Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adam and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Adam: $953 a month against $1,055 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Salalah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Adam, Oman
Salalah, Oman
Adam
🇴🇲 Oman
$953
/mo nomad
Salalah
🇴🇲 Oman
$1,055
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Adam and in Salalah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Adam and in Salalah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $953 in Adam versus $1,055 in Salalah.

  • Adam $953
  • Salalah $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,429 in Adam versus $1,585 in Salalah.

  • Adam $1,429
  • Salalah $1,585

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,905 in Adam versus $2,115 in Salalah.

  • Adam $1,905
  • Salalah $2,115

Living in Adam costs roughly 10% less than in Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Adam 30% lower, Salalah 22% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Adam
Salalah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.10 OMR 1.96
$5.05 OMR 1.94
0.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.90 OMR 14.97
$25.53 OMR 9.83
52.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.88 OMR 3.03
$13.10 OMR 5.04
-39.85%
Cappuccino
$5.01 OMR 1.93
$6.08 OMR 2.34
-17.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 OMR 0.35
$0.85 OMR 0.33
8.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 OMR 0.10
$0.25 OMR 0.10
8.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.04 OMR 5.02
$9.15 OMR 3.52
42.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.92 OMR 4.97
$10.26 OMR 3.95
25.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Adam
Salalah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 OMR 0.88
$1.93 OMR 0.74
18.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 OMR 0.46
$1.22 OMR 0.47
-2.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.91 OMR 0.74
$2.55 OMR 0.98
-25.10%
Eggs
$3.01 OMR 1.16
$1.92 OMR 0.74
56.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.20 OMR 2.77
$4.63 OMR 1.78
55.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.86 OMR 2.64
$4.59 OMR 1.77
49.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.31 OMR 3.97
$6.39 OMR 2.46
61.35%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 OMR 1.39
$1.97 OMR 0.76
83.25%
Banana (1kg)
$2.00 OMR 0.77
$1.78 OMR 0.69
12.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 OMR 0.90
$2.04 OMR 0.79
14.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 OMR 0.49
$1.79 OMR 0.69
-29.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.16 OMR 0.45
$1.46 OMR 0.56
-20.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 OMR 0.50
$1.03 OMR 0.39
25.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.82 OMR 0.70
$1.10 OMR 0.42
65.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.64 OMR 0.25
$0.49 OMR 0.19
30.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.53 OMR 2.51
$5.87 OMR 2.26
11.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.61 OMR 6.01
$19.67 OMR 7.57
-20.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.89 OMR 2.27
$3.88 OMR 1.49
51.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.29 OMR 3.96
$4.72 OMR 1.82
118.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Adam
Salalah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.28 OMR 0.49
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$55.2 OMR 21.24
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 OMR 1.28
$2.25 OMR 0.86
47.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.63 OMR 1.01
$1.31 OMR 0.50
100.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.00 OMR 3.08
$11.69 OMR 4.50
-31.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.63 OMR 0.24
$0.64 OMR 0.25
-1.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K OMR 9,735
$21.2K OMR 8,159
19.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K OMR 8,218
$18.4K OMR 7,074
16.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Adam
Salalah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 OMR 69.3
$77.6 OMR 29.87
131.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.08 OMR 11.96
$49.19 OMR 18.93
-36.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.9 OMR 27.28
$74.2 OMR 28.57
-4.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Adam
Salalah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$39.64 OMR 15.26
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$25.98 OMR 10.00
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.60 OMR 4.08
$7.58 OMR 2.92
39.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Adam
Salalah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$496 OMR 191
$106 OMR 40.77
367.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K OMR 4,134
$1,973 OMR 759
444.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Adam
Salalah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 OMR 21.65
$28.43 OMR 10.94
97.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.99 OMR 16.93
$31.65 OMR 12.18
38.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.8 OMR 33.80
$59.1 OMR 22.76
48.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.5 OMR 33.30
$44.90 OMR 17.28
92.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Adam
Salalah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$247 OMR 95.1
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$205 OMR 78.9
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$260 OMR 100
$645 OMR 248
-59.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$386 OMR 149
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,028 OMR 781
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,239 OMR 477
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Adam
Salalah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,586 OMR 995
$1,802 OMR 694
43.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.25
4.58
14.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Adam: November 3, 2026

Last update for Salalah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Adam
$289
Salalah
$228 21.2% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Adam
$282
Salalah
$201 28.7% $81
Eating Out
Adam
$220
Salalah
$223 1.3% $2.9
Clothing & Footwear
Adam
$124
Salalah
$74 40.2% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Adam
$21 *
Salalah
$55 159% $34
Getting Around
Adam
$16 *
Salalah
$69 319% $53
Accommodation & Living
Adam
- *
Salalah
$205

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Adam pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39 in Adam vs $26 in Salalah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $228 per month, with Salalah cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇴🇲 Adam
🇴🇲 Salalah
🕒 Local time
00:56 12:56 AM
00:56 12:56 AM
Same time as Adam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
18,515
178,469
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

Omani Rial exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Adam Salalah 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Adam
  • Salalah

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Adam vs Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adam cheaper than Salalah?
Adam is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Adam or Salalah?
Average pay runs 43% higher in Adam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $496 in Adam versus $106 in Salalah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Adam or in Salalah?
Dining out is cheaper in Salalah – a meal for two runs $26 versus $39 in Adam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Adam or in Salalah?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Adam or Salalah?
Safety-wise, Adam and Salalah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Adam vs other spots: cost of living compared

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