Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Ar-rustaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $953 a month against $1,062 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index

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Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,062

/mo nomad

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salalah and in Ar-rustaq

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 Ar-rustaq actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Salalah vs $953 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Salalah $1,062
Ar-rustaq $953

A couple spends around $1,598 per month in Salalah vs $1,432 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Salalah $1,598
Ar-rustaq $1,432

A family of three spends $2,134 per month in Salalah vs $1,910 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Salalah $2,134
Ar-rustaq $1,910

Salalah costs about 11% more than Ar-rustaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Salalah and Ar-rustaq are more affordable than the global median – Salalah 22% lower, Ar-rustaq 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.17 OMR 1.99

$5.33 OMR 2.05

-3.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.56 OMR 9.84

$39.16 OMR 15.08

-34.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 OMR 5.10

$7.82 OMR 3.01

69.31%

Cappuccino

$6.42 OMR 2.47

$5.21 OMR 2.01

23.22%

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

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.88 OMR 3.42

$12.78 OMR 4.92

-30.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$13.19 OMR 5.08

-21.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 OMR 0.74

$2.39 OMR 0.92

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.20 OMR 0.46

1.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 OMR 1.01

$1.95 OMR 0.75

34.87%

Eggs

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$3.08 OMR 1.19

-38.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.78 OMR 1.84

$7.11 OMR 2.74

-32.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 OMR 1.76

$6.96 OMR 2.68

-34.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 OMR 2.45

$10.14 OMR 3.90

-37.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 OMR 0.73

$3.51 OMR 1.35

-45.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$2.03 OMR 0.78

-11.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 OMR 0.80

$2.40 OMR 0.92

-13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.28 OMR 0.49

46.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 OMR 0.55

$1.17 OMR 0.45

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 OMR 0.41

$1.22 OMR 0.47

-13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 OMR 0.41

$1.86 OMR 0.72

-43.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 OMR 0.19

$0.68 OMR 0.26

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 OMR 2.26

$6.65 OMR 2.56

-11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.95 OMR 7.68

$15.55 OMR 5.99

28.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.84 OMR 1.48

$5.85 OMR 2.25

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 OMR 1.79

$10.05 OMR 3.87

-53.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 OMR 21.13

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 OMR 0.89

$3.24 OMR 1.25

-28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$2.57 OMR 0.99

-50.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.54 OMR 4.44

$8.03 OMR 3.09

43.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$0.59 OMR 0.23

8.47%

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

$20.7K OMR 7,971

$25.4K OMR 9,784

-18.53%

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

$17.9K OMR 6,900

$20.9K OMR 8,060

-14.39%

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

$79.2 OMR 30.50

$177 OMR 68.3

-55.32%

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

$49.43 OMR 19.03

$30.29 OMR 11.66

63.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 OMR 28.45

$71.6 OMR 27.58

3.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 OMR 15.54

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.24 OMR 10.10

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 OMR 3.02

$10.25 OMR 3.95

-23.51%

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

$105 OMR 40.39

$508 OMR 196

-79.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,970 OMR 758

$10.5K OMR 4,030

-81.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.71 OMR 11.05

$55.9 OMR 21.53

-48.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.42 OMR 12.10

$43.75 OMR 16.84

-28.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.6 OMR 22.16

$88.6 OMR 34.12

-35.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.75 OMR 17.23

$86.4 OMR 33.26

-48.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 OMR 95.1

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 78.9

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 OMR 244

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 OMR 151

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 OMR 762

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,228 OMR 473

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,778 OMR 684

$4,358 OMR 1,678

-59.21%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$229 21.5%

Ar-rustaq

$290 30.5% 27% $62

Eating Out

Salalah

$228 21.5%

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.4% 1.9% $4.4

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.3%

Ar-rustaq

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$203 19.1%

Ar-rustaq

$279 29.3% 37.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$73 6.9%

Ar-rustaq

$124 13% 69.1% $51

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.5%

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7% 76.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$56 5.3%

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2% 63.4% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Ar-rustaq are about 2.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Salalah versus $39 in Ar-rustaq. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $290 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

Same time as Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

120,000

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salalah Ar-rustaq 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
Ar-rustaq

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 Ar-rustaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Salalah is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Salalah and $1,430 in Ar-rustaq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,062 in Salalah and $953 in Ar-rustaq. That makes Ar-rustaq about 10% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $105 per month in Salalah and $508 in Ar-rustaq. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Salalah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $953 in Ar-rustaq to $1,062 in Salalah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.