Cost of living comparison

Oman

compared to

South Africa

South Africa vs. Oman Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 5.8% cheaper than Oman overall.

Restaurants: pay 21.8% more in South Africa
Groceries: pay 23.0% less in South Africa
Transportation: pay 46.6% more in South Africa
Housing: pay 5.2% less in South Africa
Childcare: pay 27.1% less in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 53.5% less in South Africa
Clothing: pay 17.5% more in South Africa

The cost of transportation, restaurants, and clothing in South Africa are more expensive than in Oman. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, groceries, and housing are lower in South Africa.

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South Africa vs. Oman Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of Oman, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 21.8% more for restaurants

	Oman	South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.18 OMR2.360	$10.21 ZAR168.45	+65.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.43 OMR3.610	$5.91 ZAR97.49	-37.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.87 OMR0.330	$1.08 ZAR17.88	+25.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.27 OMR0.100	$0.84 ZAR13.78	+207.1%
Average			+21.8%

Oman vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 23.0% less for groceries

	Oman	South Africa
Bread 1 loaf	$1.21 OMR0.460	$1.07 ZAR17.59	-12.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.82 OMR1.840	$4.08 ZAR67.33	-15.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$9.05 OMR3.460	$4.58 ZAR75.49	-49.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.07 OMR1.180	$2.56 ZAR42.28	-16.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.24 OMR1.240	$2.31 ZAR38.16	-28.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.45 OMR0.550	$0.81 ZAR13.40	-43.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.97 OMR0.370	$0.74 ZAR12.13	-24.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.23 OMR0.470	$0.79 ZAR12.95	-36.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.78 OMR0.300	$0.77 ZAR12.71	-1.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.65 OMR0.250	$0.64 ZAR10.62	-1.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.69 OMR0.260	$0.66 ZAR10.85	-4.5%
Average			-23.0%

Oman vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries

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pay 46.6% more for transportation

	Oman	South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.34 OMR0.890	$5.49 ZAR90.53	+134.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$55.92 OMR21.380	$65.15 ZAR1,074.55	+16.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,976.63 OMR8,404.150	$32,517.32 ZAR536K	+48.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$15.03 OMR5.750	$7.35 ZAR121.20	-51.1%
Average			+46.6%

Oman vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation

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pay 5.2% less for housing

	Oman	South Africa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$78.05 OMR29.850	$38.93 ZAR642.17	-50.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$485.58 OMR185.690	$421.37 ZAR6,950.09	-13.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$358.74 OMR137.190	$369.24 ZAR6,090.32	+2.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$88.60 OMR33.880	$105.57 ZAR1,741.24	+19.2%
Average			-5.2%

Oman vs. South Africa - Cost of housing

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pay 27.1% less for childcare

	Oman	South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$270.15 OMR103.310	$199.53 ZAR3,291.11	-26.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,828.04 OMR2,611.130	$4,917.78 ZAR81,113.80	-28.0%
Average			-27.1%

Oman vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare

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pay 53.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Oman	South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$11.38 OMR4.350	$2.25 ZAR37.13	-80.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.34 OMR2.040	$2.25 ZAR37.18	-57.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.18 OMR2.360	$3.16 ZAR52.13	-48.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$57.14 OMR21.850	$31.59 ZAR521.05	-44.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$9.10 OMR3.480	$7.32 ZAR120.70	-19.6%
Average			-53.5%

Oman vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 17.5% more for clothing

	Oman	South Africa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$45.42 OMR17.370	$52.66 ZAR868.55	+15.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$39.55 OMR15.130	$34.13 ZAR562.92	-13.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.67 OMR28.940	$99.75 ZAR1,645.29	+31.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$59.96 OMR22.930	$86.61 ZAR1,428.49	+44.4%
Average			+17.5%

Oman vs. South Africa - 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 October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Oman vs. South Africa

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in South Africa?

Quality of Life Comparison · 21 statistics

Be 10.0 times more likely to be unemployed in South Africa

Size Comparison · See true size

Oman is about 3.9 times smaller than South Africa.

Moving from Oman to South Africa · UN DESA 2020

35 people born in Oman live in South Africa.

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