Muscat
A low-rise coastal capital best explored by rental car.
- Lean
- $57
- Comfort
- $279
Flat. Tracks the country as a whole (Oman).
About the same as the national figure of $124 a day.
The short answerIn US dollars, as of November 12, 2026
Muscat: as of November 12, 2026, a mid-range day costs about $124 per person, excluding flights, which is about the same as the national average (Oman). Prices for US-dollar travelers are about where they were a year ago in real terms. A low-rise coastal capital best explored by rental car.
Official per diem
For business travel, the US State Department allows up to $654 a day here: $494 for lodging and $160 for meals and incidentals. It is a ceiling, usually well above what an independent traveler spends. All per diem rates for Oman
What your money buys in Oman
Exchange rates and inflation are national, so the city follows this line. The dashed line is the exchange rate alone; the solid line is after inflation.
Muscat, in five questions
City costs are the national model scaled by a premium of 0% that we set by hand. To cite: “Trip Arbitrage (triparbitrage.com), reading of November 12, 2026.”
- How much does a day in Muscat cost?
- About $57 on a lean budget, $124 mid-range and $279 in comfort, per person per day as of November 12, 2026, excluding international flights. These are modeled estimates: the national figure (Oman), updated daily, scaled by a city premium.
- Is Muscat expensive compared with the rest of the country (Oman)?
- Muscat costs about the same as the national average (Oman), which is $124 a day mid-range. A low-rise coastal capital best explored by rental car.
- Is Muscat cheaper to visit than last year?
- The exchange rate moved 0.0% for US-dollar holders over twelve months while local prices (Oman) rose +2.9%, a real change of +0.6%. City prices broadly follow the country.
- When is the best time to visit Muscat for lower prices?
- Oman: the shoulder months, with workable weather and lower prices, are April, October. Peak season is November, December, January, February, March.
- Is Muscat safe?
- The US State Department rates Oman at Level 3: Reconsider travel. Country-wide levels can hide large differences between cities and regions, so read the full advisory.
Booking a trip: Muscat
Partner links- FlightsKiwi.com ↗Compare fares across airlines, including the low-cost carriers that booking sites often leave out.
- Places to stayBooking.com ↗Hotels, guesthouses and apartments, most with free cancellation.
- Mobile dataAiralo ↗An eSIM you install before you land, usually far cheaper than roaming.
- Travel medical insuranceSafetyWing ↗Worth having here: serious care may mean evacuation to another country.
- Spending moneyWise ↗A multi-currency card that converts at the mid-market rate, the one this index uses.
- Tours and ticketsGetYourGuide ↗Day trips, guides and entry tickets, bookable ahead with free cancellation on most.
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