Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: $953 a month against $1,556 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
46

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

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Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muscat and in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,556 in Muscat versus $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos.

Muscat $1,556
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $953

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,299 in Muscat versus $1,433 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos.

Muscat $2,299
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,433

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,042 in Muscat versus $1,914 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos.

Muscat $3,042
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,914

Living in Muscat is roughly 63% more expensive than in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Muscat is 15% above, Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 OMR 2.05

$5.29 OMR 2.04

0.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 OMR 15.06

$39.70 OMR 15.29

-1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

Cappuccino

$4.93 OMR 1.90

$4.94 OMR 1.90

-0.20%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$0.84 OMR 0.32

1.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.29 OMR 0.11

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.87 OMR 4.95

$12.92 OMR 4.97

-0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$12.93 OMR 4.98

1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 OMR 0.48

$1.20 OMR 0.46

3.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.82 OMR 0.70

2.75%

Eggs

$3.02 OMR 1.16

$3.03 OMR 1.17

-0.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$7.11 OMR 2.74

1.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 OMR 2.66

$7.00 OMR 2.70

-1.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.57 OMR 4.07

$10.58 OMR 4.07

-0.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 OMR 1.35

$3.59 OMR 1.38

-2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 OMR 0.77

$2.03 OMR 0.78

-0.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$2.34 OMR 0.90

-0.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.49

$1.31 OMR 0.50

-3.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.44

$1.16 OMR 0.45

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$1.85 OMR 0.71

-3.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 OMR 0.26

$0.71 OMR 0.27

-4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 OMR 2.55

$6.65 OMR 2.56

-0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.83 OMR 6.09

$15.76 OMR 6.07

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.03 OMR 2.32

$6.08 OMR 2.34

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.33 OMR 3.98

$10.22 OMR 3.93

1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 OMR 30.00

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 OMR 1.23

$3.32 OMR 1.28

-4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$2.56 OMR 0.98

2.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 OMR 3.01

$7.74 OMR 2.98

1.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$0.64 OMR 0.25

-6.25%

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

$25.9K OMR 9,986

$25.3K OMR 9,736

2.56%

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

$22.4K OMR 8,624

$22.3K OMR 8,570

0.63%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

-0.02%

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

$28.30 OMR 10.90

$31.16 OMR 12.00

-9.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 OMR 27.28

$71.5 OMR 27.51

-0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 OMR 24.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 OMR 11.53

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 OMR 4.05

$10.43 OMR 4.01

0.86%

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

$283 OMR 109

$292 OMR 112

-3.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K OMR 4,070

$10.5K OMR 4,033

0.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.79

$55.4 OMR 21.33

2.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.33 OMR 16.68

$43.86 OMR 16.89

-1.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 OMR 35.08

$88.6 OMR 34.12

2.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 OMR 33.28

$88.4 OMR 34.02

-2.18%

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

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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muscat

$461 29.6%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$292 18.8%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$293 30.7% 0.3% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$275 17.7%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$279 29.3% 1.3% $3.5

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.1%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$220 23.1% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Muscat

$100 6.4%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7% 83.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$84 5.4%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2% 75.1% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $39.00 in Muscat vs $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $293 per month, with Muscat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

Same time as Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

💱 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 9 km

From you

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

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Muscat. 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 $2,334 in Muscat and $1,430 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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 Muscat pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,556 per month in Muscat versus $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $1,556 in Muscat, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos but tight or insufficient in Muscat. 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, Muscat and Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 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 63% less than in Muscat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.