The verdict in three sentences
For a Dubai property developer targeting local buyers, French-speaking investors from Europe and North Africa and English-speaking international buyers, a trilingual Arabic, English and French website costs USD 13,000 to 30,000 in 2026 (about EUR 12,000 to 27,500). The Arabic version is not a simple translation: the RTL (right-to-left) layout accounts for 15 to 25% of the development budget and is often done badly. Plan for 10 to 14 weeks and hosting of USD 160 to 430 per month.
Why three languages change the economics of the site
A premium residential project in Dubai (Dubai Hills, Business Bay, Jumeirah Village Circle) is increasingly sold remotely. Foreign buyers often account for 25 to 40% of reservations on this type of project, and a growing share of investors from France, Belgium and the Maghreb search in French. An English-only site misses those prospects or pushes them towards brokers who take 2% commission.
Each language must be treated as a market: its own vocabulary ("T4" means nothing to a Gulf buyer, "3 bedrooms, 140 sq m" does), displayed currencies (AED, EUR, USD), and adapted contact paths (WhatsApp for the diaspora, video appointments for overseas investors).
Detailed budget for a trilingual site
| Item | 2026 range | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, site map and English mock-ups | USD 2,200 to 4,300 | Foundation of the whole design |
| RTL adaptation of the Arabic version | USD 1,900 to 4,800 | Mirrored grids, icons, Arabic typography |
| Front-end build and multilingual CMS | USD 4,800 to 11,800 | 3 languages managed in a single back office |
| Project pages, floor plans and mortgage calculator | USD 2,700 to 6,500 | Available units, PDF plans, instalment calculation |
| Professional translation (USD 0.13 to 0.22 per word) | USD 1,300 to 2,700 | About 8,000 to 12,000 words per language |
| Multilingual SEO and hreflang | USD 650 to 1,600 | Per-language URLs, sitemap, tags |
| Form integration with the CRM | USD 550 to 1,600 | Lead attribution by language and source |
The total lands between USD 13,000 and 30,000 depending on the number of projects and the depth of the calculator. Fast hosting with a CDN and backups costs USD 160 to 430 per month.
RTL extra costs and multilingual pitfalls
| Technical point | Risk if done badly | Cost of fixing it later | Good practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global RTL direction (dir="rtl") | Menus and carousels flipped incorrectly | USD 850 to 1,600 | CSS logical properties from day one |
| Arabic typography | Unreadable or heavy font (over 300 KB) | USD 320 to 650 | Optimised Arabic web font, subsetted |
| Numbers and prices | Mixed Western and Eastern Arabic numerals | USD 220 to 430 | One rule approved by the sales team |
| hreflang tags | Wrong version shown in Google | USD 430 to 850 | ar-AE, fr, en, plus x-default |
| Forms to the CRM | Leads with no language or project | USD 550 to 1,100 | Hidden fields for language, project, source |
| Unreviewed machine translation | Loss of credibility with investors | USD 1,100 and more | Native translator and sales review |
SEO per language deserves its own plan: "apartment for sale Dubai" in English, "appartement à vendre Dubaï" in French and their Arabic equivalents differ in both volume and competition.
Mini case study
Omar, sales director of a Dubai developer marketing two projects of 140 and 90 units, launched a trilingual site in 2026. Budget: USD 22,800, including USD 5,200 for project pages and the calculator, and USD 270 per month of hosting. First-year cost: 22,800 + 3,240 = USD 26,040.
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In 6 months the site generated 380 leads, 31% of them in French or Arabic. 14 reservations came from those leads. At an average price of USD 260,000 per unit, assuming half those sales would otherwise have gone through a broker at 2% commission, savings reach 7 × 5,200 = USD 36,400, 1.4 times the cost of the site.
FAQ
What does a trilingual Arabic, English and French website cost in Dubai in 2026?
USD 13,000 to 30,000 for a developer site with an RTL layout, project pages and a multilingual CMS. A simple brochure site without a calculator starts around USD 8,700.
How much does translation cost?
Budget USD 0.13 to 0.22 per word for reviewed professional translation. For 10,000 words translated into 2 languages, that is USD 2,600 to 4,400.
Can the Arabic version be added later?
Yes, but it then costs 30 to 50% more because templates must be reworked. Planning RTL from the design stage avoids that premium.
Should prices be shown in several currencies?
Yes: AED for the local market, EUR for European buyers, USD for other international investors. A daily-updated converter costs USD 320 to 650 to integrate.
How long does delivery take?
Between 10 and 14 weeks, including 3 to 4 weeks for translations and sales team approval.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your projects, target markets and languages: we price trilingual sites between USD 13,000 and 30,000, delivered in 10 to 14 weeks. 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.
