Ellington's new master community, The Oasis by Emaar and Dubai Hills Estate serve different buyers. Ellington's community is the entry point, with townhouses from an estimated AED 2.7 million and a 70/30 plan, but nothing is launched yet. The Oasis is larger-format, water-led and off-plan, with 4 to 7 bedroom villas and plans weighted towards construction. Dubai Hills Estate is established and central, so you buy finished homes on the resale market.
Side by side
| Ellington master community | The Oasis by Emaar | Dubai Hills Estate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | Ellington Properties | Emaar | Emaar |
| Stage | Pre-launch, not yet named | Off-plan, handovers targeted 2027 to 2030 | Largely completed, resale market |
| Scale | About 18M sq ft, 3,000+ homes (est.) | About 100M sq ft, 7,000+ homes planned | 14 villa communities |
| Home types | 2 to 4 bed townhouses, 4 to 5 bed villas | 4 to 7 bed villas and mansions | 3 bed townhouses to 9 bed mansions |
| Entry size (BUA) | About 1,600 sq ft | About 6,100 sq ft (Palmiera) | About 2,100 sq ft (Maple) |
| Entry price | From AED 2.7M (est.) | Not published here; ask for live pricing | Set by resale market |
| Payment plan | 70/30, or 60/40 for early EOI (est.) | 80/20 to 90/10 | Cash or mortgage on transfer |
| Setting | Wellness-led, fitness trails | Lagoons, canals and beaches | Golf course and central park |
| Drive to Downtown | About 31 min | About 35 min (developer brochure) | Central, Al Khail Road |
Ellington figures are pre-launch estimates. The Oasis and Dubai Hills Estate figures come from the community guides on theoasisagent.com and dubaihillsagent.com listed in the sources, which are based on Emaar's documents and registered sales.
Choose Ellington's master community if
- You want a townhouse or villa at a lower entry price. At an estimated AED 2.7M for a 2 bed townhouse, it opens villa-community living to buyers who would otherwise look at apartments.
- You prefer to pay more at handover. A 70/30 plan, or 60/40 for early EOI holders, leaves more of the price until completion than most current Emaar releases.
- You value design and finish. Ellington positions itself as a design-led developer, a reputation built mostly on its apartment buildings. At an estimated 3,000+ homes, this would be by far its largest project, so delivering a whole neighbourhood is still to be proven.
- You are comfortable buying before launch details are final. The name, masterplan, plot sizes, floor plans and handover date have not been released.
Choose The Oasis if
- You want scale. Even the entry cluster, Palmiera, starts at 4 bedrooms and about 6,100 sq ft, rising to mansions above 19,000 sq ft at Lavita.
- Water matters. The community is planned around lagoons, canals and beaches.
- You can pay most of the price during construction. Plans run from 80/20 to 90/10, with handovers targeted between late 2027 and early 2030.
The Oasis is about 15 minutes' drive from Ellington's community location, so the two will draw from the same catchment of schools and retail. For cluster-by-cluster detail, see the guide to The Oasis by Emaar.
Choose Dubai Hills Estate if
- You want to move in now. Most villa communities are complete, so you are buying a finished home with known comparable sales.
- Location comes first. Dubai Hills Estate is central, on Al Khail Road, with Downtown, the Marina and both airports within an easy drive.
- You want choice. Fourteen villa communities run from Maple townhouses at about 2,100 sq ft to mansions on plots of up to 40,000 sq ft.
The trade-off is price per square foot and the fact that you pay in full on transfer, with no developer payment plan. For community-by-community detail, see the Dubai Hills Estate villa guide.
The honest bottom line
These three are not really competing for the same buyer. Ellington's community is the affordable way into a new, design-led villa community, with the uncertainty that comes with buying before launch. The Oasis is the large-format, water-led option at a higher budget. Dubai Hills Estate is the established, central choice where you see exactly what you are buying.
If you are weighing two of them, the questions that usually decide it are budget, how soon you need to move in, and how much of the price you want to pay before handover.
Questions people ask
Is Ellington's master community cheaper than The Oasis?
On the current estimates, yes at the entry level. Ellington's community starts with 2 bedroom townhouses at an estimated AED 2.7M, while The Oasis clusters start at 4 bedroom villas with built-up areas above 6,000 sq ft. They are different products rather than like-for-like alternatives.
Which is closer to the city, Al Yalayis 1 or Dubai Hills Estate?
Dubai Hills Estate is far more central, sitting on Al Khail Road. Ellington's community location in Al Yalayis 1 is about 24 minutes' drive from Dubai Hills Estate and 31 minutes from Downtown Dubai in free-flowing traffic.
Can I move in sooner at Dubai Hills Estate?
Yes. Most Dubai Hills Estate villa communities are completed, so you can buy a finished home and move in after transfer. Ellington's community and most of The Oasis are off-plan.
Sources
- The Oasis by Emaar: clusters, sizes, payment plans and handover targets · theoasisagent.com · October 2026
- Dubai Hills Estate villa communities: bedrooms and built-up areas · dubaihillsagent.com · October 2026
- Pre-launch estimate sheet attributed to Ellington, supplied to IMARA · IMARA Real Estate · 19 October 2026
- Drive times from the Ellington location point · OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), measured by IMARA · 20 October 2026
Independent information by IMARA Real Estate, not the official website of Ellington Properties. Figures about the new master community are pre-launch estimates and may change. Facts about Ellington’s history and projects are taken from the sources listed above as of 20 October 2026.
