Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saham and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 a month against $1,055 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Salalah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index

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Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saham 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 Saham and in Salalah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $959 per month in Saham vs $1,055 in Salalah, rent included.

Saham $959
Salalah $1,055

A couple spends around $1,439 per month in Saham vs $1,587 in Salalah, rent included.

Saham $1,439
Salalah $1,587

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Saham vs $2,118 in Salalah, rent included.

Saham $1,920
Salalah $2,118

Saham is about 9% cheaper than Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saham and Salalah are more affordable than the global median – Saham 29% lower, Salalah 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 OMR 1.97

$5.07 OMR 1.95

0.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.33 OMR 15.14

$25.69 OMR 9.89

53.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 OMR 3.01

$12.75 OMR 4.91

-38.75%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.00

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-13.88%

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

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$0.90 OMR 0.35

1.11%

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

$8.98 OMR 3.46

46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.89 OMR 4.96

$10.22 OMR 3.94

26.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 OMR 0.90

$1.89 OMR 0.73

23.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.27 OMR 0.49

-5.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-28.63%

Eggs

$2.92 OMR 1.13

$1.91 OMR 0.74

52.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 OMR 2.88

$4.58 OMR 1.76

63.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.69

$4.73 OMR 1.82

47.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 OMR 4.12

$6.37 OMR 2.45

67.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 OMR 1.36

$1.94 OMR 0.75

82.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 OMR 0.77

$1.85 OMR 0.71

7.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 OMR 0.89

$2.05 OMR 0.79

13.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.78 OMR 0.69

-28.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 OMR 0.47

$1.49 OMR 0.57

-18.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 OMR 0.47

$1.01 OMR 0.39

21.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 OMR 0.72

$1.10 OMR 0.42

70.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 OMR 0.25

$0.52 OMR 0.20

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 OMR 2.49

$5.87 OMR 2.26

10.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 OMR 6.11

$20.15 OMR 7.76

-21.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$3.98 OMR 1.53

52.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 OMR 3.91

$4.70 OMR 1.81

115.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 OMR 21.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 OMR 1.27

$2.25 OMR 0.87

46.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 OMR 1.01

$1.27 OMR 0.49

105.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$11.87 OMR 4.57

-34.12%

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)

$25.1K OMR 9,647

$21.1K OMR 8,112

18.93%

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

$22.6K OMR 8,688

$18.3K OMR 7,061

23.04%

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

$180 OMR 69.3

$77.6 OMR 29.89

131.70%

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

$30.60 OMR 11.78

$48.92 OMR 18.84

-37.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 OMR 27.18

$73.7 OMR 28.39

-4.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 OMR 15.04

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 OMR 10.04

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$7.67 OMR 2.95

36.25%

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

$282 OMR 109

$105 OMR 40.24

169.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,008

$1,925 OMR 741

440.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 OMR 21.78

$29.01 OMR 11.17

95.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.91 OMR 16.52

$31.47 OMR 12.12

36.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 OMR 34.57

$59.0 OMR 22.69

52.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 OMR 33.51

$46.02 OMR 17.72

89.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 OMR 94.1

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 OMR 241

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 OMR 149

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 OMR 770

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 OMR 463

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,769 OMR 681

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 Saham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saham

$293 30.5%

Salalah

$231 21.9% 21.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saham

$281 29.3%

Salalah

$200 19% 28.7% $81

Eating Out

Saham

$223 23.3%

Salalah

$222 21% 0.8% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Saham

$124 13%

Salalah

$74 7.1% 40.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Saham

$21 * 2.2%

Salalah

$54 5.2% 160% $34

Getting Around

Saham

$16 * 1.7%

Salalah

$69 6.5% 320% $52

Accommodation & Living

Saham

- * 0%

Salalah

$205 19.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Saham versus $26.00 in Salalah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $231 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Saham

🇴🇲 Salalah

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

Same time as Saham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saham Salalah 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saham
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

Saham vs Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salalah costs about 10% more than Saham, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,439 per month in Saham and $1,583 in Salalah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Saham and $26.00 in Salalah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Salalah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saham, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Salalah at $1,055. In Saham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salalah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saham – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Saham. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Salalah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.