Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Buraimi and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Buraimi: $916 a month against $1,432 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Al-Buraimi
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Al-Buraimi Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
Learn more

Sohar Living Index

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Al-Buraimi

🇴🇲 Oman

$916

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-Buraimi and in Sohar

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 Sohar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,432 in Sohar.

Al-Buraimi $916
Sohar $1,432

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,357 in Al-Buraimi versus $2,101 in Sohar.

Al-Buraimi $1,357
Sohar $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,797 in Al-Buraimi versus $2,770 in Sohar.

Al-Buraimi $1,797
Sohar $2,770

Living in Al-Buraimi costs roughly 36% less than in Sohar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al-Buraimi is 32% below, Sohar is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.27 OMR 2.03

$6.52 OMR 2.51

-19.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.14 OMR 5.06

$21.06 OMR 8.11

-37.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$9.24 OMR 3.56

-15.37%

Cappuccino

$5.02 OMR 1.93

$4.95 OMR 1.91

1.41%

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

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$0.70 OMR 0.27

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.30 OMR 0.12

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.89 OMR 4.96

$12.81 OMR 4.93

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.20 OMR 5.08

$14.03 OMR 5.40

-5.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 OMR 0.87

$2.13 OMR 0.82

6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.10 OMR 0.42

9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 OMR 0.61

$3.21 OMR 1.23

-50.78%

Eggs

$2.99 OMR 1.15

$2.71 OMR 1.04

10.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 OMR 2.44

$13.46 OMR 5.18

-52.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.79 OMR 2.23

$8.90 OMR 3.43

-34.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 OMR 3.58

$14.55 OMR 5.60

-36.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 OMR 0.80

$3.33 OMR 1.28

-37.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 OMR 0.70

$2.17 OMR 0.83

-15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 OMR 0.79

$2.44 OMR 0.94

-15.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$1.21 OMR 0.47

9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.76 OMR 0.68

-31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 OMR 0.38

$1.83 OMR 0.71

-46.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$1.71 OMR 0.66

-46.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$0.98 OMR 0.38

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 OMR 2.01

$5.99 OMR 2.31

-12.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.32 OMR 5.90

$25.65 OMR 9.87

-40.27%

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

$8.80 OMR 3.39

15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 OMR 1.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.94 OMR 14.99

$51.1 OMR 19.68

-23.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 OMR 1.26

$3.27 OMR 1.26

0.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

$1.60 OMR 0.62

-16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.57 OMR 2.92

$10.54 OMR 4.06

-28.18%

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

$17.9K OMR 6,903

40.68%

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

$22.7K OMR 8,734

$20.1K OMR 7,749

12.71%

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

$77.5 OMR 29.84

$104 OMR 40.17

-25.72%

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

$30.24 OMR 11.64

$29.83 OMR 11.48

1.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 OMR 27.23

$87.8 OMR 33.81

-19.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.9 OMR 24.62

$48.19 OMR 18.55

32.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 OMR 2.95

$11.76 OMR 4.53

-34.78%

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

$260 OMR 100

$294 OMR 113

-11.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,036

$7,075 OMR 2,724

48.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 OMR 21.86

$50.9 OMR 19.60

11.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.55 OMR 16.77

$43.78 OMR 16.86

-0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 OMR 35.01

$79.2 OMR 30.50

14.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 OMR 34.13

$47.40 OMR 18.25

87.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 OMR 189

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 OMR 148

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 OMR 316

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 OMR 265

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,173 OMR 452

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$784 OMR 302

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,620 OMR 1,394

$2,443 OMR 941

48.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

6.33

-17.06%

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

Last update for Al-Buraimi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sohar: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-Buraimi

$262 28.7%

Sohar

$346 24.2% 32% $84

Eating Out

Al-Buraimi

$221 24.2%

Sohar

$235 16.4% 6.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Buraimi

$178 19.5%

Sohar

$222 15.5% 24.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Buraimi

$126 13.7%

Sohar

$100 7% 20.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Buraimi

$79 8.7%

Sohar

$72 5% 9.5% $7.6

Getting Around

Al-Buraimi

$49 * 5.3%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 49.5% $24

Accommodation & Living

Al-Buraimi

- * 0%

Sohar

$384 26.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Al-Buraimi pays 48% 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 $21.00 in Sohar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $346 per month, with Al-Buraimi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Al-Buraimi

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

Same time as Al-Buraimi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,670

221,605

💱 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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Al-Buraimi Sohar 98 km

From you

Al-Buraimi
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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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Buraimi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% 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 31% less than in Sohar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $260 in Al-Buraimi versus $294 in Sohar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,432 in Sohar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-Buraimi but tight or insufficient in Sohar. 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 Sohar 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 56% less than in Sohar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.