Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Buraimi and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Buraimi: $916 a month against $1,055 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Salalah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Al-Buraimi
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Al-Buraimi Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index

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Al-Buraimi

🇴🇲 Oman

$916

/mo nomad

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-Buraimi 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 Al-Buraimi and in Salalah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,055 in Salalah.

Al-Buraimi $916
Salalah $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,357 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,587 in Salalah.

Al-Buraimi $1,357
Salalah $1,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,797 in Al-Buraimi versus $2,118 in Salalah.

Al-Buraimi $1,797
Salalah $2,118

Living in Al-Buraimi costs roughly 13% less than in Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-Buraimi 32% lower, Salalah 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.27 OMR 2.03

$5.07 OMR 1.95

3.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.14 OMR 5.06

$25.69 OMR 9.89

-48.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$12.75 OMR 4.91

-38.67%

Cappuccino

$5.02 OMR 1.93

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-17.02%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$0.90 OMR 0.35

1.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.89 OMR 4.96

$8.98 OMR 3.46

43.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.20 OMR 5.08

$10.22 OMR 3.94

29.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 OMR 0.87

$1.89 OMR 0.73

19.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.27 OMR 0.49

-5.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 OMR 0.61

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-39.69%

Eggs

$2.99 OMR 1.15

$1.91 OMR 0.74

56.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 OMR 2.44

$4.58 OMR 1.76

38.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.79 OMR 2.23

$4.73 OMR 1.82

22.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 OMR 3.58

$6.37 OMR 2.45

46.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 OMR 0.80

$1.94 OMR 0.75

6.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 OMR 0.70

$1.85 OMR 0.71

-1.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 OMR 0.79

$2.05 OMR 0.79

0.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$1.78 OMR 0.69

-25.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.49 OMR 0.57

-19.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 OMR 0.38

$1.01 OMR 0.39

-2.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$1.10 OMR 0.42

-17.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$0.52 OMR 0.20

34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 OMR 2.01

$5.87 OMR 2.26

-10.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.32 OMR 5.90

$20.15 OMR 7.76

-23.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.82 OMR 2.24

$3.98 OMR 1.53

46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.15 OMR 3.91

$4.70 OMR 1.81

115.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.94 OMR 14.99

$54.8 OMR 21.09

-28.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 OMR 1.26

$2.25 OMR 0.87

45.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

$1.27 OMR 0.49

4.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.57 OMR 2.92

$11.87 OMR 4.57

-36.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$0.64 OMR 0.25

-6.25%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.2K OMR 9,711

$21.1K OMR 8,112

19.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.7K OMR 8,734

$18.3K OMR 7,061

23.70%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$77.5 OMR 29.84

$77.6 OMR 29.89

-0.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$30.24 OMR 11.64

$48.92 OMR 18.84

-38.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 OMR 27.23

$73.7 OMR 28.39

-4.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.9 OMR 24.62

$39.07 OMR 15.04

63.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 OMR 10.04

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 OMR 2.95

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$260 OMR 100

$105 OMR 40.24

148.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,036

$1,925 OMR 741

444.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 OMR 21.86

$29.01 OMR 11.17

95.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.55 OMR 16.77

$31.47 OMR 12.12

38.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 OMR 35.01

$59.0 OMR 22.69

54.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 OMR 34.13

$46.02 OMR 17.72

92.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 OMR 94.1

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 OMR 241

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 OMR 149

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 OMR 770

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 OMR 463

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,620 OMR 1,394

$1,769 OMR 681

104.66%

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 Al-Buraimi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Al-Buraimi

$262 28.7%

Salalah

$231 21.9% 12% $32

Eating Out

Al-Buraimi

$221 24.2%

Salalah

$222 21% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Buraimi

$178 19.5%

Salalah

$200 19% 12.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Buraimi

$126 13.7%

Salalah

$74 7.1% 40.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Buraimi

$79 8.7%

Salalah

$54 5.2% 31.4% $25

Getting Around

Al-Buraimi

$49 * 5.3%

Salalah

$69 6.5% 40.6% $20

Accommodation & Living

Al-Buraimi

- * 0%

Salalah

$205 19.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Al-Buraimi pays 105% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Al-Buraimi vs $26.00 in Salalah. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $231, with Salalah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Al-Buraimi

🇴🇲 Salalah

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

Same time as Al-Buraimi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,670

178,469

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-Buraimi Salalah 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Al-Buraimi
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

Al-Buraimi vs Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Buraimi is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 105% higher in Al-Buraimi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Buraimi runs roughly 41% less than in Salalah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $260 in Al-Buraimi versus $105 in Salalah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,055 in Salalah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-Buraimi but tight or insufficient in Salalah. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Buraimi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Al-Buraimi and Salalah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al-Buraimi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Salalah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.