Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, OH and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Muscat: $1,556 a month against $1,644 in Athens, OH, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens, OH outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Athens, OH
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Athens, OH Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
Learn more

Muscat Living Index

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Athens, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,644

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens, OH and in Muscat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,644 in Athens, OH versus $1,556 in Muscat.

Athens, OH $1,644
Muscat $1,556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Athens, OH versus $2,299 in Muscat.

Athens, OH $2,493
Muscat $2,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,342 in Athens, OH versus $3,042 in Muscat.

Athens, OH $3,342
Muscat $3,042

Living in Athens, OH is roughly 6% more expensive than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens, OH 22% above, Muscat 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.15 $15.15

$5.33 OMR 2.05

184.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.45 $49.45

$39.12 OMR 15.06

26.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 $9.80

$7.76 OMR 2.99

26.29%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$4.93 OMR 1.90

2.03%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$0.85 OMR 0.33

163.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.27 OMR 0.10

437.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$12.87 OMR 4.95

-61.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-44.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-67.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.24 OMR 0.48

70.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.87 OMR 0.72

59.89%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.02 OMR 1.16

38.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$7.23 OMR 2.78

80.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$6.91 OMR 2.66

29.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$10.57 OMR 4.07

50.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.51 OMR 1.35

5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.01 OMR 0.77

-52.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.33 OMR 0.90

18.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.26 OMR 0.49

146.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.16 OMR 0.44

38.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.28 OMR 0.49

66.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-8.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.68 OMR 0.26

182.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.97 $8.97

$6.62 OMR 2.55

35.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$15.83 OMR 6.09

-7.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$6.03 OMR 2.32

-64.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$10.33 OMR 3.98

-71.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.33 OMR 0.51

-24.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 OMR 30.00

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.18 OMR 1.23

20.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-53.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.28 $25.28

$7.83 OMR 3.01

222.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$0.60 OMR 0.23

48.33%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$25.9K OMR 9,986

39.41%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$22.4K OMR 8,624

13.46%

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

$148 $148

$176 OMR 67.9

-16.21%

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

$30.29 $30.29

$28.30 OMR 10.90

7.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.65 $47.65

$70.9 OMR 27.28

-32.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 OMR 24.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 OMR 11.53

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 $11.84

$10.52 OMR 4.05

12.55%

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

$1,453 $1,453

$283 OMR 109

412.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K $19.7K

$10.6K OMR 4,070

86.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.49 $45.49

$56.6 OMR 21.79

-19.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.13 $45.13

$43.33 OMR 16.68

4.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.9 $63.9

$91.1 OMR 35.08

-29.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$86.4 OMR 33.28

24.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$674 OMR 260

90.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 $674

$461 OMR 177

46.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$1,324 OMR 510

10.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 $1,228

$813 OMR 313

51.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,674 $1,674

$2,871 OMR 1,105

-41.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,664 $1,664

$1,614 OMR 621

3.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,467 $3,467

$1,650 OMR 635

110.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

5.25

25.52%

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

Last update for Athens, OH: October 10, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens, OH

$674 41%

Muscat

$461 29.6% 31.6% $213

Groceries & Markets

Athens, OH

$324 19.7%

Muscat

$292 18.8% 9.9% $32

Eating Out

Athens, OH

$265 16.1%

Muscat

$220 14.1% 17% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, OH

$226 13.7%

Muscat

$275 17.7% 22.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, OH

$118 7.2%

Muscat

$125 8% 6% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, OH

$24 * 1.4%

Muscat

$84 5.4% 254% $60

Getting Around

Athens, OH

$14 * 0.9%

Muscat

$100 6.4% 611% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,282 in Athens, OH and $674 in Muscat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens, OH pays 110% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Athens, OH vs $39.00 in Muscat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $292 per month, with Muscat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, OH

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

12:13 12:13 PM

8 h ahead of Athens, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

1,090,797 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

OMR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Athens, OH Muscat 11,900 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens, OH
Muscat

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

Athens, OH vs Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muscat is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and eating out. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 110% higher in Athens, OH, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,282 in Athens, OH versus $674 in Muscat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Athens, OH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,644 per month in Athens, OH versus $1,556 in Muscat – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,556 in Muscat versus $1,644 in Athens, OH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Muscat but tight or insufficient in Athens, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Muscat 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, Athens, OH and Muscat 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 Muscat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Athens, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.