Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Muscat and in Cape Town: $1,565 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,565

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muscat and in Cape Town

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 Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,565 per month in Muscat vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Muscat $1,565
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,341 per month in Muscat vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Muscat $2,341
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,116 per month in Muscat vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Muscat $3,116
Cape Town $3,307

Muscat and Cape Town have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Muscat and Cape Town sit above the global median – Muscat by 17%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 OMR 2.01

$11.78 R 195

-55.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.68 OMR 15.27

$46.55 R 772

-14.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 OMR 2.94

$5.96 R 98.9

28.19%

Cappuccino

$4.97 OMR 1.91

$2.47 R 41.01

101.21%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$1.33 R 22.03

-36.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$1.03 R 17.08

-73.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$3.01 R 49.98

329.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.23 OMR 5.09

$3.66 R 60.8

261.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 OMR 0.87

$1.39 R 23.08

62.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 OMR 0.45

$1.19 R 19.70

-0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$2.11 R 35.02

-10.43%

Eggs

$2.91 OMR 1.12

$3.01 R 49.84

-3.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$8.96 R 149

-19.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 OMR 2.64

$6.65 R 110

3.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 OMR 4.09

$9.29 R 154

14.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 OMR 1.41

$1.83 R 30.28

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$1.90 R 31.47

2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 OMR 0.92

$1.75 R 28.98

37.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.48

$2.09 R 34.59

-39.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.55 R 25.78

-21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.49 R 24.65

-14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 OMR 0.72

$1.30 R 21.53

43.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$1.16 R 19.29

-39.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 OMR 2.45

$3.71 R 61.5

71.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 OMR 5.98

$6.06 R 101

156.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.00 OMR 2.31

$1.39 R 22.97

331.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$2.20 R 36.51

370.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 OMR 0.50

$1.51 R 25.11

-14.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 OMR 29.70

$61.0 R 1,011

26.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 OMR 1.27

$0.63 R 10.38

423.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.99

$1.53 R 25.42

67.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$4.81 R 79.8

62.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$1.58 R 26.22

-60.13%

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

$25.7K OMR 9,904

$35.5K R 588.7K

-27.51%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,861

$31.7K R 526.6K

-27.49%

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

$177 OMR 68.1

$116 R 1,930

52.11%

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

$30.49 OMR 11.74

$28.37 R 471

7.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 OMR 27.56

$40.69 R 675

75.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 OMR 23.53

$48.85 R 810

25.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.78 OMR 11.46

$11.13 R 185

167.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$8.83 R 146

18.35%

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

$282 OMR 108

$261 R 4,336

7.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,003

$6,702 R 111.2K

55.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 OMR 22.17

$55.4 R 919

3.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 OMR 16.71

$32.27 R 535

34.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 OMR 35.11

$118 R 1,949

-22.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 OMR 33.05

$107 R 1,775

-19.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 OMR 265

$1,015 R 16.8K

-32.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 OMR 174

$715 R 11.9K

-36.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 OMR 497

$1,801 R 29.9K

-28.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 OMR 315

$1,330 R 22.1K

-38.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,815 OMR 1,084

$2,331 R 38.7K

20.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 OMR 619

$1,513 R 25.1K

6.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 OMR 636

$1,636 R 27.1K

0.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

10.97

-52.14%

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

Last update for Muscat: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muscat

$453 29.3%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 57.9% $262

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$291 18.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 23.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$279 18%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 33.6% $94

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.2%

Cape Town

$174 11% 21% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8.1%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 12.3% $15

Getting Around

Muscat

$98 6.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 23.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$82 5.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 18.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Muscat versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Muscat. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Muscat versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Muscat vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

2 h behind Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Muscat Cape Town 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Muscat
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,347 per month in Muscat and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Muscat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Muscat and $261 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Muscat, where all-in costs run around $1,565, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Muscat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Muscat costs $1,565 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Muscat. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.