Traveling through Oman can be challenging. Transportation options are limited, with renting a car being the most popular choice. Unfortunately, the public transportation system is underdeveloped—while buses connect major cities, they don’t reach more remote areas. This makes budget travel in Oman difficult, but not impossible. In this blog post, I’ll break down the travel costs in Oman to help you plan your trip more easily and affordably.
Prices for accommodation in Oman
Budget travelers and travelers that prefer to stay in hostels to socialize don’t have it easy in Oman. Apparently, hostels aren’t allowed in Oman. You can still find hostels in Muscat. But only with separate rooms for men and women. The cost per night ranges from € 10 to € 15.
The next cheaper alternative are low budget hotels. The rooms are pretty well equipped with a private bathroom, a big bed and a small kitchen area with a microwave, water kettle and fridge. You can find these hotels in any town or tourist attraction. The small kitchen area is very convenient to prepare small snacks, so eating out doesn’t burden your budget. Although this can also be very cheap.
The prices of the hotels vary. The cheapest I stayed in was € 28 a night, the most expensive was € 43 a night (that was the desert camp). On average you can expect to pay around € 30 a night.
Another budget accommodation option in Oman is wild camping. That is completely free and allowed in Oman. There are amazing spots to camp. Whether it is the mountains, the beach or the endless steppe landscape. Just take care, camping in empty wadi’s/riverbeds is not recommended.
If you aren’t traveling with your whole camping gear, there are a few options for you. There is no need to buy camping gear that you only use during this trip. Renting camping gear or buying it second hand is your contribution to greener travels.
You can rent camping gear from sightstours. To rent camping gear for one person for one day it is € 14, for two people it is € 18. In case you are planning a road trip camping, nomadtours is a very useful online guide for that.
Hostels only in Muscat € 14/night
Low budget Hotels € 30/night
Wildcamping free
Food expenses in Oman
When budgeting for food in Oman, whether grocery shopping or dining out, costs can vary significantly depending on the area. In tourist-heavy neighborhoods, something as simple as a cup of tea can cost around € 2.40. On the other hand, in less touristy areas or at local, budget-friendly restaurants, you can enjoy a full meal for just € 2.60.
If you have a sandwich snack at Al Qurum beach, it is € 6,50. A dinner for two people in a modern place like Al Mouji is around € 25. Given that this is the amount one person pays in a restaurant in Austria, it is comparable cheaper.
But if you are a budget traveler in Oman looking for bargains, then you can find a lot of roadside Indian restaurants. Lunch in one of those restaurants is quite affordable, typically costing between € 1.40 and € 2 for a meal. However, traditional Omani restaurants have become less common, and Indian cuisine has taken over the food scene. This is a pity if you are looking for an authentic Omani meal. But great for vegetarians/vegans.
During a trip to the supermarkets, you don’t have to dig deep into your wallet. You can get a variety of groceries depending on the size of the market. An easy meal is to buy some Omani flatbread, beans in a cane, avocado and vola. You created yourself a budget travelers Omani lunch.
In order to break it down, here are my food expenses from my 18 days stay in Oman. I’ve spent € 80 in supermarkets and € 97 in restaurants. Which comes down to a daily expense of € 9,80. I traveled with a low to mid-budget.
Food for one person
Meal in low-budget restaurants € 1-3
Meal in mid-buget restaurants € 6-12
Traveling in Oman – transportation expenses
You can get around Muscat and Oman by public transport, despite what everyone tells you. There are buses and you have to plan very carefully. There are buses connecting the main towns, but they are infrequent. For example, the Muscat-Sur connection is only once a day, leaving little room for flexibility.
Muscat is a city built for cars. Nonetheless, there is a small network of city buses, even connecting the city with the airport. If you have a limited budget on your travel in Oman you should use the buses in Muscat. Since the taxis are a real rip off.
The price for the bus is € 1,40 (600 bisa) or higher depending on the distance. There are also shared taxis that are mainly transporting foreign workers. If you are a female traveler, sit in the front! Even they try to take advantage of tourists and charge more. The shared taxi from Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque to Ruwi, for instance, is € 1,20 (½ Rial).
Use the o-taxi app, budget friendlier than hailing a taxi on the street, if you need to reach a destination where there is no bus service. Even locals use this app. Download it before arriving in Oman or at the airport. The tricky thing is that o-taxi’s aren’t allowed at the airport or bigger hotels, you need to walk a few meters away from these hotspots.
An example of how much money you could save: I paid for a taxi from the airport to the city which was around 14 km, 8,5 rials (€ 20). According to this taxi fare calculator, I could have paid almost half of it. But I’m not sure how accurate this guide actually is, because once I paid for 4 kilometers with the Otaxi 1,7 Rials, which is around € 2,80.
Just keep in mind, petrol is really cheap in Oman, so transportation should not be that expensive.
If you take the bus between cities, you can also expect low fares. Depending on the distance, they range from € 5 to € 20 (Muscat to Salalah is € 20).
Alternatives to public transport
For adventure budget travelers, there is always the option to hitchhike. Hitchhiking is not very common in Oman and it seems that Omanis do not understand the concept very well. Most of the people that give you a ride will go out of their way to drop you at your desired destination. But it is most likely difficult to find a ride to your desired destination because Oman is not a densely populated country.
Renting a car is very common for tourists in Oman, but not the most budget-friendly. It is the easiest and fastest way to get around. Because of the lack of public transportation. Renting a saloon car is around € 30 a day and a 4×4 vehicle is the double amount. If you want to compare prices, ask directly at the renting company or ask at your place of accommodation. Sometimes they get discounts from a friend who owns a rental company.
A full tank of gas costs about € 21.
Muscat buses up to € 1,40
Taxis using Otaxi starting from € 2,80 / 4 km
Buses outside of Muscat € 5 up to € 20
Cost of activities & souvenirs
There is a range of activities that you can enjoy in Oman. A great way to see marine life is to do a boat tour. You can visit the most beautiful nature reserve on a day trip from Muscat. Boat tours starting from € 18 and going up to € 60-70 and more, of course.
The popular Wadi Shab boat crossing is € 2,39. The opera house in Muscat is € 7.
Other activities are camel riding/tour, city tours, hikes, a tour of a rose distillery, and much more. Oman offers a wide range of activities and you don’t always have to dig deep into your wallet. As a budget traveler you will also come to your cost.
Budget friendly souvenir ideas
If you want to get some souvenirs, I recommend Muttrah Souk or just a supermarket where you can get Omani dates. They are pretty cheap and super delicious. At Muttrah Souk, you can get almost everything. From perfume to herbs, clothes, hats, frankincense, cosmetics and jewelry. Some simple souvenir ideas are to take anything with frankincense: in its natural form, as a cream, oil, or perfume.
Another easy and inexpensive souvenir is herbs: sumac powder is special and tastes great in salad.
If you are visiting the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, go to the visitor’s center or office there. It is not only beautiful to see the mosque, but also to learn a little about Islam. They also give you a little gift.
As you can see, it is possible to travel in Oman on a budget. You just need to plan carefully and consider alternatives.
The author of the blog
Lisi is an adventurous, mostly solo traveler from Austria. She likes to travel slowly, discover underrated countries/regions, and of course, learn about cultures. She has been traveling the world and creating travel content since 2016. With a degree in tourism management and a passion for travel and cultures, she wants to tell stories that inspire her readers and help them travel more consciously.
