Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Muscat: $1,555 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Muscat, Oman
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Muscat
🇴🇲 Oman
$1,555
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London 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 London and in Muscat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $1,555 in Muscat, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Muscat $1,555

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $2,287 in Muscat, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Muscat $2,287

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $3,020 in Muscat, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Muscat $3,020

London costs about 160% more than Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Muscat sit above the global median – London by 199%, Muscat by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Muscat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$5.26 OMR 2.03
401.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$38.68 OMR 14.89
180.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$8.99 OMR 3.46
19.13%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$5.09 OMR 1.96
9.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$0.91 OMR 0.35
229.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$0.29 OMR 0.11
665.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$13.20 OMR 5.08
-26.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$12.90 OMR 4.97
-35.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Muscat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$2.13 OMR 0.82
-7.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$1.19 OMR 0.46
75.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$1.88 OMR 0.72
37.77%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$3.08 OMR 1.19
74.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$7.27 OMR 2.80
80.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$6.86 OMR 2.64
60.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.17
$10.21 OMR 3.93
73.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$3.67 OMR 1.41
-13.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$2.03 OMR 0.78
-32.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$2.34 OMR 0.90
20.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$1.26 OMR 0.48
166.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$1.20 OMR 0.46
41.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$1.25 OMR 0.48
42.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$1.78 OMR 0.69
-16.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$0.68 OMR 0.26
167.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.72
$6.42 OMR 2.47
271.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.98
$15.67 OMR 6.03
-14.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$5.99 OMR 2.30
-48.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$10.25 OMR 3.95
-56.20%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Muscat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$1.28 OMR 0.49
222.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
$77.4 OMR 29.78
243.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.44
$3.27 OMR 1.26
82.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$2.65 OMR 1.02
27.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$7.71 OMR 2.97
633.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$0.64 OMR 0.25
245.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$24.8K OMR 9,554
54.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$20.8K OMR 7,993
97.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Muscat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$181 OMR 69.8
105.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$30.82 OMR 11.86
-39.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.12
$71.7 OMR 27.60
-43.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Muscat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$67.7 OMR 26.08
-17.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$29.82 OMR 11.48
-42.66%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$10.51 OMR 4.05
70.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Muscat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$495 OMR 191
494.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$15.8K OMR 6,093
200.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Muscat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$55.4 OMR 21.34
109.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.28
$43.33 OMR 16.68
31.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$90.8 OMR 34.95
40.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$88.4 OMR 34.05
74.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Muscat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$708 OMR 273
314.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$442 OMR 170
410.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,901
$1,212 OMR 466
333.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$768 OMR 296
402.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$2,821 OMR 1,086
509.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,152
$1,621 OMR 624
410.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Muscat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
$1,551 OMR 597
262.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
5.25
-8.95%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Muscat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Muscat
$442 80.4% $1.8K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Muscat
$284 34.3% $148
Eating Out
London
$396
Muscat
$227 42.7% $169
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Muscat
$289 19.7% $71
Getting Around
London
$305
Muscat
$99 67.6% $206
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Muscat
$125 38.9% $80
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Muscat
$89 3.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $708 in Muscat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $39 in Muscat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $289 – making Muscat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇴🇲 Muscat
🕒 Local time
11:26 11:26 AM
15:26 3:26 PM
4 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
1,090,797 Capital
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Muscat 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Muscat compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $1,555 in Muscat – Muscat comes out roughly 62% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Muscat?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $2,332 in Muscat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Muscat?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Muscat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $708 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 25% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $39 in Muscat. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Muscat, where all-in costs run around $1,555, than in London at $4,048. In Muscat it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: London or Muscat?
Families tend to lean toward Muscat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between London and Muscat?
If budget matters most, go with Muscat. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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