Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sur and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Sur: $1,149 a month against $1,544 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Sur
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Sur Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Sur

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,149

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,149 in Sur versus $1,544 in Muscat.

Sur $1,149
Muscat $1,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,653 in Sur versus $2,271 in Muscat.

Sur $1,653
Muscat $2,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,156 in Sur versus $2,998 in Muscat.

Sur $2,156
Muscat $2,998

Living in Sur costs roughly 26% less than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sur is 16% below, Muscat is 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 OMR 1.49

$5.26 OMR 2.02

-26.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.96 OMR 9.99

$39.02 OMR 15.02

-33.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 OMR 2.94

$7.99 OMR 3.07

-4.51%

Cappuccino

$5.05 OMR 1.94

$5.17 OMR 1.99

-2.32%

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

$0.73 OMR 0.28

$0.92 OMR 0.35

-20.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.80 OMR 4.93

$12.92 OMR 4.97

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.79 OMR 4.92

$13.10 OMR 5.04

-2.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 OMR 0.61

$2.36 OMR 0.91

-32.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 OMR 0.48

$1.24 OMR 0.48

-0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 OMR 0.66

$1.92 OMR 0.74

-9.90%

Eggs

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$3.12 OMR 1.20

-37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 OMR 2.77

$7.16 OMR 2.76

0.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 OMR 2.62

$6.88 OMR 2.65

-1.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.99 OMR 3.46

$10.22 OMR 3.94

-12.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 OMR 0.91

$3.65 OMR 1.41

-35.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$2.01 OMR 0.78

-36.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 OMR 0.41

$2.41 OMR 0.93

-56.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 OMR 0.31

$1.25 OMR 0.48

-36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 OMR 0.29

$1.21 OMR 0.47

-37.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 OMR 0.21

$1.24 OMR 0.48

-56.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 OMR 0.60

$1.86 OMR 0.72

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 OMR 0.21

$0.68 OMR 0.26

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 OMR 2.45

$6.39 OMR 2.46

-0.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.86 OMR 6.11

$15.38 OMR 5.92

3.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.10 OMR 2.35

$6.06 OMR 2.33

0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.30 OMR 3.96

$10.29 OMR 3.96

0.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 OMR 30.44

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 OMR 1.28

$3.24 OMR 1.25

2.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 OMR 1.01

$2.62 OMR 1.01

-0.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 OMR 2.98

$7.89 OMR 3.04

-1.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.53 OMR 0.20

$0.60 OMR 0.23

-11.67%

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

$24.7K OMR 9,491

$25.5K OMR 9,819

-3.34%

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

$20.7K OMR 7,965

$20.9K OMR 8,061

-1.20%

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

$77.7 OMR 29.90

$177 OMR 68.2

-56.17%

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

$23.09 OMR 8.89

$30.23 OMR 11.64

-23.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 OMR 26.85

$69.6 OMR 26.79

0.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.3 OMR 33.21

$68.3 OMR 26.29

26.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.66 OMR 11.42

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 OMR 3.95

$10.56 OMR 4.06

-2.94%

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

$502 OMR 193

$508 OMR 196

-1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,458 OMR 2,486

$10.3K OMR 3,978

-37.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 OMR 21.89

$57.2 OMR 22.03

-0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.07 OMR 16.97

$43.63 OMR 16.80

1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 OMR 34.23

$90.9 OMR 35.01

-2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 OMR 34.01

$86.3 OMR 33.23

2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 OMR 99.0

$720 OMR 277

-64.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 OMR 104

$436 OMR 168

-37.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 OMR 180

$1,188 OMR 457

-60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 OMR 148

$745 OMR 287

-48.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$583 OMR 224

$2,815 OMR 1,084

-79.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$515 OMR 198

$1,619 OMR 623

-68.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,660 OMR 1,024

$1,682 OMR 647

58.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

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

Last update for Sur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sur

$271 23.5%

Muscat

$436 28.2% 61.2% $166

Groceries & Markets

Sur

$252 21.9%

Muscat

$292 18.9% 16% $40

Eating Out

Sur

$208 18.1%

Muscat

$224 14.5% 7.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sur

$170 14.8%

Muscat

$277 17.9% 62.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Sur

$125 10.9%

Muscat

$125 8.1% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Sur

$107 9.3%

Muscat

$89 5.8% 16.3% $17

Getting Around

Sur

$16 * 1.4%

Muscat

$101 6.5% 515% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $257 in Sur and $720 in Muscat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sur pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Sur vs $39 in Muscat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $292 per month, with Sur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sur

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

Same time as Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

1,090,797 Capital

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sur Muscat 160 km

From you

Sur
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

Sur vs Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,149 in Sur and $1,544 in Muscat, so Sur is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Sur, 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: $257 in Sur versus $720 in Muscat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Muscat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,149 per month in Sur versus $1,544 in Muscat – Sur is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,149 in Sur versus $1,544 in Muscat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sur but tight or insufficient in Muscat. The gap between the two cities makes Sur 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, Sur and Muscat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.