Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Salalah: $1,055 a month against $1,556 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index

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Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muscat and in Salalah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,556 in Muscat versus $1,055 in Salalah.

Muscat $1,556
Salalah $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,299 in Muscat versus $1,587 in Salalah.

Muscat $2,299
Salalah $1,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,042 in Muscat versus $2,118 in Salalah.

Muscat $3,042
Salalah $2,118

Living in Muscat is roughly 47% more expensive than in Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Muscat is 15% above, Salalah is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 OMR 2.05

$5.07 OMR 1.95

5.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 OMR 15.06

$25.69 OMR 9.89

52.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$12.75 OMR 4.91

-39.14%

Cappuccino

$4.93 OMR 1.90

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-18.51%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$0.90 OMR 0.35

-5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.87 OMR 4.95

$8.98 OMR 3.46

43.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$10.22 OMR 3.94

27.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.89 OMR 0.73

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 OMR 0.48

$1.27 OMR 0.49

-2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-28.63%

Eggs

$3.02 OMR 1.16

$1.91 OMR 0.74

58.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$4.58 OMR 1.76

57.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 OMR 2.66

$4.73 OMR 1.82

46.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.57 OMR 4.07

$6.37 OMR 2.45

65.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 OMR 1.35

$1.94 OMR 0.75

80.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 OMR 0.77

$1.85 OMR 0.71

8.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$2.05 OMR 0.79

13.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.49

$1.78 OMR 0.69

-29.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.44

$1.49 OMR 0.57

-22.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$1.01 OMR 0.39

26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$1.10 OMR 0.42

62.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 OMR 0.26

$0.52 OMR 0.20

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 OMR 2.55

$5.87 OMR 2.26

12.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.83 OMR 6.09

$20.15 OMR 7.76

-21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.03 OMR 2.32

$3.98 OMR 1.53

51.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.33 OMR 3.98

$4.70 OMR 1.81

119.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 OMR 30.00

$54.8 OMR 21.09

42.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 OMR 1.23

$2.25 OMR 0.87

41.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$1.27 OMR 0.49

106.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 OMR 3.01

$11.87 OMR 4.57

-34.04%

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

$21.1K OMR 8,112

23.10%

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

$22.4K OMR 8,624

$18.3K OMR 7,061

22.14%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$77.6 OMR 29.89

127.04%

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

$28.30 OMR 10.90

$48.92 OMR 18.84

-42.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 OMR 27.28

$73.7 OMR 28.39

-3.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 OMR 24.14

$39.07 OMR 15.04

60.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 OMR 11.53

$26.08 OMR 10.04

14.80%

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

$105 OMR 40.24

170.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K OMR 4,070

$1,925 OMR 741

449.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.79

$29.01 OMR 11.17

95.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.33 OMR 16.68

$31.47 OMR 12.12

37.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 OMR 35.08

$59.0 OMR 22.69

54.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 OMR 33.28

$46.02 OMR 17.72

87.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 OMR 260

$244 OMR 94.1

175.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 OMR 177

$205 OMR 79.0

124.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 OMR 510

$626 OMR 241

111.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 OMR 313

$387 OMR 149

109.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,871 OMR 1,105

$1,999 OMR 770

43.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,614 OMR 621

$1,203 OMR 463

34.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,650 OMR 635

$1,769 OMR 681

-6.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

4.58

14.63%

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

Last update for Muscat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muscat

$461 29.6%

Salalah

$205 19.4% 55.5% $255

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$292 18.8%

Salalah

$231 21.9% 20.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$275 17.7%

Salalah

$200 19% 27.3% $75

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.1%

Salalah

$222 21% 0.7% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8%

Salalah

$74 7.1% 40.4% $50

Getting Around

Muscat

$100 6.4%

Salalah

$69 6.5% 31% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$84 5.4%

Salalah

$54 5.2% 35% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $674 in Muscat and $244 in Salalah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salalah pays 7% 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 $26.00 in Salalah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $231 per month, with Salalah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇴🇲 Salalah

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

Same time as Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

178,469

💱 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 Salalah 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Muscat
Salalah

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 Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muscat and Salalah differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($1,556 vs $1,055 including rent). Salalah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Salalah. 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: $674 in Muscat versus $244 in Salalah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Salalah – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $39.00 in Muscat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,556 per month in Muscat versus $1,055 in Salalah – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,055 in Salalah versus $1,556 in Muscat, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Salalah but tight or insufficient in Muscat. The gap between the two cities makes Salalah 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 Salalah 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 Salalah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Muscat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.