Office space for rent in Dubai: Tecom, Barsha Heights and The Greens

Tecom, Barsha Heights and The Greens sit close together along Sheikh Zayed Road, but they offer genuinely different things to an office tenant: different licensing regimes, different building stock, and different everyday practicalities like parking. This guide compares the three areas directly. For how commercial leasing works in Dubai, fit-out, Ejari, service charges, lease terms, see our separate guide to commercial property in Dubai; this piece is about choosing between these specific locations, not the mechanics of the lease itself.

Tecom (Dubai Internet City / Dubai Media City)

Tecom is Dubai's original technology and media free zone cluster, and it remains one of the most established addresses in the city for businesses in those sectors. It has the widest range of building types of the three: large corporate towers with full floors and half floors, mid-size buildings, and a growing number of business centres offering serviced offices and co-working desks for smaller teams or those testing the market before committing to a longer lease.

Licensing. A meaningful share of Tecom's office stock sits inside the Dubai Internet City / Dubai Media City free zones, which means tenants generally need to hold, or be willing to take, a free zone licence tied to that zone to occupy the space. Not every building in the wider Tecom district is inside the free zone, so this needs checking per building, not assumed from the area name.

Who it suits. Technology, media, telecoms and professional services businesses, particularly those already free-zone licensed or comfortable becoming so, and teams wanting a business centre option to start with limited commitment.

Barsha Heights

Barsha Heights, formerly branded Tecom, sits just south and is denser and more mixed than the Internet City / Media City core, combining commercial and residential buildings in the same district. It generally offers a lower rate per square foot than the newer corporate towers closer to Sheikh Zayed Road, which is a large part of its appeal.

Licensing. Most Barsha Heights buildings sit outside the free zone, meaning mainland-licensed businesses can occupy space directly without needing a free-zone licence. This is a genuine practical difference from the Internet City / Media City core and is worth confirming per building, since it affects who can lease there without additional licensing steps.

Who it suits. Mainland-licensed businesses wanting proximity to the same wider business cluster as Tecom without free-zone licensing requirements, and cost-conscious tenants for whom rate per square foot matters more than a landmark tower address.

The Greens

The Greens is primarily a residential villa and low-rise apartment community, but it carries a smaller stock of low-rise commercial and office space, generally in stand-alone or semi-detached small buildings rather than towers. It is the quietest and lowest-density of the three, and it is the one that consistently shows up in searches for smaller, standalone office space away from a busy commercial core.

Licensing. Businesses here are typically mainland-licensed rather than free-zone, since The Greens sits outside the Tecom free zone entirely; confirm the specific building's status before assuming.

Who it suits. Smaller businesses and boutique operators, professional practices, consultancies and similar, who want a standalone or low-rise office presence with easier parking and a quieter setting than a dense commercial tower, and who do not need a large corporate floorplate.

Side by side

Access and parking, practically

All three areas sit close to Sheikh Zayed Road, which is the main reason they cluster together in searches and in practice: Dubai Metro's Internet City, Nakheel and Sharaf DG stations serve the wider Tecom and Barsha Heights area, giving tenants there a genuine public transport option their teams can use, something The Greens does not offer to the same degree given its lower density and more residential layout. Parking varies more by individual building than by area, larger towers in Tecom can have tighter visitor parking at peak times, while The Greens' lower-rise buildings generally have more relaxed, on-site parking. Confirm parking allocation as part of any lease negotiation rather than assuming it from the area's reputation.

Business centres and flexible space in each area

For a business not ready to commit to a standard 1 to 3 year lease, business centres offering serviced offices, co-working desks and flexible short-term terms are concentrated most heavily in Tecom, reflecting its long history as a hub for smaller and growing companies wanting to establish a presence without a large upfront commitment. Barsha Heights has a smaller but genuine business centre presence of its own, generally at a lower rate, while The Greens has little to no flexible-space stock, its office buildings tend toward longer-term, standalone leases rather than short-term serviced arrangements, consistent with its lower-density, boutique character.

What a typical tenant journey looks like in each area

A technology start-up wanting quick market entry and free-zone benefits typically starts in a Tecom business centre, then moves to a dedicated floor or suite as it grows, staying inside the free zone to preserve its licensing structure. A mainland-licensed professional services firm wanting the same general business cluster at a lower cost, without needing free-zone benefits, is more likely to go straight to a standard lease in Barsha Heights. A smaller consultancy or boutique practice prioritising a quieter, standalone setting over being inside a large commercial cluster is the profile that tends to land in The Greens, often staying there for a long single lease term rather than moving between office types as it grows.

Frequently asked questions

Can a free-zone licensed business lease space in Barsha Heights or The Greens instead of Tecom? Generally no, a free-zone licence issued for Dubai Internet City or Dubai Media City requires operating from space within that free zone; a business wanting to lease outside it would typically need a mainland licence instead, which is a separate process from simply choosing a different building.

Which of the three offers the best value for a small team? This depends on current asking rates at the time you are searching, and on whether free-zone benefits matter to your business; ask us for current comparative rates across the three areas for your specific space requirement.

Is parking included in the lease, or charged separately? This varies by building in all three areas; confirm the specific allocation and any additional cost as part of lease negotiations rather than assuming it is included.

How to choose between them

• Need a free-zone licence, or already have one for Internet City / Media City? Tecom is the natural fit.
• Mainland-licensed and want the same general area at a lower cost per square foot? Barsha Heights.
• Want a smaller, quieter, standalone office rather than a tower floor? The Greens.

The bottom line

Tecom, Barsha Heights and The Greens sit within a few minutes of each other but serve different tenants: Tecom for free-zone and corporate tenants wanting scale and choice, Barsha Heights for mainland businesses wanting the same cluster at a better rate, and The Greens for smaller operators wanting a standalone, low-density office. Confirm licensing status and parking at the specific building before you commit, since both vary within each area, not just between them.

Looking for office space in any of these three areas? Get in touch with ERE Homes and we will match current availability to your licensing and space requirements.

This piece covers area comparison only. For lease terms, fit-out, Ejari and service charge mechanics, see our commercial property in Dubai guide. Free zone and licensing rules are set by the relevant authority and can change; confirm current requirements before committing to a specific building.