes, with x-default |
| Indexing of Arabic pages | Weak, content judged low quality | Normal |
| Perceived quality by a CEO or Gulf investor | Poor | Professional |
| Keywords adapted per market | No | Yes |
Multilingual SEO rests on three technical elements: one URL per language, reciprocal hreflang tags and one XML sitemap per language submitted in Search Console. Without them, Google shows the wrong version to the wrong audience.
Mini case study
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Youssef, marketing director of a Dubai group active in real estate and distribution, chooses a mid-range version at USD 31,500 over 17 weeks. The Arabic version accounts for USD 10,000, or 32% of the budget. His goal: reach Gulf investors and French-speaking expatriates. If the Arabic version generates 3 qualified contacts a month for properties at USD 680,000, with a 5% conversion rate and a 3% internal commission, each sale brings in USD 20,400 of margin. Two sales a year pay back the Arabic version in under 8 months.
FAQ
How much does an English, Arabic and French website cost?
USD 19,500 to 45,500 for a group with 40 to 60 pages per language. A smaller 15-page site starts around USD 7,500.
Why does Arabic cost more than French or English?
Because it requires a mirrored layout, dedicated typefaces and specific testing on top of translation. These adaptations account for 25 to 35% of the total budget.
What timeline should we expect?
Count 14 to 20 weeks, including 4 to 6 weeks of translation and review run in parallel with development. Launching all 3 languages together avoids a costly second project.
Do we need to translate the whole site into Arabic?
Not necessarily: 60 to 70% of pages is often enough (offer, projects, group, contact). News can stay in English and French at first.
Which CMS handles RTL best?
WordPress with a serious multilingual plugin or a headless CMS like Sanity both handle RTL well. The choice depends mainly on the number of contributors and the approval workflow.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your page count per language and your USD 19,500 to 45,500 budget range, and we will propose a 14 to 20 week plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
