Whatever your child wants to try, a single class in Dubai costs between AED 90 (dance) and AED 200 (pottery) at the median, among the providers on Waha that publish a price. A monthly fee runs from AED 385 (music) to AED 513 (martial arts), and football is often sold by the term, at a median of AED 2,400 (all checked 7 October 2026).
These are the providers' own published prices, not quotes, and most providers publish none, so you often only find out after a WhatsApp message or a trial.
How these figures were worked out
Each Waha listing records the lowest regular price its provider publishes for one child, and the unit it is sold in (per session, month, term and so on). Everything here was checked on 6 and 7 October 2026. Three things to keep in mind:
- These are starting prices. It's the lowest price a provider lists, often for a group class or the shortest package, so what you end up paying may be higher.
- Units aren't mixed. A term fee can't be turned into a price per session without knowing how many sessions it covers, so each unit is reported on its own.
- Small numbers are flagged. A median (the middle price) is given only where at least five listings publish a price in that unit, and in most activities only about one listing in five publishes a price at all.
No provider is named: the point is the going rate. Where a listing shows "Ask", ask for the full price list, including any registration or kit fees.
Price index by category
Checked 7 October 2026. The same prices, by Waha category. A category is in the table when at least 10 of its listings publish a price, and a unit gets a row when at least five do. Prices are rounded to the nearest dirham; the sections below group some categories, so counts can differ.
| Category and unit | Median (range in AED, listings) |
|---|---|
| Play centres and soft play, per visit | AED 70 (40 to 199, 27) |
| Play centres and soft play, per hour | AED 70 (20 to 75, 5) |
| Martial arts, per month | AED 513 (299 to 699, 14) |
| Martial arts, per session | AED 150 (120 to 800, 5) |
| Tennis, per session | AED 130 (75 to 400, 16) |
| Swimming, per session | AED 105 (65 to 350, 8) |
| Swimming, per month | AED 450 (345 to 1,200, 7) |
| Football, per month | AED 500 (225 to 895, 7) |
| Football, per term | AED 2,400 (1,760 to 4,520, 7) |
| Dance, per session | AED 90 (60 to 400, 15) |
| Trampoline and adventure parks, per visit | AED 85 (49 to 99, 12) |
| Music lessons, per month | AED 385 (300 to 749, 6) |
| Horse riding, per session | AED 160 (70 to 200, 9) |
| Pottery, per session | AED 200 (150 to 250, 9) |
| Sensory play, per visit | AED 55 (45 to 99, 5) |
Swimming and football
Swimming. Of 100 swim schools and coaches on Waha, 20 publish a price. Eight charge by the lesson, from AED 65 to AED 350, with a median of AED 105. Seven charge by the month, from AED 345 to AED 1,200 (median AED 450). Two publish a term fee and three a course of lessons. Budget for a run of lessons rather than a few: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises parents to "Continue lessons at least until your child masters basic water competency skills" (HealthyChildren.org). Compare swim schools in Dubai by area, and see how to choose a swim school for what to look for beyond the price.
Football. Of 121 football academies on Waha, 22 publish a price, and most charge by the month or the term. Monthly fees run from AED 225 to AED 895 (median AED 500, from 7 listings), and term fees from AED 1,760 to AED 4,520 (median AED 2,400, from 7). Four publish a price per session, from AED 85 to AED 400. Extras such as uniforms, league registration, tournament entry and travel can add to that (Logan and Cuff, AAP, 2019). Browse football academies, and see what age children can start football.
Dance, martial arts and gymnastics
Dance. Of 122 dance listings, 26 publish a price, most of them by the class: AED 60 to AED 400, with a median of AED 90 (15 listings). Four publish only a trial class price, from AED 50 to AED 180. A few sell by the month (AED 315 to AED 500) or by the term (AED 500 to AED 1,680). Browse dance classes by style and age.
Martial arts. Of 161 martial arts and jiu-jitsu listings, 33 publish a price. A monthly membership is the usual model, from AED 299 to AED 750 a month (median AED 513 in the martial arts category). Seven charge per class, from AED 100 to AED 800 (median AED 150); most of those sit between AED 100 and AED 150, so ask what a pricier single class includes. Browse martial arts classes, and see our guide to gymnastics and martial arts.
Gymnastics data is thinnest: 11 of 41 listings publish a price, across five units. The four term fees run from AED 942 to AED 1,664, too few for a reliable middle figure.
Art, music and tennis
Art. Art listings publish prices more often than most: 29 of 63. Most charge per session, from AED 50 to AED 350, with a median of AED 169 (19 listings). It covers drawing to pottery, so ask what a session includes.
Music. Of 82 music listings, 19 publish a price. Monthly fees run from AED 300 to AED 749 (median AED 360, from 7 listings), and single lessons from AED 105 to AED 225 (median about AED 165, from 6). Four sell a course of lessons, from AED 640 to AED 1,800. Compare music lessons by instrument and area.
Tennis: 23 of 44 listings publish a price. Sixteen charge per session, from AED 75 to AED 400 (median AED 130), and four by the term, from AED 975 to AED 2,400. Browse tennis coaching by area.
Holiday camp price index
Checked 5 to 7 October 2026. A holiday camp in Dubai costs AED 200 a day or AED 878 a week at the median, from the 48 of 64 October 2026 half-term camps on Waha with a published price. The middle half charged AED 176 to AED 261 a day and AED 750 to AED 988 a week.
Day and week prices are counted apart, as published (the cheapest option where a camp lists several); a camp type needs 5 prices for a row, which shows its median.
| Price | AED |
|---|---|
| Median a day | AED 200 (38 camps) |
| Middle half a day | AED 176 to AED 261 |
| Cheapest and dearest a day | AED 150 and AED 375 |
| Median a week | AED 878 (46 camps) |
| Middle half a week | AED 750 to AED 988 |
| Cheapest and dearest a week | AED 545 and AED 1,600 |
| Sports, a day | AED 199 (17 camps) |
| Sports, a week | AED 750 (17 camps) |
| Play & adventure, a day | AED 210 (8 camps) |
| Play & adventure, a week | AED 880 (9 camps) |
| Arts & crafts, a week | AED 1,250 (5 camps) |
| Dance, drama & circus, a week | AED 975 (6 camps) |
| Checked | 5 to 7 October 2026 |
Download the camp prices (CSV)Every camp with a published price, half-term and winter so far: camp, provider page, area, ages, day and week price, source and the day it was checked.
Winter so far: 6 of 28 winter camps publish a week price, AED 950 to AED 1,700 (checked 7 to 20 October 2026). See winter camps.
Comparing one price with another
Put each price on the same footing first. These questions are easy to send on WhatsApp:
- How many sessions does a month or term include? A monthly fee for one class a week covers four or five sessions, so the football median of AED 500 a month works out at AED 100 to AED 125 a class. School terms differ in length too, so compare term fees with care (Khaleej Times, 2026).
- What is included? Ask whether kit, a uniform, registration, gradings or match fees cost extra.
- Group or one-to-one, and for how long? A 30-minute private lesson and a 60-minute group class can carry the same price and be very different things.
- What happens with missed sessions, for illness, travel or a school trip?
- Is there a trial class, and is there a rate for brothers and sisters?
If the week is filling up, see how many activities is too many, and our guide to playing one sport or several covers why variety helps.
Free and low-cost options
The AAP names affordability as "A barrier to organized sports participation", and some of the most useful activity costs nothing: children "need daily opportunity for free play", the same report says. Parks, beaches and a ball in the garden all count.
This year's Dubai Fitness Challenge runs from 31 October to 29 November 2026, with "three free Fitness Villages" and "thousands of free classes and activities" across the city. Its full calendar was still to come on 1 October (Khaleej Times, 2026), so check which sessions welcome children.
