Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Muscat: $1,565 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,565

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muscat and in Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,565 in Muscat versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Muscat $1,565
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,341 in Muscat versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Muscat $2,341
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,116 in Muscat versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Muscat $3,116
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Muscat costs roughly 42% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Muscat 17% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 OMR 2.01

$20.22 $20.22

-74.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.68 OMR 15.28

$85.0 $85.0

-53.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 OMR 2.94

$12.35 $12.35

-38.14%

Cappuccino

$4.97 OMR 1.91

$5.47 $5.47

-9.14%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$3.82 $3.82

-77.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$2.50 $2.50

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$8.06 $8.06

60.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.23 OMR 5.09

$8.99 $8.99

47.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 OMR 0.87

$1.13 $1.13

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 OMR 0.45

$3.78 $3.78

-68.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$3.25 $3.25

-41.85%

Eggs

$2.91 OMR 1.12

$4.14 $4.14

-29.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$13.08 $13.08

-44.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 OMR 2.64

$14.31 $14.31

-52.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 OMR 4.09

$15.96 $15.96

-33.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 OMR 1.41

$4.38 $4.38

-16.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$1.45 $1.45

34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 OMR 0.92

$4.54 $4.54

-47.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.49

$4.19 $4.19

-69.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$2.63 $2.63

-53.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$2.36 $2.36

-46.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 OMR 0.72

$1.76 $1.76

5.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$2.16 $2.16

-67.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 OMR 2.45

$9.81 $9.81

-35.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 OMR 5.98

$14.72 $14.72

5.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.00 OMR 2.31

$2.78 $2.78

115.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$3.48 $3.48

197.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 OMR 0.50

$1.49 $1.49

-13.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 OMR 29.71

$40.51 $40.51

90.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 OMR 1.27

$2.67 $2.67

23.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.99

$1.58 $1.58

62.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$35.29 $35.29

-77.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$0.99 $0.99

-36.36%

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

$25.7K OMR 9,907

$35.8K $35.8K

-28.13%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,864

$27.2K $27.2K

-15.28%

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

$177 OMR 68.2

$219 $219

-19.26%

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

$30.49 OMR 11.74

$58.0 $58.0

-47.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 OMR 27.57

$68.4 $68.4

4.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 OMR 23.53

$57.9 $57.9

5.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.78 OMR 11.46

$14.82 $14.82

100.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$14.13 $14.13

-26.04%

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

$282 OMR 109

$1,509 $1,509

-81.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,004

$21.5K $21.5K

-51.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 OMR 22.17

$51.7 $51.7

11.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 OMR 16.71

$44.05 $44.05

-1.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 OMR 35.12

$85.1 $85.1

7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 OMR 33.06

$105 $105

-18.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 OMR 265

$1,932 $1,932

-64.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 OMR 174

$1,272 $1,272

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 OMR 498

$3,670 $3,670

-64.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 OMR 315

$2,525 $2,525

-67.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,815 OMR 1,084

$7,617 $7,617

-63.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 OMR 619

$3,199 $3,199

-49.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 OMR 636

$5,105 $5,105

-67.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

6.79

-22.68%

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

Last update for Muscat: October 3, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muscat

$453 29.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 181% $819

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$291 18.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 38.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$279 18%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 23.8% $66

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.2%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 58.3% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 2.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Muscat

$98 6.4%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 42.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$82 5.3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 5% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Muscat and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 209% 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: $40.00 in Muscat vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $403 per month, with Muscat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

22:46 10:46 PM

9 h behind Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Muscat Austin, TX 13,510 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Muscat
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muscat wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Muscat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 209% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $690 in Muscat versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,565 per month in Muscat versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Muscat runs roughly 90% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,565 in Muscat versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Muscat but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. 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, Muscat and Austin, TX 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 73% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.