Cost of living in Muscat

Hi friends my name is Bharat,I am from Delhi I have been offered a job in Muscat in a retail organization and the package is all inclusive 475 Omani riyal I have to take care of my accommodation,  food and transportation all by myself. Though i will be sharing the rented accommodation with a colleague of mine. I want to know is this package enough for me to stay in Muscat and save as well say about 250 riyal after taking care of all my expenses. I have a very frugal lifestyle I do not spend a lot I buy stuff only what I need . I'd be very thankful if someone could help me out.

Hi bharat2087,

Yes, you should be able to easily save the said amount - given your lifestyle.

Accommodation and food would be your biggest of expenses. If you can manage those expenses smartly, you should be able to save even more too.

Thank you for your prompt reply on my post Sumitran sir, I am very thankful to you for answering my query so as you said I will be able to save 250plus Omani riyal every month after all my expenses . I am happy hear that thinking I'd be able to send some money back home to my family.I am now giving my nod to the job offer then. THANK YOU SO MUCH SIR.

Hi bharat2087,

WAIT !!! Don't say 'yes 'immediately !

Why don't you try to negotiate for an increase in your package ? Either salary, or benefits. No harm in trying.

I don't know anything about your background to comment on your present offer. But I do suggest you negotiate for a better deal. If it comes good. If not, at least you tried.

Good luck !

bharat2087 wrote:

Thank you for your prompt reply on my post Sumitran sir, I am very thankful to you for answering my query so as you said I will be able to save 250plus Omani riyal every month after all my expenses . I am happy hear that thinking I'd be able to send some money back home to my family.I am now giving my nod to the job offer then. THANK YOU SO MUCH SIR.


Dear Brother,
If you could further add the nature of job, you;ve been hired for, we probably could advice you further on the package. However, I fully agree with Mr. Sumitran to what he said, pertaining to negotiating the package. Give it a try as you've nothing to lose end of the day. It might benefit you somehow.

Respected Sumitran sir and my fellow friend,
I come from a middle class background I have been brought up on the ideals of buying stuff only what we require for ourselves and I personally don't like to spend a lot on going out watching movies and stuff . I have been offered a sales Executive profile wherein I have to attend consumers in a store and the products would be watches I will also earn incentives but that is subject to completing targets.I am looking at spending only on accommodation,transportation and food with minimal miscellaneous expenses and will be sharing the rent with 1 more colleague of mine . as far as negotiating the offer was concerned with respect to the salary I tried but in vain before accepting the package as well I tried negotiating again but without any results thus i  put forward my query on this forum and you came to my rescue. One last thing I wanted to know is with respect to the accommodation and transportation my organization is providing me with accommodation for first month and I have to find my own place to live in the meanwhile so can you help with telling any places to live for 2 people with market nearby and transport would be easily available as well. At present I am not aware of the area where my workplace/store would be located and what are the modes of transport can we make monthly passes for public buses or taxis or anything else.

Hi bharat2087,

Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. So you are not alone. Many expatriates who leave their families back home and come and work hard to earn a living do so only because of the money. So again let me emphasis, you are not alone.

If your job is going to be outdoors most of the time and does not require you to be reporting to work daily then I would suggest the best place for you would be to look for accommodation in places like Al Hamriyah / Ruwi High Street. That's one of the busiest middle-class shopping areas in Muscat. Sharing accommodation is also available in plenty there. You can visit a good number of retail outlets and there are numerous small shops that sell watched in the Ruwi High Street stretch.

Please be aware that public transport in Muscat is quite bad. Public buses are there. Private taxis are also available. There are also what are known as the 'Baiza Buses' which is a mini van where some 15 people can be accommodated. Please read all about it in detail in the 'Cars and Transportation' section of this site.

Good luck.