Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: $953 a month against $1,055 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Salalah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index

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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and in Salalah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $1,055 in Salalah.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $953
Salalah $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $1,587 in Salalah.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,433
Salalah $1,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $2,118 in Salalah.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,914
Salalah $2,118

Living in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos costs roughly 10% less than in Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 29% lower, Salalah 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 OMR 2.04

$5.07 OMR 1.95

4.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 OMR 15.29

$25.69 OMR 9.89

54.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$12.75 OMR 4.91

-39.14%

Cappuccino

$4.94 OMR 1.90

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-18.35%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$0.90 OMR 0.35

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.27 OMR 0.10

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$8.98 OMR 3.46

43.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.93 OMR 4.98

$10.22 OMR 3.94

26.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.89 OMR 0.73

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.27 OMR 0.49

-5.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 OMR 0.70

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-30.53%

Eggs

$3.03 OMR 1.17

$1.91 OMR 0.74

58.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$4.58 OMR 1.76

55.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.70

$4.73 OMR 1.82

47.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 OMR 4.07

$6.37 OMR 2.45

66.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 OMR 1.38

$1.94 OMR 0.75

85.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$1.85 OMR 0.71

9.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 OMR 0.90

$2.05 OMR 0.79

14.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 OMR 0.50

$1.78 OMR 0.69

-26.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.45

$1.49 OMR 0.57

-22.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$1.01 OMR 0.39

26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$1.10 OMR 0.42

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.52 OMR 0.20

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$5.87 OMR 2.26

13.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 OMR 6.07

$20.15 OMR 7.76

-21.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.08 OMR 2.34

$3.98 OMR 1.53

52.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.93

$4.70 OMR 1.81

117.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 OMR 21.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 OMR 1.28

$2.25 OMR 0.87

47.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.98

$1.27 OMR 0.49

101.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 OMR 2.98

$11.87 OMR 4.57

-34.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

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

$25.3K OMR 9,736

$21.1K OMR 8,112

20.02%

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

$22.3K OMR 8,570

$18.3K OMR 7,061

21.37%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$77.6 OMR 29.89

127.07%

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

$31.16 OMR 12.00

$48.92 OMR 18.84

-36.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 OMR 27.51

$73.7 OMR 28.39

-3.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 OMR 15.04

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 OMR 10.04

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 OMR 4.01

$7.67 OMR 2.95

35.98%

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

$292 OMR 112

$105 OMR 40.24

179.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,033

$1,925 OMR 741

444.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 OMR 21.33

$29.01 OMR 11.17

90.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 OMR 16.89

$31.47 OMR 12.12

39.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$59.0 OMR 22.69

50.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 OMR 34.02

$46.02 OMR 17.72

92.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 OMR 94.1

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 OMR 241

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 OMR 149

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 OMR 770

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 OMR 463

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,769 OMR 681

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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$293 30.7%

Salalah

$231 21.9% 21.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$279 29.3%

Salalah

$200 19% 28.2% $79

Eating Out

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$220 23.1%

Salalah

$222 21% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13%

Salalah

$74 7.1% 40.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2%

Salalah

$54 5.2% 161% $34

Getting Around

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7%

Salalah

$69 6.5% 326% $53

Accommodation & Living

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0%

Salalah

$205 19.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $26.00 in Salalah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $231 per month, with Salalah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Salalah

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

Same time as Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

💱 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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Between locations

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Salalah 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Salalah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Madinat As Sultan Qaboos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,430 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $1,583 in Salalah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Salalah pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $953 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $1,055 in Salalah – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $1,055 in Salalah, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos but tight or insufficient in Salalah. The gap between the two cities makes Madinat As Sultan Qaboos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Madinat As Sultan Qaboos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $953 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Madinat As Sultan Qaboos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Salalah 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Salalah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.