Cost of living comparison

Maldives

compared to

Oman

Muscat vs. Male Cost of Living Summary

Muscat is 8.1% cheaper than Male.

Restaurants: pay 18.8% less in Muscat
Groceries: pay 22.1% less in Muscat
Transportation: pay 2.3% more in Muscat
Housing: pay 22.0% less in Muscat
Childcare: pay 2.3 times more in Muscat
Entertainment and Sports: pay 18.3% more in Muscat
Clothing: pay 20.9% more in Muscat

The cost of childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Muscat are more expensive than in Male. Expenses including groceries, housing, and restaurants are lower in Muscat. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Muscat.

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Muscat vs. Male Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Muscat instead of Male, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 18.8% less for restaurants

	Male	Muscat
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.00 MVR92.74	$5.20 OMR2.000	-13.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.73 MVR150.39	$7.80 OMR3.000	-19.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.63 MVR25.12	$0.88 OMR0.340	-46.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.30 MVR4.59	$0.28 OMR0.110	-5.2%
Average			-18.8%

Male vs. Muscat - Cost of restaurants

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pay 22.1% less for groceries

	Male	Muscat
Bread 1 loaf	$1.65 MVR25.57	$1.21 OMR0.470	-26.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.34 MVR82.43	$3.66 OMR1.410	-31.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.69 MVR118.80	$8.79 OMR3.380	+14.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.92 MVR29.70	$2.98 OMR1.150	+55.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.77 MVR42.73	$3.17 OMR1.220	+14.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.80 MVR27.83	$1.63 OMR0.630	-9.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.39 MVR21.40	$0.90 OMR0.350	-35.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.85 MVR28.65	$1.08 OMR0.410	-41.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.22 MVR18.84	$0.58 OMR0.220	-52.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.93 MVR14.40	$0.54 OMR0.210	-41.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.86 MVR13.30	$0.57 OMR0.220	-33.5%
Average			-22.1%

Male vs. Muscat - Cost of groceries

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pay 2.3% more for transportation

	Male	Muscat
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.81 MVR58.81	$2.35 OMR0.900	-38.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$30.82 MVR476.23	$78.03 OMR30.000	+153.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,446.46 MVR501K	$25,485.84 OMR9,799.310	-21.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$17.52 MVR270.70	$24.06 OMR9.250	+37.3%
Average			+2.3%

Male vs. Muscat - Cost of transportation

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pay 22.0% less for housing

	Male	Muscat
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$73.00 MVR1,127.92	$70.55 OMR27.130	-3.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$951.14 MVR14,695.19	$680.91 OMR261.810	-28.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$699.92 MVR10,813.71	$453.13 OMR174.230	-35.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$90.98 MVR1,405.60	$136.85 OMR52.620	+50.4%
Average			-22.0%

Male vs. Muscat - Cost of housing

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pay 2.3 times more for childcare

	Male	Muscat
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$184.98 MVR2,857.90	$287.32 OMR110.480	+55.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,004.83 MVR46,424.59	$10,536.61 OMR4,051.330	+250.7%
Average			+133.4%

Male vs. Muscat - Cost of childcare

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pay 18.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Male	Muscat
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.87 MVR75.19	$13.00 OMR5.000	+167.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.55 MVR54.84	$5.07 OMR1.950	+42.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$14.93 MVR230.60	$6.50 OMR2.500	-56.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$70.81 MVR1,093.98	$62.02 OMR23.850	-12.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$9.73 MVR150.39	$10.40 OMR4.000	+6.9%
Average			+18.3%

Male vs. Muscat - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 20.9% more for clothing

	Male	Muscat
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$39.51 MVR610.48	$56.51 OMR21.730	+43.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$49.64 MVR766.88	$43.24 OMR16.630	-12.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.13 MVR1,346.11	$89.59 OMR34.450	+2.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$52.52 MVR811.39	$87.56 OMR33.670	+66.7%
Average			+20.9%

Male vs. Muscat - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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