How much does it cost to live in Muscat?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$2,682 (OMR 1,032)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: search.savills.com, dreoman.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $935 (OMR 360)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $4,733 (OMR 1,821)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $1,196 (OMR 460)
Al Mouj (The Gardens)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Muscat's rental market is overwhelmingly whole-apartment or villa based — flatsharing/private-room setups are not commonly listed on rental portals, so budget-minded nomads should expect to book a small furnished studio or 1BR rather than a shared room.
- Furnished short-stay apartments in Al Mouj and Qurum command a real premium over unfurnished long-lease units quoted in generic cost-of-living calculators — always check whether a quoted rent includes furniture before comparing.
- Rents in newer waterfront developments like Al Mouj and Muscat Hills have been trending upward, so listings even a few months old may undercount current asking prices.
- Imported groceries (dairy, meat, packaged goods) tend to cost noticeably more than in South/Southeast Asia due to Oman's import dependence, while local produce and fish are comparatively cheaper.
- Mwasalat city buses are cash-only with no monthly pass or smart card — budget for small-denomination cash for every ride.
- Regular street taxis in Muscat are not metered; always agree the fare with the driver before getting in, as foreigners are often quoted 2-3x the local rate.
- The Omani rial (OMR) has been pegged at a fixed rate to the US dollar for decades, so USD conversions of local prices are unusually stable compared to floating-currency destinations.
- Alcohol is only legally sold in licensed hotel bars/restaurants and a few licensed retail outlets, not in regular shops or most standalone bars — this pushes 'night out' costs up compared to neighboring countries.
- If you plan to stay past the initial visa-free window, apply for the eVisa well ahead of time (allow several working days) via the official Royal Oman Police portal rather than a third-party agent site.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- OMR 1,032
Includes 5 estimated components
- Lean month
- OMR 360
Includes 3 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- OMR 1,821
Includes 5 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- No large dedicated 'digital nomad' cluster is documented in Muscat, but expats and professionals concentrate in Al Mouj, Qurum, Muscat Hills and Azaiba — modern, furnished, waterfront-adjacent developments close to business districts. Housing figures below are drawn from listings in these areas.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- OMR 730
Local listing
Savills Oman listing: furnished 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom apartment in Qurum, Muscat, guide price OMR 730/month.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- OMR 460
Local listing
Dreoman listing: 1BHK furnished apartment, The Gardens, Al Mouj, Muscat, OMR 460/month, ~81 sqm.
- Premium apartment
- OMR 1,400
Local listing
Savills Oman listing: furnished 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom apartment in Al Mouj, Muscat, 157 sqm, guide price OMR 1,400/month.
- Private room in a shared home
- OMR 220
Estimated
No live listings for a private room in a shared home were found for Muscat (the rental market here is overwhelmingly whole-apartment/villa based, not room-shares). Estimated as roughly half of a budget furnished 1BR apartment rent.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- OMR 90
Survey / cost-of-living site
Nomadlio cost-of-living aggregator states monthly groceries for one person in Muscat average $235.
Published in USD
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- OMR 0.55
Estimated
No single-item Muscat price found in search; estimated from typical Gulf-supermarket pricing.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- OMR 1.20
Estimated
No single-item Muscat price found in search; estimated from typical Gulf-supermarket pricing.
1kg Chicken Breast
- 1kg Chicken Breast
- OMR 2.20
Estimated
No single-item Muscat price found in search; estimated from typical Gulf-supermarket pricing.
1kg Rice
- 1kg Rice
- OMR 1.00
Estimated
No single-item Muscat price found in search; estimated from typical Gulf-supermarket pricing.
Loaf of Bread
- Loaf Of Bread
- OMR 0.50
Estimated
No single-item Muscat price found in search; estimated from typical Gulf-supermarket pricing.
1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- OMR 0.30
Estimated
No single-item Muscat price found in search; estimated from typical Gulf-supermarket pricing. This is a store price, not a restaurant price.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- OMR 2.63
Estimated
Midpoint of ExpatFocus-stated range: a dish at a local Omani restaurant typically costs OMR 2–5. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 3.5 OMR reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- OMR 20
Survey / cost-of-living site
ExpatFocus states upscale dining begins at around OMR 20 per head.
- Mid-range meal
- OMR 7.50
Estimated
Midpoint of ExpatFocus-stated range: a sit-down meal at a decent mid-range establishment runs OMR 5–15 per person. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 10 OMR reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Day pass
- OMR 39
Operator's own price
Spaces (IWG) Muscat locations: 'day office prices start from OMR 39 per person per day' across its 12 Muscat sites.
- Monthly hot desk
- OMR 82
Estimated
Regus's Oman-wide page states 'Prices for renting a desk in a shared workspace start from OMR 35 to OMR 129 per person per month'; no single Muscat-specific hot-desk monthly price was published, so this is the midpoint of that stated range.
Transport
- About monthly passes
- Mwasalat city buses are cash-only with no smart card, monthly pass, or day-pass product — every ride is paid individually to the driver.
- Single ride
- OMR 0.30
Survey / cost-of-living site
Travel blog states 'Travelling within one zone will cost 300bz' (300 baisa = OMR 0.300) on Mwasalat city buses; a second independent blog corroborates this exact fare structure.
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- OMR 12
Estimated
No live carrier plan page was retrieved at the time of research; figure is an estimate based on typical Omantel/Ooredoo prepaid mid-tier data SIM pricing in Oman and should be treated as indicative only.
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Extreme climate split: November-March pleasant peak season attracts sustained tourism; April-October scorching heat (31-40°C) explicitly discourages visitors. Muscat Festival (Jan, ~2M visitors) and National Day (Nov) amplify winter demand. Hotels fully booked during these windows; booking 3 months ahead required.
Low season
- Budget
- OMR 45
Budget 2-star hotel; KAYAK June low $140 avg all hotels, budget segment ~30% of average
- Luxury
- OMR 110
5-star resort; Budget Your Trip luxury baseline $140, discounted to ~$110 in low season (June-August extreme heat discounting)
- Premium
- OMR 80
4-star hotel; KAYAK reports $43-52 for 4-star in May/March low season; Budget Your Trip $67 baseline compressed
- Standard
- OMR 60
3-star hotel; Budget Your Trip baseline $44, confirmed low-season hold around $50-60; KAYAK June average $121-140
High season
- Budget
- OMR 90
Budget 2-star hotel average; KAYAK & Budget Your Trip data (January $313 avg across all hotels, with budget segment at ~30% of average)
- Luxury
- OMR 300
5-star resort; Budget Your Trip luxury hotels $140 baseline, high-season peak ~$260; Expedia $67+ for 5-star tier supports upper range
- Premium
- OMR 200
4-star hotel; Budget Your Trip $67 baseline, high-season peak ~$140; KAYAK data supports $100-150 range for premium tier
- Standard
- OMR 140
3-star hotel; Budget Your Trip reports average 3-star at $44 baseline, high-season uplift to ~$96; KAYAK January peak $313 blended
Low-season months
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
High-season months
- November
- December
- January
- February
- March
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Muscat
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.