Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: $956 a month against $1,425 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Living Index

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Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,425

/mo nomad

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sohar and in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Sohar versus $956 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos.

Sohar $1,425
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,081 in Sohar versus $1,434 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos.

Sohar $2,081
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,434

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,737 in Sohar versus $1,911 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos.

Sohar $2,737
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,911

Living in Sohar is roughly 49% more expensive than in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sohar is 5% above, Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 OMR 2.56

$5.35 OMR 2.06

24.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.67 OMR 7.96

$38.48 OMR 14.81

-46.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 OMR 3.59

$7.89 OMR 3.04

18.38%

Cappuccino

$4.74 OMR 1.83

$5.01 OMR 1.93

-5.39%

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

$0.69 OMR 0.27

$0.91 OMR 0.35

-24.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 OMR 0.12

$0.29 OMR 0.11

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$13.09 OMR 5.04

-0.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.26 OMR 5.49

$13.26 OMR 5.10

7.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 OMR 0.82

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-7.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 OMR 0.42

$1.24 OMR 0.48

-11.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 OMR 1.23

$1.91 OMR 0.73

67.54%

Eggs

$2.79 OMR 1.08

$3.08 OMR 1.19

-9.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 OMR 5.23

$7.12 OMR 2.74

90.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 OMR 3.43

$7.14 OMR 2.75

24.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 OMR 5.41

$10.13 OMR 3.90

38.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 OMR 1.27

$3.65 OMR 1.40

-9.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 OMR 0.84

$2.01 OMR 0.77

7.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 OMR 0.98

$2.39 OMR 0.92

6.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$1.30 OMR 0.50

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 OMR 0.67

$1.17 OMR 0.45

49.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$1.28 OMR 0.49

44.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 OMR 0.65

$1.82 OMR 0.70

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 OMR 0.38

$0.65 OMR 0.25

52.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 OMR 2.32

$6.55 OMR 2.52

-8.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.79 OMR 9.93

$15.39 OMR 5.92

67.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.78 OMR 1.46

$5.94 OMR 2.29

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.64 OMR 3.33

$10.26 OMR 3.95

-15.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 OMR 0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 OMR 20.21

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 OMR 1.23

$3.23 OMR 1.24

-1.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 OMR 0.59

$2.53 OMR 0.97

-39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.21 OMR 3.93

$7.92 OMR 3.05

28.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$0.61 OMR 0.23

4.92%

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

$18.0K OMR 6,936

$25.2K OMR 9,705

-28.53%

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

$20.2K OMR 7,787

$20.7K OMR 7,960

-2.17%

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

$102 OMR 39.23

$180 OMR 69.2

-43.27%

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

$29.09 OMR 11.20

$30.21 OMR 11.63

-3.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.2 OMR 33.94

$70.4 OMR 27.10

25.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.34 OMR 18.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.62 OMR 4.47

$10.58 OMR 4.07

9.83%

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

$295 OMR 113

$492 OMR 189

-40.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,086 OMR 2,727

$10.4K OMR 4,001

-31.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 OMR 19.72

$56.7 OMR 21.81

-9.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 OMR 16.74

$43.66 OMR 16.80

-0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 OMR 29.90

$88.6 OMR 34.10

-12.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.31 OMR 17.83

$87.0 OMR 33.50

-46.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 OMR 188

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 OMR 146

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 OMR 319

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 OMR 255

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,175 OMR 452

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$774 OMR 298

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,470 OMR 951

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sohar

$380 26.7%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sohar

$345 24.2%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$291 30.5% 15.5% $53

Eating Out

Sohar

$236 16.6%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$223 23.4% 5.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sohar

$219 15.4%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$280 29.3% 27.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sohar

$98 6.9%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13% 26.2% $26

Getting Around

Sohar

$74 5.2%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7% 78.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2% 70.8% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $21 in Sohar vs $38 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $291, with Madinat As Sultan Qaboos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sohar

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

Same time as Sohar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

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Sohar Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 190 km

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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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Sohar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Madinat As Sultan Qaboos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,137 in Sohar and $1,434 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Sohar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Sohar versus $956 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos – Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sohar and Madinat As Sultan Qaboos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.