Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Al-`awabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-`awabi: $953 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.

Salalah
🇴🇲 Oman
$1,055
/mo nomad
Al-`awabi
🇴🇲 Oman
$953
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salalah and in Al-`awabi

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

A single person spends $1,055 per month in Salalah vs $953 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

  • Salalah $1,055
  • Al-`awabi $953

A couple spends around $1,587 per month in Salalah vs $1,431 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

  • Salalah $1,587
  • Al-`awabi $1,431

A family of three spends $2,118 per month in Salalah vs $1,909 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

  • Salalah $2,118
  • Al-`awabi $1,909

Salalah costs about 11% more than Al-`awabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Salalah and Al-`awabi are more affordable than the global median – Salalah 22% lower, Al-`awabi 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.07 OMR 1.95
$5.06 OMR 1.95
0.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.69 OMR 9.89
$38.93 OMR 14.99
-34.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.75 OMR 4.91
$7.61 OMR 2.93
67.54%
Cappuccino
$6.05 OMR 2.33
$5.06 OMR 1.95
19.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 OMR 0.35
$0.89 OMR 0.34
1.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 OMR 0.10
$0.27 OMR 0.10
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.98 OMR 3.46
$12.94 OMR 4.98
-30.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.22 OMR 3.94
$13.19 OMR 5.08
-22.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 OMR 0.73
$2.27 OMR 0.87
-16.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 OMR 0.49
$1.23 OMR 0.47
3.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.62 OMR 1.01
$1.88 OMR 0.72
39.36%
Eggs
$1.91 OMR 0.74
$2.96 OMR 1.14
-35.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.58 OMR 1.76
$7.29 OMR 2.81
-37.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 OMR 1.82
$7.17 OMR 2.76
-34.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.37 OMR 2.45
$10.59 OMR 4.08
-39.85%
Apples (1kg)
$1.94 OMR 0.75
$3.56 OMR 1.37
-45.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 OMR 0.71
$1.92 OMR 0.74
-3.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.05 OMR 0.79
$2.33 OMR 0.90
-12.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.78 OMR 0.69
$1.28 OMR 0.49
39.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 OMR 0.57
$1.22 OMR 0.47
22.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 OMR 0.39
$1.25 OMR 0.48
-19.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 OMR 0.42
$1.87 OMR 0.72
-41.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 OMR 0.20
$0.66 OMR 0.25
-21.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.87 OMR 2.26
$6.41 OMR 2.47
-8.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.15 OMR 7.76
$15.72 OMR 6.05
28.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.98 OMR 1.53
$6.06 OMR 2.33
-34.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.70 OMR 1.81
$10.33 OMR 3.98
-54.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
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)
$2.25 OMR 0.87
$3.29 OMR 1.27
-31.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.27 OMR 0.49
$2.55 OMR 0.98
-50.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.87 OMR 4.57
$7.72 OMR 2.97
53.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 OMR 0.25
$0.65 OMR 0.25
-1.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K OMR 8,112
$25.4K OMR 9,791
-17.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.3K OMR 7,061
$23.0K OMR 8,858
-20.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.6 OMR 29.89
$177 OMR 68.2
-56.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$48.92 OMR 18.84
$31.35 OMR 12.07
56.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.7 OMR 28.39
$71.0 OMR 27.33
3.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.07 OMR 15.04
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.08 OMR 10.04
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.67 OMR 2.95
$10.34 OMR 3.98
-25.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$105 OMR 40.24
$286 OMR 110
-63.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,925 OMR 741
$10.5K OMR 4,032
-81.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.01 OMR 11.17
$55.6 OMR 21.42
-47.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.47 OMR 12.12
$43.72 OMR 16.83
-28.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.0 OMR 22.69
$90.5 OMR 34.83
-34.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$46.02 OMR 17.72
$86.8 OMR 33.41
-46.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Salalah
Al-`awabi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,769 OMR 681
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.58
5.25
-12.76%

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

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-`awabi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Salalah
$231
Al-`awabi
$293 26.9% $62
Eating Out
Salalah
$222
Al-`awabi
$220 0.8% $1.8
Accommodation & Living
Salalah
$205
Al-`awabi
- * 100%
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Salalah
$200
Al-`awabi
$279 39.5% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Salalah
$74
Al-`awabi
$124 67.2% $50
Getting Around
Salalah
$69
Al-`awabi
$16 * 76.7% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Salalah
$54
Al-`awabi
$21 * 62% $34

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 $26.00 in Salalah versus $39.00 in Al-`awabi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $293 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇴🇲 Salalah
🇴🇲 Al-`awabi
🕒 Local time
09:31 9:31 AM
09:31 9:31 AM
Same time as Salalah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
178,469
10,711
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Salalah Al-`awabi 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Salalah
  • Al-`awabi

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
Salalah vs Al-`awabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Al-`awabi cheaper than Salalah?
Yes – Salalah is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Salalah and $1,430 in Al-`awabi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Salalah and in Al-`awabi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,055 in Salalah and $953 in Al-`awabi. That's a gap of about 11%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $105 per month in Salalah and $286 in Al-`awabi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Salalah or in Al-`awabi?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-`awabi, where all-in costs run around $953, than in Salalah at $1,055. In Al-`awabi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salalah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Salalah or Al-`awabi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Al-`awabi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Salalah or Al-`awabi?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Al-`awabi. 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.

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