Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rustaq and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $953 a month against $1,062 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index

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Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $953 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,062 in Salalah, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $953
Salalah $1,062

A couple spends around $1,432 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,598 in Salalah, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,432
Salalah $1,598

A family of three spends $1,910 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $2,134 in Salalah, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,910
Salalah $2,134

Ar-rustaq is about 10% cheaper than Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ar-rustaq and Salalah are more affordable than the global median – Ar-rustaq 30% lower, Salalah 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 OMR 2.05

$5.17 OMR 1.99

3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.16 OMR 15.08

$25.56 OMR 9.84

53.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$13.24 OMR 5.10

-40.94%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.01

$6.42 OMR 2.47

-18.85%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$0.85 OMR 0.33

-1.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.78 OMR 4.92

$8.88 OMR 3.42

43.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.19 OMR 5.08

$10.34 OMR 3.98

27.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 OMR 0.92

$1.93 OMR 0.74

23.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.22 OMR 0.47

-1.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$2.63 OMR 1.01

-25.86%

Eggs

$3.08 OMR 1.19

$1.89 OMR 0.73

62.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$4.78 OMR 1.84

48.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 OMR 2.68

$4.56 OMR 1.76

52.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 OMR 3.90

$6.35 OMR 2.45

59.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 OMR 1.35

$1.90 OMR 0.73

84.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$1.79 OMR 0.69

13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 OMR 0.92

$2.07 OMR 0.80

15.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-31.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$1.44 OMR 0.55

-18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.06 OMR 0.41

15.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 OMR 0.72

$1.06 OMR 0.41

75.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 OMR 0.26

$0.48 OMR 0.19

41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$5.88 OMR 2.26

13.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 OMR 5.99

$19.95 OMR 7.68

-22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.85 OMR 2.25

$3.84 OMR 1.48

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 OMR 3.87

$4.65 OMR 1.79

116.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 OMR 21.13

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 OMR 1.25

$2.32 OMR 0.89

39.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 OMR 0.99

$1.28 OMR 0.49

100.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 OMR 3.09

$11.54 OMR 4.44

-30.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 OMR 0.23

$0.64 OMR 0.25

-7.81%

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

$25.4K OMR 9,784

$20.7K OMR 7,971

22.74%

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

$20.9K OMR 8,060

$17.9K OMR 6,900

16.81%

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

$177 OMR 68.3

$79.2 OMR 30.50

123.82%

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

$30.29 OMR 11.66

$49.43 OMR 19.03

-38.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 OMR 27.58

$73.9 OMR 28.45

-3.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 OMR 15.54

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.24 OMR 10.10

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 OMR 3.95

$7.84 OMR 3.02

30.74%

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

$508 OMR 196

$105 OMR 40.39

384.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,030

$1,970 OMR 758

431.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 OMR 21.53

$28.71 OMR 11.05

94.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 OMR 16.84

$31.42 OMR 12.10

39.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$57.6 OMR 22.16

53.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 OMR 33.26

$44.75 OMR 17.23

93.03%

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)

$634 OMR 244

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 OMR 151

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 OMR 762

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,228 OMR 473

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,358 OMR 1,678

$1,778 OMR 684

145.18%

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 Ar-rustaq: October 24, 2026

Last update for Salalah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rustaq

$290 30.5%

Salalah

$229 21.5% 21.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rustaq

$279 29.3%

Salalah

$203 19.1% 27.5% $77

Eating Out

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.4%

Salalah

$228 21.5% 2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rustaq

$124 13%

Salalah

$73 6.9% 40.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2%

Salalah

$56 5.3% 173% $36

Getting Around

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7%

Salalah

$69 6.5% 328% $53

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rustaq

- * 0%

Salalah

$205 19.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Ar-rustaq are about 2.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Ar-rustaq versus $26 in Salalah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $229 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Salalah

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

Same time as Ar-rustaq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

178,469

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ar-rustaq Salalah 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rustaq
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

Ar-rustaq vs Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Salalah is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Ar-rustaq and $1,593 in Salalah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $953 in Ar-rustaq and $1,062 in Salalah. That’s a gap of about 11%.

Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Ar-rustaq and $105 in Salalah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Salalah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $953 in Ar-rustaq to $1,062 in Salalah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.