Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and London

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.

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

How much you'll spend in Muscat and in London

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

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

  • Muscat $1,555
  • London $4,048

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

  • Muscat $2,287
  • London $5,903

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

  • Muscat $3,020
  • London $7,758

Muscat is about 62% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Muscat
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.26 OMR 2.03
$26.36 £19.59
-80.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.68 OMR 14.89
$109 £80.7
-64.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.99 OMR 3.46
$10.71 £7.96
-16.06%
Cappuccino
$5.09 OMR 1.96
$5.59 £4.15
-8.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 OMR 0.35
$3.00 £2.23
-69.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 OMR 0.11
$2.22 £1.65
-86.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.20 OMR 5.08
$9.65 £7.17
36.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.90 OMR 4.97
$8.26 £6.14
56.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Muscat
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 OMR 0.82
$1.97 £1.46
8.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 OMR 0.46
$2.09 £1.55
-43.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 OMR 0.72
$2.59 £1.93
-27.41%
Eggs
$3.08 OMR 1.19
$5.37 £3.99
-42.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.27 OMR 2.80
$13.12 £9.75
-44.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.86 OMR 2.64
$11.03 £8.20
-37.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.21 OMR 3.93
$17.73 £13.17
-42.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.67 OMR 1.41
$3.17 £2.36
15.77%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 OMR 0.78
$1.38 £1.03
47.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 OMR 0.90
$2.82 £2.10
-17.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 OMR 0.48
$3.36 £2.50
-62.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 OMR 0.46
$1.70 £1.26
-29.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 OMR 0.48
$1.78 £1.32
-29.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 OMR 0.69
$1.49 £1.11
19.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 OMR 0.26
$1.82 £1.35
-62.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.42 OMR 2.47
$23.85 £17.72
-73.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.67 OMR 6.03
$13.44 £9.98
16.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.99 OMR 2.30
$3.11 £2.31
92.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.25 OMR 3.95
$4.49 £3.34
128.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Muscat
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.28 OMR 0.49
$4.13 £3.07
-69.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 OMR 29.78
$266 £198
-70.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 OMR 1.26
$5.98 £4.44
-45.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.65 OMR 1.02
$3.39 £2.52
-21.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.71 OMR 2.97
$56.6 £42.03
-86.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 OMR 0.25
$2.21 £1.64
-71.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K OMR 9,554
$38.3K £28.4K
-35.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K OMR 7,993
$41.0K £30.5K
-49.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Muscat
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$181 OMR 69.8
$372 £277
-51.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.82 OMR 11.86
$18.66 £13.87
65.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.7 OMR 27.60
$40.53 £30.12
76.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Muscat
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.7 OMR 26.08
$56.0 £41.63
20.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.82 OMR 11.48
$17.10 £12.71
74.39%
Cinema Ticket
$10.51 OMR 4.05
$17.95 £13.34
-41.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Muscat
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$495 OMR 191
$2,946 £2,189
-83.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.8K OMR 6,093
$47.6K £35.4K
-66.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Muscat
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 OMR 21.34
$116 £86.4
-52.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.33 OMR 16.68
$56.9 £42.28
-23.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 OMR 34.95
$128 £95.1
-29.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 OMR 34.05
$154 £114
-42.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Muscat
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$708 OMR 273
$2,935 £2,182
-75.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 OMR 170
$2,258 £1,678
-80.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,212 OMR 466
$5,250 £3,901
-76.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$768 OMR 296
$3,859 £2,868
-80.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,821 OMR 1,086
$17.2K £12.8K
-83.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,621 OMR 624
$8,278 £6,152
-80.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Muscat
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,551 OMR 597
$5,621 £4,177
-72.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.25
4.78
9.83%

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

Last update for Muscat: November 2, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Muscat
$442
London
$2.3K 411% $1.8K
Groceries & Markets
Muscat
$289
London
$360 24.6% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Muscat
$284
London
$432 52.1% $148
Eating Out
Muscat
$227
London
$396 74.5% $169
Clothing & Footwear
Muscat
$125
London
$205 63.7% $80
Getting Around
Muscat
$99
London
$305 208% $206
Sport & Entertainment
Muscat
$89
London
$92 3.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $708 in Muscat versus $2,935 in London. 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 $39 in Muscat versus $109 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $360 – making Muscat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇴🇲 Muscat
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
15:07 3:07 PM
11:07 11:07 AM
4 h behind Muscat
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,090,797 Capital
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Muscat London 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Muscat
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Muscat and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,555 in Muscat, $4,048 in London – Muscat comes out roughly 62% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Muscat compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,332 per month in Muscat and $6,072 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Muscat and London?
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 $39 in Muscat and $109 in London. 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: Muscat or London?
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 Muscat and London?
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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