Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Muscat

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.

52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Salalah $1,055
Muscat $1,556

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

Salalah $1,587
Muscat $2,299

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

Salalah $2,118
Muscat $3,042

Living in Salalah costs roughly 32% less than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 OMR 1.95

$5.33 OMR 2.05

-4.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 OMR 9.89

$39.12 OMR 15.06

-34.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 OMR 4.91

$7.76 OMR 2.99

64.30%

Cappuccino

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$4.93 OMR 1.90

22.72%

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

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$0.85 OMR 0.33

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.98 OMR 3.46

$12.87 OMR 4.95

-30.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.94

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-21.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.24 OMR 0.48

2.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$1.87 OMR 0.72

40.11%

Eggs

$1.91 OMR 0.74

$3.02 OMR 1.16

-36.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.58 OMR 1.76

$7.23 OMR 2.78

-36.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.73 OMR 1.82

$6.91 OMR 2.66

-31.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 OMR 2.45

$10.57 OMR 4.07

-39.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 OMR 0.75

$3.51 OMR 1.35

-44.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$2.01 OMR 0.77

-7.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 OMR 0.79

$2.33 OMR 0.90

-12.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 OMR 0.69

$1.26 OMR 0.49

41.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 OMR 0.57

$1.16 OMR 0.44

28.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 OMR 0.39

$1.28 OMR 0.49

-21.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 OMR 0.42

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-38.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 OMR 0.20

$0.68 OMR 0.26

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 OMR 2.26

$6.62 OMR 2.55

-11.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 OMR 7.76

$15.83 OMR 6.09

27.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 OMR 1.53

$6.03 OMR 2.32

-34.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 OMR 1.81

$10.33 OMR 3.98

-54.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 OMR 21.09

$77.9 OMR 30.00

-29.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 OMR 0.87

$3.18 OMR 1.23

-29.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-51.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.87 OMR 4.57

$7.83 OMR 3.01

51.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$0.60 OMR 0.23

6.67%

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

$21.1K OMR 8,112

$25.9K OMR 9,986

-18.77%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,061

$22.4K OMR 8,624

-18.13%

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

$77.6 OMR 29.89

$176 OMR 67.9

-55.95%

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

$48.92 OMR 18.84

$28.30 OMR 10.90

72.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 OMR 28.39

$70.9 OMR 27.28

4.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 OMR 15.04

$62.7 OMR 24.14

-37.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 OMR 10.04

$29.94 OMR 11.53

-12.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 OMR 2.95

$10.52 OMR 4.05

-27.09%

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

$105 OMR 40.24

$283 OMR 109

-63.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,925 OMR 741

$10.6K OMR 4,070

-81.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.01 OMR 11.17

$56.6 OMR 21.79

-48.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.47 OMR 12.12

$43.33 OMR 16.68

-27.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 OMR 22.69

$91.1 OMR 35.08

-35.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 OMR 17.72

$86.4 OMR 33.28

-46.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 OMR 94.1

$674 OMR 260

-63.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

$461 OMR 177

-55.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 OMR 241

$1,324 OMR 510

-52.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 OMR 149

$813 OMR 313

-52.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 OMR 770

$2,871 OMR 1,105

-30.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 OMR 463

$1,614 OMR 621

-25.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,769 OMR 681

$1,650 OMR 635

7.22%

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 Muscat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$231 21.9%

Muscat

$292 18.8% 26.5% $61

Eating Out

Salalah

$222 21%

Muscat

$220 14.1% 0.7% $1.5

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.4%

Muscat

$461 29.6% 125% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$200 19%

Muscat

$275 17.7% 37.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$74 7.1%

Muscat

$125 8% 67.7% $50

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.5%

Muscat

$100 6.4% 44.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$54 5.2%

Muscat

$84 5.4% 53.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $244 in Salalah and $674 in Muscat. 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: $26.00 in Salalah vs $39.00 in Muscat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $292 per month, with Salalah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

Same time as Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

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

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Highest

Between locations

Salalah Muscat 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
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

Salalah vs Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 7% higher in Salalah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $244 in Salalah versus $674 in Muscat. 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 $1,055 per month in Salalah versus $1,556 in Muscat – 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, Salalah 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 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.