Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Al-`awabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-`awabi: $953 a month against $1,432 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sohar
🇴🇲 Oman
$1,432
/mo nomad
Al-`awabi
🇴🇲 Oman
$953
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sohar 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 Sohar and in Al-`awabi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,432 per month in Sohar vs $953 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

  • Sohar $1,432
  • Al-`awabi $953

A couple spends around $2,101 per month in Sohar vs $1,431 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

  • Sohar $2,101
  • Al-`awabi $1,431

A family of three spends $2,770 per month in Sohar vs $1,909 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

  • Sohar $2,770
  • Al-`awabi $1,909

Sohar costs about 50% more than Al-`awabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Sohar sits 6% above the global median, while Al-`awabi is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.52 OMR 2.51
$5.06 OMR 1.95
28.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.06 OMR 8.11
$38.93 OMR 14.99
-45.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 OMR 3.56
$7.61 OMR 2.93
21.42%
Cappuccino
$4.95 OMR 1.91
$5.06 OMR 1.95
-2.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 OMR 0.27
$0.89 OMR 0.34
-21.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 OMR 0.12
$0.27 OMR 0.10
11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$12.81 OMR 4.93
$12.94 OMR 4.98
-1.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$14.03 OMR 5.40
$13.19 OMR 5.08
6.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 OMR 0.82
$2.27 OMR 0.87
-6.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.10 OMR 0.42
$1.23 OMR 0.47
-10.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 OMR 1.23
$1.88 OMR 0.72
70.74%
Eggs
$2.71 OMR 1.04
$2.96 OMR 1.14
-8.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.46 OMR 5.18
$7.29 OMR 2.81
84.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.90 OMR 3.43
$7.17 OMR 2.76
24.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.55 OMR 5.60
$10.59 OMR 4.08
37.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.33 OMR 1.28
$3.56 OMR 1.37
-6.46%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 OMR 0.83
$1.92 OMR 0.74
13.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 OMR 0.94
$2.33 OMR 0.90
4.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.21 OMR 0.47
$1.28 OMR 0.49
-5.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 OMR 0.68
$1.22 OMR 0.47
44.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 OMR 0.71
$1.25 OMR 0.48
46.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 OMR 0.66
$1.87 OMR 0.72
-8.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 OMR 0.38
$0.66 OMR 0.25
48.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.99 OMR 2.31
$6.41 OMR 2.47
-6.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$25.65 OMR 9.87
$15.72 OMR 6.05
63.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.98 OMR 1.53
$6.06 OMR 2.33
-34.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.80 OMR 3.39
$10.33 OMR 3.98
-14.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.66 OMR 1.03
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$51.1 OMR 19.68
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 OMR 1.26
$3.29 OMR 1.27
-0.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 OMR 0.62
$2.55 OMR 0.98
-37.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.54 OMR 4.06
$7.72 OMR 2.97
36.53%
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)
$17.9K OMR 6,903
$25.4K OMR 9,791
-29.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.1K OMR 7,749
$23.0K OMR 8,858
-12.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 OMR 40.17
$177 OMR 68.2
-41.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.83 OMR 11.48
$31.35 OMR 12.07
-4.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$87.8 OMR 33.81
$71.0 OMR 27.33
23.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.19 OMR 18.55
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.76 OMR 4.53
$10.34 OMR 3.98
13.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$294 OMR 113
$286 OMR 110
2.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,075 OMR 2,724
$10.5K OMR 4,032
-32.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.9 OMR 19.60
$55.6 OMR 21.42
-8.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.78 OMR 16.86
$43.72 OMR 16.83
0.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 OMR 30.50
$90.5 OMR 34.83
-12.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.40 OMR 18.25
$86.8 OMR 33.41
-45.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$492 OMR 189
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$384 OMR 148
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 OMR 316
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$689 OMR 265
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,173 OMR 452
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$784 OMR 302
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sohar
Al-`awabi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,443 OMR 941
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.33
5.25
20.57%

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

Last update for Sohar: October 12, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sohar
$384
Al-`awabi
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Sohar
$346
Al-`awabi
$293 15.4% $53
Eating Out
Sohar
$235
Al-`awabi
$220 6.7% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sohar
$222
Al-`awabi
$279 25.9% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Sohar
$100
Al-`awabi
$124 25% $25
Getting Around
Sohar
$73
Al-`awabi
$16 * 78% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Sohar
$72
Al-`awabi
$21 * 71.1% $51

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 $21.00 in Sohar versus $39.00 in Al-`awabi. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Sohar vs $293 in Al-`awabi – so Al-`awabi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇴🇲 Sohar
🇴🇲 Al-`awabi
🕒 Local time
12:42 12:42 PM
12:42 12:42 PM
Same time as Sohar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
221,605
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
  • Sohar Al-`awabi 140 km
From you
  • Sohar
  • 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
Sohar vs Al-`awabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Al-`awabi cheaper than Sohar?
Yes – Sohar is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,148 per month in Sohar 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 Sohar and in Al-`awabi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,432 in Sohar and $953 in Al-`awabi. That's a gap of about 50%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Sohar 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 Sohar or in Al-`awabi?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-`awabi, where all-in costs run around $953, than in Sohar at $1,432. In Al-`awabi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sohar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sohar 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, Sohar 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, Sohar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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