Cost of living in muscat

Ramachandran.SG wrote:

Dear All,

I'm considering offer from a company in Oman they are offering me Basis 300 + 100 +150 Monthly performance bonus(Total 550 OMR) with food, accommodation& medical provided by company. 

It will be sufficient to take care day to day expensive & save some money.

Hi Ramachandran.SG,

If food, accommodation and medical are provided then most of your expenses are taken care of. Only transportation expenses remain to be met. Get some clarity on the 'monthly performance bonus' - whether it is a fixed income or not. If not, then be known that your monthly income gets reduced to R.O. 400/-.

Yes, for a bachelor the sum quoted would be sufficient to live on, as well as save a decent amount every month.

Good luck.

Thank you very much for your inputs,

And the monthly performance bonus will be evaluated monthly against the set objectives 0-150 OMR and accordingly they will pay.

Thanks once again.

Hi Schaz,

thanks for your input, which is very helpful to me.I'm in IT sales (Hardware & software)to enterprise customer.

after negotiation they are ready to give 650RO + transportation for child's school.

Regards
Hemant

hemantverma wrote:

Hi Schaz,

thanks for your input, which is very helpful to me.I'm in IT sales (Hardware & software)to enterprise customer.

after negotiation they are ready to give 650RO + transportation for child's school.

Regards
Hemant

Transportation for child will cover approximately 30 Rials (Depending upon how far will be his school from your house). The major part will be the school fees (Heared they're expensive).

Rest, you can easily get an idea about living cost in Muscat, based on different threats and topics on the same.

Thanks Schaz

Not a bad one if you dont spend lavishly

Sumitran and Schaz!!! Thanks for all your prompt replies...skimming thru ur posts, i almost got convinced of the exact cost of living in Oman...Thanks a ton...once again to both of u...And esp Sumitran...i guess u will be celebrating ur bday in a week...My advance wishes...Anyways rite now am in chennai,India..soon will be shifting to muscat if my final leg of interview clicks...thanks and keep posting every one!!!...My only doubt, being a movie buff...do theatres in oman screen indian movies???

Dear Raga,
Yes, indian movies are all over.

Best of luck in ur interviews and we look forward to welcome you in this country.,

Hello Everyone,

I have got an offer as a software Engieer in Muscat.The salary offered is 700 OMR I am single and earning 30k p/m in India.Please assist me if it's a good salary there. I have a simple lifestyle with no drinking and smoking habits.

Thank you
Shaurya

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all are well.

I will like to know which area will you guys recommend to live in Muscat with family?  I have stayed in Al Khuwyr for a month for a project and kind of liked it.  How much should a two to three bedroom apartment cost?  Thoughts on this will be appreciated.  Thanks.

Regards,
the-number-nine-

Not much. Depends on what kind of lifevstyle you are use to

badria1969:  okay i shall rephrase "what will it cost for a two to three bedroom decent apartment"?  Thanks.

Hi all
I hav an offer of 275 omr plus all expenses except food. Plus incentive is it a good offer or not. I hav two year exp.

rajesh chilwal wrote:

Hi all
I hav an offer of 275 omr plus all expenses except food. Plus incentive is it a good offer or not. I hav two year exp.

I would suggest you to read this threat and judge yourself. What is the nature of job which u've been offered ?

Dear All,

I'm considering a offer from a company in Oman and they are offering me complete salary package (basic,House allowance,transportation,communication allowance) of 1300 OMR + Medical insurance + one return air ticket yearly + Visa.

Will it be sufficient to take care of day to day expense with my spouse and 2 years old kid & save some money? In my country i m getting arround 600 OMR (if i convert to my salary to OMR).

raga911 wrote:

Sumitran and Schaz!!! Thanks for all your prompt replies...skimming thru ur posts, i almost got convinced of the exact cost of living in Oman...Thanks a ton...once again to both of u...And esp Sumitran...i guess u will be celebrating ur bday in a week...My advance wishes...Anyways rite now am in chennai,India..soon will be shifting to muscat if my final leg of interview clicks...thanks and keep posting every one!!!...My only doubt, being a movie buff...do theatres in oman screen indian movies???

Hi raga911,

I was away on vacation and hence the delayed response. And thanks for your kind wishes.

Schaz has already responded to your query. If I may elaborate, yes, there are a few good theaters in Muscat and some of those such as the Star Cinema and City Cinema specialise in playing only Indian movies. Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi movies get screened here on the very same day as the Indian releases ! So have no worries !

Best wishes.

Dearest Mr. Sumitran,
Welcome back. I was really wondering where r u these days. Glad you're back.

schaz wrote:

Dearest Mr. Sumitran,
Welcome back. I was really wondering where r u these days. Glad you're back.

Dear schaz,

Many thanks for your kind words.

Took a short break ... and am back in the grind !

Am still fumbling around with the new eb UI.

Take care and rock on !

700 riyals are not enough for couple in muscat coz life is expensive here

Hi Friends

Please guide me. Me and my (non working) wife will stay in OMAN. Will the below given offer be good to save some money ? I have got the following offer:

Base 400 OMR
HRA 200 OMR
Total - 600 OMR
+
Medical
Car and 250 liter fuel
Mobile and 15 / month
30 OMR for water and power

Thanks for your inputs...

I am getting an offer of 140 Omani rials in muscat accommodation and food of company,so just want to know how much i will be able to save with a comfortable lifestyle and whether its a good offer to accept.

daniyal001 wrote:

I am getting an offer of 140 Omani rials in muscat accommodation and food of company,so just want to know how much i will be able to save with a comfortable lifestyle and whether its a good offer to accept.

Hi daniyal001,

The amount that you have quoted is about what a blue-collar worker would perhaps earn.

If you accept the offer, your lifestyle will be one of compromise. With food and accommodation taken care of, your expenses will only be on your upkeep, maintenance and entertainment. If you live carefully, you should be able to save at least half your income.

And lastly, if you can categorise yourself under the white-collar category then this salary is by no means good. Since you've not mentioned anything about your job, qualifications, experience, industry ... cannot comment any further.

Best of luck.

Hi,

I have been offered a job in an FMCG company in Muscat. They are offering me around 280 OR in hand. Apart from that I will be provided a fully furnished house, food, travel expanses and medical support.

This is my first job. Can you please suggest what is the cost of living there and will I be able to save anything. My standard of living is moderate.

Thanks in advance

Hi shaiwal,

Welcome to Expat.com

Browsing through the different posts on this forum may provide you with some useful information regarding cost of living in Muscat.

If you still have some queries, please feel free to start a new discussion on the Muscat forum and post your questions.

Thank you,

Hasnaa
Expat.com Team

I am getting a in-hand 1500 OMR and with a full family of 4, including 2 children, finding is hand-to-mouth situation for everything , including weekend outings, food, school fees etc. all salary gets finihsed and no saving at all. if you are used to a good city life with nice living and outings - 1500 OMR wont suffice at all- for a 35 years man married with cheoildren ! Need at least 2800 OMR in Muscat to live and save !

Hello Sir,

I just got an job offer from Sunail Bhawan Group, Oman. They are offering me 1400 OMR + free family accommodation + company car + yearly air tickets etc.
Currently i am working at Saudi Arabia and my current salary here is around 800 OMR. As you are already in Oman so please guide me i should accept this offer or not? and how much i will save from this salary per months? + also tell me about the reputation of this company at Oman?

Regards

Suhail Bahwan is a large well diversified business conglomerate and one of Oman's foremost organisations. With accommodation provided it is a decent package.

Compared to the quality of life in Saudi, Oman would be any day better, especially  for all those having families living with them here.

Since the salary offered is more than what you are getting currently, I feel it would be better.

Regarding the savings potential and the full details of the cost of living in Muscat, you must scan through the numerous informative posts in the forum.

Good luck.

Hello to everyone!

This is a very informative thread for newbies like me and I appreciate it very much.

I am from the Philippines and I have been offerred a job by the ministry of health, i am a physician. I am to get 1900 RO (living allowance, accomodation, utilities all inclusive) Medical needs for me and my family  will be shouldred by MOH. I will be bringing my husband and an 8 yr.old daughter maybe two or three months after i arrive in muscat (hopefully) they havent told us where we'll be assigned just that it will be a government hospital, although my friend said that they try to consider our preferred city if possible).

My daughter will be studying there, I'd like to enroll her in an American or British curriculum school, with the present rates in these schools can I still save? My next option is enroll her at the philippine school (i don't know the fees yet but they say it's not as steep as the american or british schools) but that's assuming I get assigned in Muscat, if I get assigned elsewhere, i don't know...   well i hope they also have other schools there with the same curriculum.

Will that offer be enough for our family to save? we don't live extravagantly, but i do hope i can save enough to buy a car eventually, i prefer driving to commuting.

What will be the usual outgoing monthly expenses be like for a small family like ours?

Hoping for your replies on my queries. Thanks in advance.

The consolidated package quoted by you is good by Omani standards – given your lifestyle and family size. Medical insurance and annual airfare with 1-month's salary for you and return airfare / tickets for your family are all mandatory requirements which your employer has to take care of.

If you get posted in Muscat it will be good, for obvious reasons. If you get posted in the interiors then life could get a bit boring and lonely, even with your family around.

International schools cost a bomb. The school fee for most students who study there are footed by their fathers' companies – sometimes 50%, sometime 75%, and in some cases even 100% ! Suggest you study the fee structure / comparisons online. Good schools are few and far between in the interiors. Sohar has an international school, but I doubt if the other places do.

Cost of living and entertainment expenses have been discussed in detail in the forum. Please scan through those for details of how much you would have to spend and therefore how much you could save.

Best wishes.

can someone tell me that if someone shifting to oman and someone got 200 omani rial is gud for him/her for living with residential and food facility?

Though the salary isn't very good, with accommodation and food expenses taken care of, the rest of the cost will only be for your personal upkeep and maintenance. So it is not too bad. Now how much of this you would want to save is entirely up to you, depending on your spendings.

I think so it's not good offer because cost of living is high if you want bring your family it's not enough

I have got an offer from Halian International Company, Ruwi. They are offering 3500 OMR Including everything. Can I have any saving. If so how much? Is it a good offer.
What will the the rent for single bedroom flat?
Food expense (vegetarian)?
How much will be second hand car?
How will be the public transportation?
For a couple and a 2 yr kid.

OMR 3,500 is a decent amount and comes under a comfort zone. If you can just browse the "Cost of living" section of this forum, you'll be easily able to evaluate your monthly expenses accordingly.

Hello everyone
I got a job offer to work in Muscat for 700 O.R plus accommodation , transportation and medical care ..
is this a good offer ? shall i take it ? i'm a geotechnical engineer by the way
what is the average monthly living cost in Muscat

Hello All,

My name is Kunal Chandra (Chemical Engg.) and I am working here in India having 7.3 years of experience in Sourcing, Procurement & SCM.

I got an offer to work in Muscat on a payroll of a consultant named MENA HR SOLUTIONS LLC and will be working with their client British Petroleum (BP).

MENA HR is offering me 2000 OMR per month but I am having some doubts in my mind as mentioned below:

1. Would there be any possibility that I have to surrender my Passport to my employer in any case? as I am not willing to do so.

2. How much it will cost me if I live alone in 1BHK with all the facilities (Internet, TV, etc) and drink thrice a week?

I would appreciate if anyone can help me to clear my doubts.

Kunal

Hi Kunal,

In all likelihood you may have to surrender your passport to your prospective employer – more so you being an Asian.

Yes, it is illegal for employers to retain the passports of their employees, but it is nevertheless done rampantly. However, there are some companies who do not do so. But they are few and far between.

Mind you, refusal to hand over your passport might well result in your job being offered to another employee who may have no qualms about submitting his passport to his employer's ‘safekeeping'.

If you are keen on holding on to your passport, it is advisable for you to clarify with your employer prior to signing your job contract, to save yourself some serious hassles later on.

For a 1BHK apartment rents would vary anywhere between R.O. 150/- to R.O. 450/- per month, depending on the location of the flat and the quality of the apartment.

Cost of Living & Liquor Permit

The cost of living in Muscat is one of the most thoroughly discussed topics in this forum here. So all you have to do is read through the multiple posts which have explained even the smallest information in great detail.

To drink thrice a week would necessitate your applying for and getting your own 'Liquor Permit', else it would prove to be a very costly and an inconvenient and unsafe affair.

The process of applying for a ‘Liquor Permit' too has been discussed in detail in the forum.

Just so that you know, I quote here briefly from the Liquor Permit book issued by the Sultanate of Oman Royal Oman Police - Directorate General of Criminal Inquiries & Investigation - Directorate of Licencing...

“Liquor permits are only issued to non-Muslim residents if the Sultanate.

No resident has a right to a liquor permit. It is issued only as a privilege & the Royal Oman Police has the right to refuse any application without giving any reason whatsoever.”

There are another 3 pages of instructions on related topics carrying information on the ‘Purchase', ‘Consumption', ‘Carriage' and a ‘Conclusion'.

Good luck.

Hello hi
I am an B.E., Civil Engineer . I got an offer in Muscat as Site Engineer with 370 OMR + Accomodation + Food + Travel. Is his package good to accept . I am a Bachelor now and i will be getting married  within this year. Please kindly help me advising.  Thank you.

Hi sibhi,

For your qualification, the package offered is a pittance. I suppose your working experience would only be about a couple of years. For a bachelor it is liveable given your employer is taking care of all expenses. For your personal upkeep you might need about R.O. 100/- per month. Despite all this the salary is very less.

When you get married you will not be able to bring your wife over with this package and it is very unlikely that your employer would increase the package to R.O. 600/- per month which is the minimum salary required to sponsor your wife.

Good luck.