Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rustaq and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $953 a month against $1,430 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index

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Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $953 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,430 in Sohar, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $953
Sohar $1,430

A couple spends around $1,432 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $2,095 in Sohar, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,432
Sohar $2,095

A family of three spends $1,910 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $2,759 in Sohar, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,910
Sohar $2,759

Ar-rustaq is about 33% cheaper than Sohar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ar-rustaq sits 30% below the global median, while Sohar is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 OMR 2.05

$6.35 OMR 2.45

-16.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.16 OMR 15.08

$21.17 OMR 8.15

84.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$9.17 OMR 3.53

-14.72%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.01

$4.93 OMR 1.90

5.68%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$0.69 OMR 0.26

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.30 OMR 0.12

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.78 OMR 4.92

$13.15 OMR 5.06

-2.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.19 OMR 5.08

$14.51 OMR 5.59

-9.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 OMR 0.92

$2.13 OMR 0.82

12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.10 OMR 0.43

9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$3.27 OMR 1.26

-40.37%

Eggs

$3.08 OMR 1.19

$2.69 OMR 1.04

14.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$13.27 OMR 5.11

-46.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 OMR 2.68

$9.06 OMR 3.49

-23.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 OMR 3.90

$14.23 OMR 5.48

-28.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 OMR 1.35

$3.22 OMR 1.24

9.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$2.21 OMR 0.85

-8.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 OMR 0.92

$2.55 OMR 0.98

-5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$1.17 OMR 0.45

9.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$1.83 OMR 0.71

-36.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-34.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 OMR 0.72

$1.73 OMR 0.67

7.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 OMR 0.26

$0.92 OMR 0.35

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$5.96 OMR 2.29

11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 OMR 5.99

$26.26 OMR 10.11

-40.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.85 OMR 2.25

$3.99 OMR 1.54

46.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 OMR 3.87

$8.51 OMR 3.28

18.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 OMR 0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.9 OMR 19.98

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 OMR 1.25

$3.23 OMR 1.24

0.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 OMR 0.99

$1.60 OMR 0.62

60.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 OMR 3.09

$10.34 OMR 3.98

-22.34%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,060

38.59%

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

$20.9K OMR 8,060

$20.2K OMR 7,758

3.89%

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

$177 OMR 68.3

$104 OMR 39.96

70.85%

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

$30.29 OMR 11.66

$29.67 OMR 11.42

2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 OMR 27.58

$87.6 OMR 33.71

-18.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.50 OMR 19.06

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 OMR 3.95

$11.74 OMR 4.52

-12.69%

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

$508 OMR 196

$294 OMR 113

72.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,030

$6,986 OMR 2,690

49.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 OMR 21.53

$51.2 OMR 19.72

9.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 OMR 16.84

$43.66 OMR 16.81

0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$80.2 OMR 30.86

10.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 OMR 33.26

$47.50 OMR 18.29

81.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 OMR 188

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 OMR 147

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 OMR 312

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 OMR 260

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,153 OMR 444

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$767 OMR 295

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,358 OMR 1,678

$2,503 OMR 964

74.14%

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 Ar-rustaq: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sohar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rustaq

$290 30.5%

Sohar

$346 24.2% 19.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rustaq

$279 29.3%

Sohar

$221 15.5% 20.9% $58

Eating Out

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.4%

Sohar

$236 16.5% 5.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rustaq

$124 13%

Sohar

$100 7% 19% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 256% $52

Getting Around

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 356% $57

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rustaq

- * 0%

Sohar

$381 26.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 74% higher in Ar-rustaq, 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 $21 in Sohar. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Ar-rustaq vs $346 in Sohar – so Ar-rustaq wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

Same time as Ar-rustaq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

221,605

💱 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

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Ar-rustaq Sohar 130 km

From you

Ar-rustaq
Sohar

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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sohar is pricier by about 50%, 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 $2,146 in Sohar. 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 $1,430 in Sohar. That’s a gap of about 50%.

Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Ar-rustaq and $294 in Sohar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Sohar has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $953 in Ar-rustaq to $1,430 in Sohar. 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.