Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saham and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 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.

46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saham and in Muscat

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saham and in Muscat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $959 in Saham versus $1,556 in Muscat.

Saham $959
Muscat $1,556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,439 in Saham versus $2,299 in Muscat.

Saham $1,439
Muscat $2,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Saham versus $3,042 in Muscat.

Saham $1,920
Muscat $3,042

Living in Saham costs roughly 38% less than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saham is 29% below, Muscat is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 OMR 1.97

$5.33 OMR 2.05

-3.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.33 OMR 15.14

$39.12 OMR 15.06

0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 OMR 3.01

$7.76 OMR 2.99

0.64%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.00

$4.93 OMR 1.90

5.68%

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

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$0.85 OMR 0.33

7.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.27 OMR 0.10

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.19 OMR 5.08

$12.87 OMR 4.95

2.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.89 OMR 4.96

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-1.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$2.31 OMR 0.89

0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.24 OMR 0.48

-3.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

Eggs

$2.92 OMR 1.13

$3.02 OMR 1.16

-3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 OMR 2.88

$7.23 OMR 2.78

3.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.69

$6.91 OMR 2.66

1.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 OMR 4.12

$10.57 OMR 4.07

1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 OMR 1.36

$3.51 OMR 1.35

0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 OMR 0.77

$2.01 OMR 0.77

-1.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 OMR 0.89

$2.33 OMR 0.90

-0.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.26 OMR 0.49

0.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 OMR 0.47

$1.16 OMR 0.44

4.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 OMR 0.47

$1.28 OMR 0.49

-3.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 OMR 0.72

$1.79 OMR 0.69

5.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 OMR 0.25

$0.68 OMR 0.26

-2.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 OMR 2.49

$6.62 OMR 2.55

-2.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 OMR 6.11

$15.83 OMR 6.09

0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$6.03 OMR 2.32

0.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 OMR 3.91

$10.33 OMR 3.98

-1.84%

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)

$3.29 OMR 1.27

$3.18 OMR 1.23

3.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 OMR 1.01

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-0.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$7.83 OMR 3.01

-0.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

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

$25.1K OMR 9,647

$25.9K OMR 9,986

-3.39%

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

$22.6K OMR 8,688

$22.4K OMR 8,624

0.74%

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

$180 OMR 69.3

$176 OMR 67.9

2.05%

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

$30.60 OMR 11.78

$28.30 OMR 10.90

8.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 OMR 27.18

$70.9 OMR 27.28

-0.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 OMR 24.14

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 OMR 11.53

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$10.52 OMR 4.05

-0.67%

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

$282 OMR 109

$283 OMR 109

-0.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,008

$10.6K OMR 4,070

-1.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.78

$56.6 OMR 21.79

-0.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.91 OMR 16.52

$43.33 OMR 16.68

-0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 OMR 34.57

$91.1 OMR 35.08

-1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 OMR 33.51

$86.4 OMR 33.28

0.68%

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 Saham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saham

$293 30.5%

Muscat

$292 18.8% 0.3% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saham

$281 29.3%

Muscat

$275 17.7% 2% $5.7

Eating Out

Saham

$223 23.3%

Muscat

$220 14.1% 1.5% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Saham

$124 13%

Muscat

$125 8% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Saham

$21 * 2.2%

Muscat

$84 5.4% 301% $63

Getting Around

Saham

$16 * 1.7%

Muscat

$100 6.4% 509% $83

Accommodation & Living

Saham

- * 0%

Muscat

$461 29.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $39.00 in Saham vs $39.00 in Muscat. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $292, with Muscat cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Saham

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

Same time as Saham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saham Muscat 170 km

From you

Saham
Muscat

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

Saham vs Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saham and Muscat differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($959 vs $1,556 including rent). Saham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,439 in Saham and $2,334 in Muscat 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 $959 per month in Saham versus $1,556 in Muscat – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $959 in Saham versus $1,556 in Muscat, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saham but tight or insufficient in Muscat. The gap between the two cities makes Saham 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, Saham and Muscat 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 Saham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Muscat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.