Short answer: In September 2026 most apartments for rent in Muscat ask OMR 150 to 250 a month for a one-bedroom in Al Khuwair, Ghubrah or the Seeb area, OMR 300 to 450 in Qurum, Bausher and Muscat Hills, and about OMR 500 in Al Mouj. A two-bedroom runs from about OMR 220 in Seeb to OMR 664 in Al Mouj on Savills' benchmark. Buying the same size of home in a freehold project costs about 20 to 30 years of that rent, so renting is cheaper month by month. Buying wins when you plan to stay, want a residence visa that no employer controls, and would rather pay into an asset than into a landlord's account.
Almost everyone who moves to Oman searches for flats for rent in Muscat first, and most rent tables online are two or three years old. This guide gives current apartment rents in Muscat by area and size, from two sources, and says plainly where they disagree. It then puts the rent next to the price of buying a similar home that foreigners can own, shows the arithmetic, and tells you when renting is the better call and when buying is.
Two sources sit behind the rent figures. The first is Savills, whose quarterly Oman report tracks average rents for a benchmark two-bedroom apartment and four-bedroom villa in the main expat districts. The second is our own snapshot of every monthly rental listing on Bayut Oman for the Muscat governorate on 28 September 2026: 949 apartments and 416 villas. Bayut figures are asking rents, not signed contracts, and they mix furnished and unfurnished homes. For each area we show the middle half of listings (the 25th to 75th percentile), which removes the odd bargain and the odd penthouse. One rial is pegged at about USD 2.60.
Muscat rents at a glance
| Unit | Typical asking rent, all Muscat (OMR a month) | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 170 | 18 |
| One-bedroom | 250 | 329 |
| Two-bedroom | 290 | 445 |
| Three-bedroom | 275 | 111 |
These are medians across the whole governorate. The three-bedroom median sits below the two-bedroom one because many large apartments on offer are in older buildings in Al Maabilah, Al Khoud and Ruwi. Studios are rare: only 18 were listed on the day, most asking OMR 140 to 180.
The figures agree with our cost of living in Oman guide, which puts a one-bedroom at OMR 175 outside the centre and OMR 258 in the centre on Numbeo's crowd-sourced data.
Apartments for rent in Muscat: rents by area
Asking rents on Bayut Oman, 28 September 2026, middle half of listings, in OMR a month. The last column is Savills' average for a two-bedroom apartment where it covers the area.
| Area | One-bedroom | Two-bedroom | Three-bedroom | Savills two-bedroom, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Mouj (The Wave) | 480 to 600 | 800 to 1,300 | 1,100 to 1,800 | 710 (Q1), 664 (Q2) |
| Muscat Hills | 350 to 450 | 450 to 570 | Too few listings | 491 (Q1) |
| Qurum | 275 to 425 | 350 to 475 | 410 to 830 | 350 (Q1), up 16% in Q2 |
| Bausher | 260 to 360 | 300 to 425 | 325 to 550 | Not covered |
| Azaiba | 160 to 320 | 250 to 400 | 240 to 360 | Not covered |
| Al Ghubrah | 150 to 250 | 250 to 400 | Too few listings | Not covered |
| Al Khuwair | 180 to 270 | 230 to 280 | 300 to 370 | 385 (Q1) |
| Seeb area (Al Mawaleh, Al Khoud, Al Hail, Al Seeb) | 115 to 220 | 180 to 330 | 165 to 240 | Not covered |
Where the sources disagree. In Al Mouj, Bayut's asking rents for a two-bedroom (median OMR 950) sit well above Savills' average of OMR 664 for Q2 2026. Part of the gap is furniture: 15 of the 39 Al Mouj two-bedrooms were listed furnished, at a median of OMR 1,200. Part of it is that asking rents are opening positions, and Savills tracks the rents that deals actually close at. In Al Khuwair the gap runs the other way: Savills reports OMR 385 for Q1 2026, while most Bayut listings ask OMR 230 to 280, because the portal includes many older buildings that Savills' benchmark does not. If you are negotiating, the Savills figure is the better guide in Al Mouj, and the listings are the better guide in Al Khuwair and Seeb.
Areas left out. Madinat Sultan Qaboos had only 9 apartment listings on the day, and Muscat Bay and Yiti had 2 between them, too few to publish a range. We show Madinat Sultan Qaboos in the villa table below, where the sample is larger.
Direction of travel. Savills reported Al Mouj two-bedroom rents up 3% in Q1 2026 and Qurum apartment rents up 16% in Q2, while Al Khuwair fell 14% in Q1. There is no single citywide trend.
Villa rents in Muscat
Four-bedroom villas, OMR a month.
| Area | Bayut asking rent, middle half | Listings | Savills average, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Mouj | 910 to 1,210 | 6 | 1,770 (Q1), 1,700 (Q2) |
| Muscat Hills | Too few listings | 1 | 1,200 (Q1) |
| Madinat Sultan Qaboos | 800 to 1,100 | 23 | 908 (Q1), up 22% in Q2 |
| Qurum | 800 to 1,900 | 17 | Not covered |
| Azaiba | 925 to 1,100 | 10 | Not covered |
| Seeb area | 500 to 650 | 59 | Not covered |
With only 6 Al Mouj villas on Bayut, the Savills average is the more reliable figure there. In the Seeb area, four and five-bedroom villas ask similar rents of around OMR 600 to 650.
What renting in Muscat costs on top of the rent
The rent is not the only cheque. These are the rules and habits that newcomers meet in their first lease.
- Lease registration, 3% of the rent. Every lease must be registered with Muscat Municipality. The fee is 3% of the total rent for the contract period: on a one-year lease at OMR 250 a month that is OMR 90. The municipality's own calculator uses exactly this formula. The law puts the duty on the landlord, but many contracts pass the fee to the tenant, so check the clause.
- Register within a month. Muscat Municipality's standard lease terms say an unregistered lease, or one whose fee is unpaid within a month, is void before government bodies, and the fine is three times the fee.
- Utilities are yours. Electricity, water, sewerage and municipality charges are paid by the tenant. For an 85 m² apartment, budget about OMR 66 a month, more in summer when the air conditioning runs all day.
- Rent paid in advance. Many landlords ask for the year's rent in one to four post-dated cheques rather than monthly transfers, and a security deposit, commonly around one month's rent.
- Notice. Under the same municipal terms, a tenant who wants to leave must tell the landlord three months before the lease ends, or before half of the lease has run if that is shorter. Without notice, the lease renews.
- Furniture is extra. New apartments are usually let unfurnished, so budget for furniture and appliances.
What buying costs instead
Foreigners cannot buy just anywhere in Muscat. Ownership is limited to Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs) such as Al Mouj and Muscat Bay, and to approved zones such as Sultan Haitham City. That matters here: Qurum, Al Khuwair, Ghubrah, Bausher and Madinat Sultan Qaboos, where most expats rent, are mostly not open to foreign freehold ownership. The homes you can buy sit in newer, planned communities.
These are the entry prices in our live inventory on 28 September 2026, the cheapest available unit of each size in a Muscat project:
| Home | Project and area | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Wadi Zaha, Sultan Haitham City | 56 m² | OMR 61,635 |
| One-bedroom | Wadi Zaha, Sultan Haitham City | 80 m² | OMR 71,660 |
| Two-bedroom | Yenaier, Sultan Haitham City | 151 m² | OMR 86,347 |
| Two-bedroom | Zen Residences, Muscat Bay | 133 m² | OMR 138,000 |
| One-bedroom | Vistal, Al Mouj | 76 m² | OMR 140,000 |
| Two-bedroom | Vistal, Al Mouj | 127 m² | OMR 235,000 |
Price per square metre for every project is on our Oman property price index, which divides each listed price by its area and takes the median.
On top of the price, a foreign buyer pays a one-off registration fee of about 3% to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning when the title is registered. Omani buyers have paid 1% since the ministry cut their rate in 2025. There is no annual property tax. What you do pay every year is the community service charge, set by the developer and different for each project.
Ownership also changes your visa. A home in an ITC or approved zone gives a residence visa for property owners: 2 years, renewable, with a government fee of OMR 50, and since June 2026 it needs no Omani sponsor and covers first-degree family. The full comparison with the work and family visas is in our Oman visa types guide, and the owner route itself in the sponsor-free owner visa guide.
Rent vs buy: the honest arithmetic
The simplest way to compare is to ask how many years of rent equal the purchase price. The formula is price divided by (monthly rent x 12).
| Home you could buy | Price | Comparable rent (OMR a month) | Years of rent to equal the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio, Wadi Zaha | OMR 61,635 | 170, Muscat studio median | 30 |
| One-bedroom, Wadi Zaha | OMR 71,660 | 250, Muscat one-bedroom median | 24 |
| Two-bedroom, Yenaier | OMR 86,347 | 290, Muscat two-bedroom median | 25 |
| One-bedroom, Vistal, Al Mouj | OMR 140,000 | 510, Al Mouj one-bedroom median | 23 |
| Two-bedroom, Vistal, Al Mouj | OMR 235,000 | 664, Savills Al Mouj average | 29.5 |
Worked example for the first row: 170 x 12 = 2,040 a year, and 61,635 divided by 2,040 is about 30. The Al Mouj two-bedroom falls to about 21 years if you use Bayut's asking median of OMR 950 instead of the Savills average.
This is an illustration, not a forecast and not a yield. It leaves out the registration fee, service charges, maintenance, any mortgage interest and any change in prices or rents. It also compares new homes in planned communities with a rental market that includes many older buildings.
What the table says is clear: on monthly cost alone, renting in Muscat is cheaper than buying. A price of 20 to 30 years of rent is a high multiple, and anyone who says buying always beats renting is not doing the sum.
Here is the other side of the ledger. Rent for a typical one-bedroom at OMR 250 a month adds up to OMR 30,000 over 10 years, and at the end you own nothing. The one-bedroom at Wadi Zaha costs OMR 71,660 plus about OMR 2,150 in registration, and at the end of 10 years you still own it. Off-plan, you do not pay that sum on day one: a reservation deposit of 5 to 10% (OMR 3,583 to OMR 7,166 on that unit) holds it, and the balance follows the developer's schedule. Our guide to how much money you need to buy property in Oman sets out the cash to start for every budget, and payment plans in Oman explains how instalments raise the total price.
If you would rather borrow, banks lend to foreigners for ITC homes: resident expats can often borrow up to about 80% of the value and non-residents about 50 to 70%, over 20 to 25 years. The rules are in our guide to bank loans and mortgages for foreigners in Oman.
When buying wins, and when renting wins
Renting wins when:
- You expect to stay less than about five years, or your job could move you.
- You want to live in Qurum, Al Khuwair or Madinat Sultan Qaboos, which foreigners generally cannot buy into.
- Your residence already comes with your job and you want to keep your capital free.
- You do not yet know which part of Muscat suits you. Rent for a year first.
Buying wins when:
- You plan to stay for many years and want your housing cost to end in an asset rather than a receipt.
- Your income does not come from an Omani employer: remote workers, business owners, retirees. The owner visa gives you and your family residence without a sponsor.
- You want certainty: no landlord deciding not to renew, no annual negotiation, no moving every few years with children in school.
- You want the kind of home that is scarce in the rental market: new build, in a planned community with a beach, marina or park.
Many families do both: they rent for the first year, learn the city, then buy in the community that fits. Our guide to the best areas to buy an apartment in Muscat compares Al Mouj, Muscat Bay, Muscat Hills and Sultan Haitham City side by side.
FAQ
How much is rent for an apartment in Muscat?
In September 2026 a typical asking rent across Muscat is OMR 250 a month for a one-bedroom and OMR 290 for a two-bedroom. By area, a one-bedroom asks about OMR 115 to 220 in the Seeb area, OMR 275 to 425 in Qurum and OMR 480 to 600 in Al Mouj.
Which areas of Muscat are cheapest to rent?
The Seeb area (Al Mawaleh, Al Khoud, Al Hail), Ruwi, Al Maabilah and Al Khuwair have the lowest asking rents, with many one-bedrooms under OMR 250. Al Mouj and Muscat Hills are the most expensive.
What fees does a tenant pay in Muscat?
The lease must be registered with Muscat Municipality for 3% of the total rent of the contract, OMR 90 on a year at OMR 250 a month. The law puts this on the landlord but contracts often pass it on. Tenants also pay electricity and water, and usually a deposit of about one month's rent.
Is it better to rent or buy in Muscat?
On monthly cost, renting is cheaper: the price of a new freehold apartment equals about 20 to 30 years of comparable rent. Buying makes more sense if you plan to stay for many years or want the sponsor-free owner residence visa for your family.
Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Muscat instead of renting?
Yes, in Integrated Tourism Complexes such as Al Mouj and Muscat Bay and in approved zones such as Sultan Haitham City. In our current listings a studio starts at OMR 61,635 and a one-bedroom at OMR 71,660, plus a registration fee of about 3%.
Does buying property give a residence visa in Oman?
Yes. Owning a home in an ITC or approved zone gives a renewable 2-year residence visa for the owner and first-degree family, with a fee of OMR 50 and no Omani sponsor since June 2026.
Sources
- Savills, Oman Property Market Report, Q1 2026: two-bedroom apartment and four-bedroom villa rents.
- Muscat Daily, Savills Q2 2026 figures, 29 July 2026.
- Bayut Oman, apartments for rent in Muscat, all monthly listings read on 28 September 2026.
- Muscat Municipality, lease registration fee calculator.
- Times of Oman, Muscat Municipality lease terms for tenants.
- Times of Oman, Housing ministry amends its service fees.
Next step
If you are renting now and want to see what the same monthly budget could buy, tell us your budget and the area you like. An advisor replies within one business day with the available homes, their payment plans and the residence route each one opens.