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Cape Town vs Muscat cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฟ๐ฆ Cape Town
๐ด๐ฒ Muscat
At a glance
- Where Muscat is clearly cheaper: Bottled water (70%โ), Street food (67%โ), Entry ticket (43%โ)
- Where Cape Town is clearly cheaper: Beer (78%โ), Cocktail & wine (67%โ), Coffee (54%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Cape Town is easier to travel (2.0 vs 2.8). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Cape Town 2 vs Muscat 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cape Town | Muscat | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | R 150$8.57 | OMR 2.5$6.5 | Muscat โ24% |
| Street food1 item | R 70$4 | OMR 0.5$1.3 | Muscat โ67% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | R 300$17.1 | OMR 7$18.2 | Cape Town โ6% |
| Coffeeone cup | R 38$2.17 | OMR 1.8$4.68 | Cape Town โ54% |
| Beerone bottle | R 45$2.57 | OMR 4.5$11.7 | Cape Town โ78% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | R 90$5.14 | OMR 6$15.6 | Cape Town โ67% |
| Bottled water | R 15$0.86 | OMR 0.1$0.26 | Muscat โ70% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | R 18$1.03 | OMR 0.3$0.78 | Muscat โ24% |
| Taxi5 km in town | R 60$3.43 | OMR 2.5$6.5 | Cape Town โ47% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | R 40$2.29 | OMR 1.8$4.68 | Cape Town โ51% |
| Transitone ride | R 18$1.03 | OMR 0.3$0.78 | Muscat โ24% |
| Scooter rentalper day | R 450$25.7 | OMR 7$18.2 | Muscat โ29% |
| Hotel night3-star | R 1,900$109 | OMR 28$72.8 | Muscat โ33% |
| Studio rent (month) | R 13,000$743 | OMR 230$598 | Muscat โ19% |
| Laundry | R 44$2.51 | OMR 1$2.6 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | R 250$14.3 | OMR 5$13 | Muscat โ9% |
| Haircutcut | R 170$9.71 | OMR 3$7.8 | Muscat โ20% |
| Massage1 hour | R 650$37.1 | OMR 18$46.8 | Cape Town โ21% |
| Half-day tourper person | R 900$51.4 | OMR 20$52 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | R 400$22.9 | OMR 5$13 | Muscat โ43% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cape Town or Muscat?
Muscat is 17% cheaper than Cape Town. Daily budget $168 vs $138; a month $2,941 vs $2,486.
Which is easier to travel, Cape Town or Muscat?
Cape Town is easier: Cape Town 2.0/5 vs Muscat 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cape Town and Muscat?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cape Town is about $2,941 and Muscat about $2,486 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.