Desk research against primary sources. Figures are traced to the issuing UAE authority and linked on the page.
The choice is really about what you want to be near on a normal Tuesday rather than what looks best in photos. Marina puts JBR beach and a restaurant strip within reach and leans toward a younger, more social crowd; Downtown puts Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall on your doorstep with more polish and less beach culture. Neither is a compromise version of the other — they suit different weeks.
Price per square foot in Downtown reflects the landmark address as much as the flat itself, so two similarly sized apartments a short distance apart can carry very different rents depending on which side of that boundary they fall on. If beach access matters day to day rather than occasionally, that alone should settle it in Marina's favour regardless of how Downtown's skyline photographs.