Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohar: $1,432 a month against $1,556 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Muscat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,432

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,432 in Sohar versus $1,556 in Muscat.

Sohar $1,432
Muscat $1,556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Sohar versus $2,299 in Muscat.

Sohar $2,101
Muscat $2,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,770 in Sohar versus $3,042 in Muscat.

Sohar $2,770
Muscat $3,042

Living in Sohar costs roughly 8% less than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sohar 6% above, Muscat 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.52 OMR 2.51

$5.33 OMR 2.05

22.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.06 OMR 8.11

$39.12 OMR 15.06

-46.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 OMR 3.56

$7.76 OMR 2.99

19.07%

Cappuccino

$4.95 OMR 1.91

$4.93 OMR 1.90

0.41%

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

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$0.85 OMR 0.33

-17.65%

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

$12.87 OMR 4.95

-0.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.03 OMR 5.40

$13.07 OMR 5.03

7.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 OMR 0.82

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 OMR 0.42

$1.24 OMR 0.48

-11.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 OMR 1.23

$1.87 OMR 0.72

71.66%

Eggs

$2.71 OMR 1.04

$3.02 OMR 1.16

-10.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 OMR 5.18

$7.23 OMR 2.78

86.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.90 OMR 3.43

$6.91 OMR 2.66

28.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 OMR 5.60

$10.57 OMR 4.07

37.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 OMR 1.28

$3.51 OMR 1.35

-5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 OMR 0.83

$2.01 OMR 0.77

7.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 OMR 0.94

$2.33 OMR 0.90

4.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 OMR 0.47

$1.26 OMR 0.49

-3.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 OMR 0.68

$1.16 OMR 0.44

51.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 OMR 0.71

$1.28 OMR 0.49

42.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 OMR 0.66

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-4.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 OMR 0.38

$0.68 OMR 0.26

44.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.99 OMR 2.31

$6.62 OMR 2.55

-9.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.65 OMR 9.87

$15.83 OMR 6.09

62.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 OMR 1.53

$6.03 OMR 2.32

-34.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.80 OMR 3.39

$10.33 OMR 3.98

-14.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 OMR 1.03

$1.33 OMR 0.51

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 OMR 19.68

$77.9 OMR 30.00

-34.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 OMR 1.26

$3.18 OMR 1.23

2.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 OMR 0.62

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-38.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.54 OMR 4.06

$7.83 OMR 3.01

34.61%

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)

$17.9K OMR 6,903

$25.9K OMR 9,986

-30.87%

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

$20.1K OMR 7,749

$22.4K OMR 8,624

-10.14%

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

$104 OMR 40.17

$176 OMR 67.9

-40.81%

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

$29.83 OMR 11.48

$28.30 OMR 10.90

5.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.8 OMR 33.81

$70.9 OMR 27.28

23.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.19 OMR 18.55

$62.7 OMR 24.14

-23.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.94 OMR 11.53

Cinema Ticket

$11.76 OMR 4.53

$10.52 OMR 4.05

11.79%

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

$294 OMR 113

$283 OMR 109

3.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,075 OMR 2,724

$10.6K OMR 4,070

-33.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 OMR 19.60

$56.6 OMR 21.79

-10.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.78 OMR 16.86

$43.33 OMR 16.68

1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 OMR 30.50

$91.1 OMR 35.08

-13.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.40 OMR 18.25

$86.4 OMR 33.28

-45.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 OMR 189

$674 OMR 260

-27.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 OMR 148

$461 OMR 177

-16.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 OMR 316

$1,324 OMR 510

-38.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 OMR 265

$813 OMR 313

-15.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,173 OMR 452

$2,871 OMR 1,105

-59.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$784 OMR 302

$1,614 OMR 621

-51.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,443 OMR 941

$1,650 OMR 635

48.10%

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 Muscat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sohar

$384 26.8%

Muscat

$461 29.6% 19.9% $76

Groceries & Markets

Sohar

$346 24.2%

Muscat

$292 18.8% 15.7% $54

Eating Out

Sohar

$235 16.4%

Muscat

$220 14.1% 6.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sohar

$222 15.5%

Muscat

$275 17.7% 24.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Sohar

$100 7%

Muscat

$125 8% 25.4% $25

Getting Around

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Muscat

$100 6.4% 36.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sohar

$72 5%

Muscat

$84 5.4% 16.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $492 in Sohar and $674 in Muscat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sohar pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $21.00 in Sohar vs $39.00 in Muscat. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $292, with Muscat cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sohar

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

Same time as Sohar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,605

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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Sohar Muscat 190 km

From you

Sohar
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

Sohar vs Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sohar and Muscat differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,432 vs $1,556 including rent). Sohar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Sohar, 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: $492 in Sohar versus $674 in Muscat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sohar – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $39.00 in Muscat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,432 per month in Sohar versus $1,556 in Muscat – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,432 in Sohar versus $1,556 in Muscat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sohar but tight or insufficient in Muscat. The gap between the two cities makes Sohar 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, Sohar 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 Sohar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Muscat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.