Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Al-Buraimi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Buraimi: $916 a month against $1,556 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Al-Buraimi
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Al-Buraimi Living Index

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Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Al-Buraimi

🇴🇲 Oman

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muscat and in Al-Buraimi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,556 in Muscat versus $916 in Al-Buraimi.

Muscat $1,556
Al-Buraimi $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,299 in Muscat versus $1,357 in Al-Buraimi.

Muscat $2,299
Al-Buraimi $1,357

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,042 in Muscat versus $1,797 in Al-Buraimi.

Muscat $3,042
Al-Buraimi $1,797

Living in Muscat is roughly 70% more expensive than in Al-Buraimi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Muscat is 15% above, Al-Buraimi is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 OMR 2.05

$5.27 OMR 2.03

1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 OMR 15.06

$13.14 OMR 5.06

197.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$7.82 OMR 3.01

-0.77%

Cappuccino

$4.93 OMR 1.90

$5.02 OMR 1.93

-1.79%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$0.91 OMR 0.35

-6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.87 OMR 4.95

$12.89 OMR 4.96

-0.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$13.20 OMR 5.08

-0.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$2.26 OMR 0.87

2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 OMR 0.48

$1.20 OMR 0.46

3.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.58 OMR 0.61

18.35%

Eggs

$3.02 OMR 1.16

$2.99 OMR 1.15

1.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$6.33 OMR 2.44

14.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 OMR 2.66

$5.79 OMR 2.23

19.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.57 OMR 4.07

$9.31 OMR 3.58

13.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 OMR 1.35

$2.07 OMR 0.80

69.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 OMR 0.77

$1.83 OMR 0.70

9.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$2.06 OMR 0.79

13.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.49

$1.32 OMR 0.51

-4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.44

$1.20 OMR 0.46

-3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$0.98 OMR 0.38

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$0.91 OMR 0.35

96.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 OMR 0.26

$0.70 OMR 0.27

-2.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 OMR 2.55

$5.23 OMR 2.01

26.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.83 OMR 6.09

$15.32 OMR 5.90

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.03 OMR 2.32

$5.82 OMR 2.24

3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.33 OMR 3.98

$10.15 OMR 3.91

1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 OMR 30.00

$38.94 OMR 14.99

100.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 OMR 1.23

$3.28 OMR 1.26

-3.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$1.33 OMR 0.51

96.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 OMR 3.01

$7.57 OMR 2.92

3.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

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

$25.9K OMR 9,986

$25.2K OMR 9,711

2.83%

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

$22.4K OMR 8,624

$22.7K OMR 8,734

-1.26%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$77.5 OMR 29.84

127.45%

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

$28.30 OMR 10.90

$30.24 OMR 11.64

-6.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 OMR 27.28

$70.7 OMR 27.23

0.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 OMR 24.14

$63.9 OMR 24.62

-1.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 OMR 11.53

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 OMR 4.05

$7.67 OMR 2.95

37.16%

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

$283 OMR 109

$260 OMR 100

8.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K OMR 4,070

$10.5K OMR 4,036

0.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.79

$56.8 OMR 21.86

-0.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.33 OMR 16.68

$43.55 OMR 16.77

-0.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 OMR 35.08

$90.9 OMR 35.01

0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 OMR 33.28

$88.7 OMR 34.13

-2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 OMR 260

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 OMR 177

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 OMR 510

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 OMR 313

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,871 OMR 1,105

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,614 OMR 621

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,650 OMR 635

$3,620 OMR 1,394

-54.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

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

Last update for Muscat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-Buraimi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muscat

$461 29.6%

Al-Buraimi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$292 18.8%

Al-Buraimi

$262 28.7% 10.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$275 17.7%

Al-Buraimi

$178 19.5% 35.2% $97

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.1%

Al-Buraimi

$221 24.2% 0.6% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8%

Al-Buraimi

$126 13.7% 0.9% $1.1

Getting Around

Muscat

$100 6.4%

Al-Buraimi

$49 * 5.3% 50.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$84 5.4%

Al-Buraimi

$79 8.7% 5.3% $4.5

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

Cost Breakdown

Al-Buraimi pays 119% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Muscat vs $13.00 in Al-Buraimi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $262 per month, with Al-Buraimi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇴🇲 Al-Buraimi

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

73,670

💱 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

Muscat Al-Buraimi 270 km

From you

Muscat
Al-Buraimi

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

Muscat vs Al-Buraimi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Buraimi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 119% lower in Al-Buraimi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Buraimi runs roughly 100% less than in Muscat. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $283 in Muscat versus $260 in Al-Buraimi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,556 in Muscat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-Buraimi but tight or insufficient in Muscat. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Buraimi 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, Muscat and Al-Buraimi 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 Al-Buraimi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Muscat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.