Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Salalah: $1,055 a month against $1,432 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index

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Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salalah and in Sohar

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 Sohar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,055 per month in Salalah vs $1,432 in Sohar, rent included.

Salalah $1,055
Sohar $1,432

A couple spends around $1,587 per month in Salalah vs $2,101 in Sohar, rent included.

Salalah $1,587
Sohar $2,101

A family of three spends $2,118 per month in Salalah vs $2,770 in Sohar, rent included.

Salalah $2,118
Sohar $2,770

Salalah is about 26% cheaper than Sohar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Salalah sits 22% below the global median, while Sohar is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 OMR 1.95

$6.52 OMR 2.51

-22.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 OMR 9.89

$21.06 OMR 8.11

21.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 OMR 4.91

$9.24 OMR 3.56

37.99%

Cappuccino

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$4.95 OMR 1.91

22.22%

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

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$0.70 OMR 0.27

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.30 OMR 0.12

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.98 OMR 3.46

$12.81 OMR 4.93

-29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.94

$14.03 OMR 5.40

-27.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$2.13 OMR 0.82

-11.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.10 OMR 0.42

15.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$3.21 OMR 1.23

-18.38%

Eggs

$1.91 OMR 0.74

$2.71 OMR 1.04

-29.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.58 OMR 1.76

$13.46 OMR 5.18

-65.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.73 OMR 1.82

$8.90 OMR 3.43

-46.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 OMR 2.45

$14.55 OMR 5.60

-56.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 OMR 0.75

$3.33 OMR 1.28

-41.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$2.17 OMR 0.83

-14.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 OMR 0.79

$2.44 OMR 0.94

-15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 OMR 0.69

$1.21 OMR 0.47

47.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 OMR 0.57

$1.76 OMR 0.68

-15.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 OMR 0.39

$1.83 OMR 0.71

-44.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 OMR 0.42

$1.71 OMR 0.66

-35.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 OMR 0.20

$0.98 OMR 0.38

-46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 OMR 2.26

$5.99 OMR 2.31

-2.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 OMR 7.76

$25.65 OMR 9.87

-21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 OMR 1.53

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 OMR 1.81

$8.80 OMR 3.39

-46.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

$2.66 OMR 1.03

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 OMR 21.09

$51.1 OMR 19.68

7.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 OMR 0.87

$3.27 OMR 1.26

-31.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.60 OMR 0.62

-20.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.87 OMR 4.57

$10.54 OMR 4.06

12.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

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

$21.1K OMR 8,112

$17.9K OMR 6,903

17.51%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,061

$20.1K OMR 7,749

-8.88%

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

$77.6 OMR 29.89

$104 OMR 40.17

-25.59%

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

$48.92 OMR 18.84

$29.83 OMR 11.48

64.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 OMR 28.39

$87.8 OMR 33.81

-16.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 OMR 15.04

$48.19 OMR 18.55

-18.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 OMR 10.04

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 OMR 2.95

$11.76 OMR 4.53

-34.78%

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

$105 OMR 40.24

$294 OMR 113

-64.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,925 OMR 741

$7,075 OMR 2,724

-72.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.01 OMR 11.17

$50.9 OMR 19.60

-43.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.47 OMR 12.12

$43.78 OMR 16.86

-28.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 OMR 22.69

$79.2 OMR 30.50

-25.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 OMR 17.72

$47.40 OMR 18.25

-2.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 OMR 94.1

$492 OMR 189

-50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

$384 OMR 148

-46.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 OMR 241

$821 OMR 316

-23.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 OMR 149

$689 OMR 265

-43.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 OMR 770

$1,173 OMR 452

70.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 OMR 463

$784 OMR 302

53.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,769 OMR 681

$2,443 OMR 941

-27.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

6.33

-27.65%

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

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sohar: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$231 21.9%

Sohar

$346 24.2% 50% $115

Eating Out

Salalah

$222 21%

Sohar

$235 16.4% 6.2% $14

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.4%

Sohar

$384 26.8% 87.2% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$200 19%

Sohar

$222 15.5% 10.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$74 7.1%

Sohar

$100 7% 33.7% $25

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.5%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 6.3% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$54 5.2%

Sohar

$72 5% 31.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Salalah versus $492 in Sohar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Sohar, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Salalah versus $21.00 in Sohar. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Salalah vs $346 in Sohar – so Salalah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

Same time as Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

221,605

💱 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

Salalah Sohar 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
Sohar

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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sohar costs about 36% more than Salalah, 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 $1,583 per month in Salalah and $2,148 in Sohar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salalah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Salalah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $105 per month in Salalah and $294 in Sohar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Salalah, where all-in costs run around $1,055, than in Sohar at $1,432. In Salalah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sohar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salalah – 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 Salalah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sohar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.