Can you buy a home in Makkah or Madinah?

Yes, if you are Muslim. Since 22 January 2026 a Muslim of any nationality, living abroad or in the Kingdom, may own a home inside the designated zones. Outside them, neither city is open to a non-Saudi buyer.

Check if I can buySee the zones
Makkah in the late afternoon: modern residential towers and dense housing filling the valley, the Abraj Al Bait clock tower rising beyond the golden hills.Photo: Musaddek Sayek, Pexels314mNearest zone to the Grand Mosque Burj Ajyad · 5–6 min on foot
zullfa.com · 2026-09-1930 minBurj Ajyad — L197 · Ajyad tower — 0.6 ha, 310 m to 430 m from the Grand MosqueAbraj Makkah — L1048 · Makkah Towre Building — 1.3 ha, 320 m to 510 m from the Grand MosqueJabal Omar — L008 — 24 ha, 450 m to 920 m from the Grand MosqueKing Salman Gate — L062 · Rou’a Al Haram Al Makki — 96 ha, 690 m to 1.7 km from the Grand MosqueMasar — L051 — 1.4 km², 820 m to 4.6 km from the Grand MosqueMakkah Zone 2 — L056 · Makkah Al-Mukarramah – Zone (2) — 69 ha, 1.3 km to 2.7 km from the Grand MosqueThakher Makkah — L052 — 30 ha, 2.0 km to 3.0 km from the Grand Mosque; residential building onlyMakkah Zone 1 — L055 · Makkah Al-Mukarramah – Zone (1) — 70 ha, 2.4 km to 3.9 km from the Grand MosqueMakkah Zone 3 — L337 · Makkah Al-Mukarramah – Zone (3) — 1.3 km², 3.7 km to 5.4 km from the Grand MosqueThe Clock Towers — 0.4 km from the Grand MosqueBurj AjyadAbraj MakkahKing Salman GateMasarMakkah Zone 2the Grand MosqueMakkah 12 zones
Madinah from the air at dusk: the Prophet's Mosque and its lit courtyards at the centre of the city, the mountains beyond.Madinah 10 zones5 of 12Makkah zones within fifteen minutes’ walk of the Grand Mosque

Each question, answered in a minute

All films
  1. Can a foreigner buy property in Makkah?Film, 1 min 18 s
  2. Where can a foreigner buy in Madinah?Film, 1 min 8 s
  3. Who pays the 5% transaction tax?Film, 1 min 7 s
  4. Can you pay for a home from abroad?Film, 1 min 2 s
  5. Is this broker licensed?Film, 1 min 13 s
  6. Can a company buy in Makkah?Film, 1 min 2 s

Or listen on the way

The podcast

  • From Abroad

    How a purchase works from abroad

    18 Sep 2026 · 5 min

Prime locations

Within 15 minutes’ walk of the Grand Mosque or the Prophet’s Mosque, from the zone’s nearest edge.

Every prime project
  • Official render of Jabal Omar serviced apartments, published by Jabal Omar Development Co.Selling

    7–8 min walk

    Jabal Omar serviced apartments

    Jabal Omar · Makkah

    Render: Jabal Omar Development Co.

  • Official render of Rua Al Madinah, published by Rua Al Madinah Holding (PIF).Registration open

    10–11 min walk

    Rua Al Madinah

    Rua Al-Madinah · Madinah

    Render: Rua Al Madinah Holding (PIF)

  • Official render of King Salman Gate, published by Rua Al Haram Al Makki (PIF).Taking registrations

    10–12 min walk

    King Salman Gate

    King Salman Gate · Makkah

    Render: Rua Al Haram Al Makki (PIF)

  • Official render of Diyar Al Haram (Masar), published by Arabian Dyar.Selling

    12–14 min walk

    Diyar Al Haram (Masar)

    Masar · Makkah

    Render: Arabian Dyar

  • Official render of Masar Corner, published by Al Ramz Company.Selling

    12–14 min walk

    Masar Corner

    Masar · Makkah

    Render: Al Ramz Company

The developers’ films

Your reason for buying

Where you can buy

22 zones, drawn from the regulator’s own boundaries.

Every zone, nearest first

The Zone Plates, boundaries of 19 Sep 2026 from the Saudi Properties portal; distances measured from each zone’s nearest edge. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How far on foot

2 / 10

Madinah zones within fifteen minutes of the Prophet's Mosque.

Every walk, both cities

Makkah zones, from each zone’s nearest edge to the Grand Mosque

  1. 5–6minBurj Ajyad
  2. 5–6minAbraj Makkah
  3. 7–8minJabal Omar
  4. 10–12minKing Salman Gate
  5. 12–14minMasar
  6. 18–22minMakkah Zone 2
  7. 28–33minThakher Makkah
  8. 35–41minMakkah Zone 1
  9. 52–62minMakkah Zone 3

3 more Makkah zones are beyond an hour on foot. A straight line at 1.2 and 1.0 metres a second: the least a walk can take.

What a home costs you

What it costs

  • Request the price list

    We ask the developer for the current price list and send you what they give us.

    Request it

  • Send us an offer

    Been quoted a price? Send it to us and we check it.

    Send us the offer

  • What it costs on top

    Type any price and see the total, each charge named.

    Open the calculator

Open to you now

No developer here publishes a price list. We ask for you.

All projects

  • Thakher Makkah

    Thakher Makkah, Makkah

    28–33 min on foot, at least

    Selling

    Thakher Development Co.

    Official render of Thakher Makkah, published by Thakher Development Co.

    Render: Thakher Development Co.

  • Al-Alya (Knowledge Economic City)

    Knowledge Economic City, Madinah

    Beyond an hour on foot

    Selling

    Knowledge Economic City Co.

    Official render of Al-Alya (Knowledge Economic City), published by Knowledge Economic City Co.

    Render: Knowledge Economic City Co.

  • ROSHN Almanar

    Al-Manar, Makkah

    Beyond an hour on foot

    Selling

    ROSHN Group (PIF)

    Official render of ROSHN Almanar, published by ROSHN Group (PIF).

    Render: ROSHN Group (PIF)

Want a developer’s current prices? We write to them for you.

Request the price list

Can I buy?

Answer three questions and get your answer in writing, with its source.

Are you Muslim? 1 / 3
Buying as 2 / 3
Which city? 3 / 3

Your answers stay in this browser.

On the record

The law tracker
In force since
22 Jan 2026The Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis
Designated zones
12 + 10Makkah and Madinah, on the regulator’s map; the Cabinet’s list names 11 areas in Makkah.
On top of the price
9.5%Tax 5% · non-Saudi fee 2% · broker 2.5%. What it costs
Tenure
Full ownershipOr a usufruct of up to 99 years. Who can buy

Sources

  1. REGA — system enters into force · 22 Jan 2026
    In Makkah and Madinah, non-Saudi ownership and real rights are limited to Muslim natural persons (Law Art. 2(4)); REGA states this applies whether residing inside or outside the Kingdom.

  2. REGA — system enters into force · 22 Jan 2026
    The Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis entered into force on 22 January 2026.

  3. REGA — law text, Art. 2(3) · 25 Jul 2025
    In Makkah and Madinah, non-Saudi purchases are only possible inside the designated geographic zones; the 'one residence outside zones' right for residents does not apply to the two holy cities.

  4. Saudi Properties portal — zone list
    The portal lists twelve designated zones in Makkah and ten in Madinah; the twelfth Makkah zone is 'Makkah Al-Mukarramah – Zone (3)', code L337 — about 1.29 km², its nearest boundary roughly 3.7 km south-west of the Grand Mosque, with the same ownership rules as the others.

  5. Saudi Properties portal — zone boundaries
    A designated zone is not necessarily near the mosque: measured from each zone's nearest boundary point, Makkah's zones run from about 310 metres to about 16.7 kilometres from the Grand Mosque, and Madinah's from about 650 metres to about 12.4 kilometres from the Prophet's Mosque.

  6. Arab News — zones list · 24 Jun 2026
    The designated zones named in Makkah are Abraj Makkah, Al-Manar, Burj Ajyad, King Salman Gate, Tilal Village, Jabal Omar, Thakher (Dhakhir) Makkah, Dahiyat Sumou, Masar, and Makkah Zones 1 and 2, eleven named areas in all.

  7. Saudi Properties portal — zone boundaries
    Zone areas and distances on this site come from the boundaries the Saudi Properties portal publishes for each zone; a distance is the straight line from the nearest point of that boundary to the Grand Mosque or the Prophet's Mosque, so the walk is always longer.

  8. ZATCA — RETT · 10 Apr 2025
    Real Estate Transaction Tax is 5% of the transaction value (RETT Law M/84 of 1446H, effective 10 April 2025).

  9. Gulf Business — REGA clarification · 8 Jul 2026
    The non-Saudi ownership fee is set at 2% in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah under Executive Regulations Art. 9; the law caps it at 5%.

  10. REGA — Real Estate Brokerage Law · 9 Sep 2026
    Broker commission defaults to 2.5% of the transaction value unless agreed otherwise in writing, paid by the party who engaged the broker (Brokerage Law Art. 14).

  11. REGA — law text, Art. 2(4) · 25 Jul 2025
    Article 2(4) of the Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis (Royal Decree M/14, in force 22 January 2026) limits the non-Saudi right to own property (تملك) and to acquire other real rights over it in Makkah and Madinah to Muslim natural persons, and the right it restricts is ownership itself, so a Muslim individual may own inside the designated zones and is not limited to usufruct.

  12. Premium Residency Law (English, MISA) · 1 Nov 2024
    Usufruct rights in Makkah and Madinah of up to 99 years remain available (zone cards show 99 years; Premium Residency Law Art. 2(1)(e)).

  13. Arab News — zones list · 24 Jun 2026
    The designated zones named in Madinah are Al-Ghurra, Madinah Zones 1 and 2, Al-Mahwa, Darat Al-Hijra, Downtown Madinah, Diyar Al-Maqar, Rua Al-Madinah, Knowledge Economic City, and Mishraf, ten named areas in all.

  14. Saudi Properties portal — zone card labels (zones.rules, English)
    On the Saudi Properties portal's zone cards, allowed ownership percentage and usufruct duration are two separate labelled fields, each filled from its own value, so the 99 years is the longest usufruct term a card can show and does not limit ownership.

  15. SPA — Cabinet session · 23 Jun 2026
    The Cabinet approved the Executive Regulations (decision 9) and the geographic scopes (decision 10) on 23 June 2026, and applications opened the same day on the Saudi Properties portal.

  16. Greenberg Traurig — implementing regulations · 6 Jul 2026
    Foreign-incorporated companies and non-profits cannot own in Makkah and Madinah; Saudi-incorporated companies with foreign shareholders may own inside the zones (Law Art. 3).

  17. REGA — law text · 25 Jul 2025
    Tadawul-listed companies, licensed funds and SPVs may own real estate Kingdom-wide including Makkah and Madinah under CMA rules (Law Art. 4).

  18. FHWA — Capacity Analysis of Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities (FHWA-HRT-98-107) · 1 Feb 1998
    The US Federal Highway Administration's pedestrian capacity study recommends a walking speed of 1.2 metres per second for most conditions, and 1.0 metres per second where more than a fifth of the people using a facility are aged 65 or over.

Where each fact above comes from, with the source’s own date where it gives one.

Guides

All guides

Ask a question

Our assistant answers from the sources on this site, and passes you to a person at Zullfa when a question needs one.

Email us

By subscribing you agree that Zullfa keeps your email to send these, as the privacy notice describes. Every email has an unsubscribe link.

Try