Short answer: Muscat Bay is a gated freehold community in a private bay at Bandar Jissah, about 20 minutes from central Muscat, open to buyers of every nationality. The homes we can sell there today are at Zen Residences: 13 apartments and lofts as at 21 September 2026, from OMR 138,000 for a two-bedroom to OMR 198,000 for a two-bedroom loft with a maid's room. The median home is OMR 174,000, and the median price per square metre is about OMR 1,111, roughly half of Al Mouj.
Muscat Bay is one of the most searched property names in Oman, and most people searching it are trying to work out two things: whether a foreigner can buy there, and what it really costs next to Al Mouj and Yiti. This guide answers both from our live inventory. It is written for buyers who live outside Oman, in the UAE, the UK and Europe. If you are comparing communities, our guide to buying property in Oman as a foreigner and the Oman property price index are the place to start.
What Muscat Bay is
Muscat Bay is an Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) set in its own bay at Bandar Jissah, just east of the capital, with mountains on three sides and the sea on the fourth. Inside the gates are a private beach, a marina, restaurants and the five-star Jumeirah Muscat Bay resort.
Central Muscat is about 20 minutes away and Muscat International Airport about 35 minutes, along the headland road. That is the main difference from Jebel Sifah, which is about 45 minutes out: Muscat Bay is close enough to live in and still work in the city.
Because it is an ITC, a buyer of any nationality receives full freehold title in their own name, with no local partner and no sponsor.
Zen Residences: every available home
Zen Residences is a newer project inside Muscat Bay by Zen Development and Investment, launched in 2024. These are all 13 homes available on our books today.
| Type | Available | Size | View | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-bedroom apartment | 4 | 128 to 138 sqm | Garden | OMR 138,000 to 146,000 |
| 2-bedroom loft | 3 | 137 to 142 sqm | Garden or pool | OMR 165,000 to 174,000 |
| 3-bedroom apartment | 2 | 170 sqm | Garden | OMR 184,000 |
| 2-bedroom loft with maid's room | 4 | 171 sqm | Garden or pool | OMR 190,000 to 198,000 |
The lofts are the distinctive product here: double-height living spaces, which is rare in Oman at this price. The trade is simple. A standard two-bedroom gives you the most floor area per rial, and a loft gives you the ceiling height and, for about OMR 190,000, a maid's room.
What the same homes cost in dirhams and dollars
The Omani rial and the UAE dirham are both pegged to the US dollar, so these conversions do not drift. At OMR 1 = AED 9.5514 = USD 2.6008:
| Home | OMR | AED | USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest 2-bedroom | 138,000 | about 1,318,100 | about 358,900 |
| Median home | 174,000 | about 1,661,900 | about 452,500 |
| 3-bedroom apartment | 184,000 | about 1,757,500 | about 478,500 |
| Largest loft | 198,000 | about 1,891,200 | about 515,000 |
The number that surprises people: half the price per metre of Al Mouj
Muscat Bay has a reputation as one of Muscat's most exclusive addresses. On price per square metre, Zen Residences is much closer to the rest of the market than to Al Mouj.
| Project | Community | Median per sqm |
|---|---|---|
| Zen Residences | Muscat Bay | about OMR 1,111 |
| All our inventory | 451 homes | about OMR 1,060 |
| Aida | Yiti | about OMR 1,172 |
| Vistal | Al Mouj | about OMR 2,002 |
| St. Regis | Al Mouj | about OMR 2,317 |
In plain terms: the median home at Vistal costs OMR 266,250. For that money you could buy the largest loft at Zen Residences, OMR 198,000, and keep about OMR 68,000 back. What Al Mouj gives you instead is a finished town with a golf course, a long marina promenade and far more homes around you. What Muscat Bay gives you is privacy: a gated bay, a hotel and a beach, and very little traffic.
Payment plan and handover
Zen Residences is sold off-plan on a staged 10 / 70 / 20 plan: 10% on reservation, 70% during construction, and 20% on handover. Handover is scheduled for 2026 to 2027.
Prices are quoted excluding VAT. Ask us for the final figure for a specific home before you compare it with a price that already includes tax. Our guide to Oman property payment plans explains what to check in an off-plan contract.
What to verify before you reserve
Ask for a unit-specific written quotation before paying a reservation amount. It should identify the exact home, the net sale price, whether VAT is included, the reservation amount, every construction payment and the 20% due at handover. Ask for the cancellation and refund terms in the same document.
Confirm what the quoted area includes, whether parking, appliances or furniture are included, the expected handover window, the title-registration charge and the current community service fee. A price per square metre is only comparable when both projects use the same area definition.
Treat the owner residency and Golden Residency as separate applications. The purchase may support owner residency, while the current OMR 200,000 Golden Residency minimum sits above every Zen home now available. Keep the dated availability sheet and payment schedule with the contract, because stock, milestones and fees can change before signing.
Residency: what you get, and what you do not
A freehold home inside an ITC brings a renewable owner residency with no employer and no sponsor, covering the buyer and immediate family. That separate route applies to every home in the table.
Oman's current Golden Residency is a renewable 10-year programme with a minimum qualifying investment of OMR 200,000. The most expensive home currently available at Zen Residences is OMR 198,000, so none of the 13 reaches that minimum. If this programme is your goal, compare qualifying homes in Jebel Sifah, Aida and Al Mouj. Price alone does not approve an application; confirm the selected unit and current authority requirements before reserving.
The costs after the price
A one-off registration fee of about 3% of the purchase price at title transfer. There is no annual property tax in Oman. Individuals pay no tax on rental income or capital gains today, but from 1 January 2028 Royal Decree 56/2025 introduces a 5% personal income tax on annual income above OMR 42,000, and rent counts towards it. Muscat Bay charges community service fees like every ITC, and we give you the current figure for a specific home before you commit.
We do not publish a rental yield for Muscat Bay. There is no public rent data for the community that we would stand behind.
Who Muscat Bay suits, and who it does not
It suits you if you want a sea and mountain setting within reach of the city, you prefer a quiet gated community to a busy one, and your budget sits between about OMR 138,000 and OMR 200,000.
It does not suit you if you want golden residency, a ready home you can move into this year, or the most floor area for the money. For the lowest entry price by the sea, see our Jebel Sifah guide, where ready apartments start at OMR 63,500.
FAQ
How much does property cost in Muscat Bay?
The homes available at Zen Residences in Muscat Bay run from OMR 138,000 for a two-bedroom apartment to OMR 198,000 for a two-bedroom loft with a maid's room, across 13 homes as at 21 September 2026. The median is OMR 174,000.
Can foreigners buy property in Muscat Bay?
Yes. Muscat Bay is an Integrated Tourism Complex, so buyers of every nationality can hold full freehold title in their own name, with no local partner and no sponsor.
Does buying in Muscat Bay give residency in Oman?
Yes. Every ITC purchase can support the separate renewable owner residency for the buyer and immediate family. No current Zen Residences home reaches the OMR 200,000 minimum for the renewable 10-year Golden Residency; the highest available price is OMR 198,000.
Where is Muscat Bay?
In a private bay at Bandar Jissah, east of the capital. Central Muscat is about 20 minutes away and Muscat International Airport about 35 minutes.
What is the payment plan at Zen Residences?
A staged 10 / 70 / 20 plan: 10% on reservation, 70% during construction and 20% on handover, with handover scheduled for 2026 to 2027. Prices exclude VAT.
Is Muscat Bay cheaper than Al Mouj?
Per square metre, yes, by a wide margin. Zen Residences has a median of about OMR 1,111 per sqm, against about OMR 2,002 at Vistal and about OMR 2,317 at St. Regis in Al Mouj.
Next step
Tell us your budget and whether you want an apartment or a loft, and we will send the live list with unit references, floor plans and the current payment schedule. We work in English, Arabic, Russian and Persian, and we handle the reservation, the contract and the title registration for buyers who are not in Oman.
Related guides
- Buying property in Oman as a foreigner: ITC rules
- Al Mouj Muscat property prices guide
- Jebel Sifah property prices guide
- Oman property payment plans and instalments
- Oman vs Dubai property compared