Long Read
Relocating to Muscat: A Step-by-Step Expat Checklist That Doesn’t Suck
i moved to Muscat last spring for what i thought was gonna be a four-month work contract. twenty-one months later, i'm still here, broke, sunburnt, and weirdly addicted to *luqaimat from Al Rusayl. so, naturally, i’m now the reluctant go-to "expert" for people thinking about relocating to this place they can't even pronounce right.
let’s get one thing straight - this is not a ‘vibrant coastal gem’ feature. this is me, a digital nomad with 43 tabs open and two half-charged power banks, telling you the brutal truth:
First - Visa Paperwork? Good Luck, Pal.
muscat doesn’t hand out visas like candy. most people I know either came with a job offer or married someone whose passport says 'sultanate of oman' in big block letters. legally, you can get a tourist visa on arrival, but good luck converting that to a work permit without a local sponsor. the word most expats throw around is ‘kafala.’ ask anyone who's been through it, and they’ll tell you it's a maze designed to break your spirit.
Housing: Gotta Go Where the Money Tells You
right now, my friend is staying in Mutrah, paying 280 OMR/month for a room the size of a prison cell, and the fridge doesn’t work. meanwhile, Al Khuwair is the promised land for the rich-and somehow also the broke creative crowd who pay inflated prices for ‘character’ and ‘natural light.’ the usual suspects for short-term flats are olx.om and propertyfinder.om, but let’s be honest: anything decent is snapped up by a nepali construction boss before your email loads.
Cost-of-Living Shenanigans:
here’s the thing - if you make oman rials, it’s not too bad. if you're paying in usd or gbp and spending like you're still in berlin, you’re done.
| Expense | Monthly Estimate (OMR) |
|---|---|
| Mid-range 1BR in Mutrah | 280 - 380 |
| Street Food Daily | 3 - 5 |
| Netflix + Spotify | 7 |
| Gym Membership (Quality) | 30 - 50 |
| Fast Internet | 15 - 22 |
| Fuel for a Hatchback | 15 - 20 |
>"you think it’s hot here? try driving to nizwa at noon in a car with a broken ac. feels like getting blessed by satan." - overheard at a petrol station
Work Life: Like Normal Life, but with More Paper
if you're a freelancer, Oman doesn't exactly roll out the red carpet. tourism and oil are kind of their thing. unless you're into oil rigs or saudi weekenders who treat your town like a bachelorette party, your options look slim. however, there’s a bizarrely thriving content creator scene. weirdly enough, brands are pouring money into things like reels and brand tourism content. wherever possible, set up a freelance contract with a local business sponsor-or, you know, just lie about it. everyone else does.
>“i wouldn’t rent a car from this agency. they’ll fine you for a scratch you didn’t make with a photo they definitely Photoshopped.” - whispered by a british guy at a rooftop bar in Hayy Al Shatti
>“coffee here is either terrible or costs 4 oman rials for a double shot that tastes like a lawyer’s tears.” - my italian neighbor who’s been here 15 years
>“if you don’t like qaboos mosque, you’re wrong.” - tourist dad on tripadvisor, who i now consider an ideological enemy
Weather? Well...
muscat’s current vibe is: ‘i microwaved a humid towel and wrapped it around the sun.’ june through september? brutal. but the upside is that saudi, uae, and yemen are all technically a road trip away, and if you time it right, you can hop to dubai for a weekend and pretend you're still relevant on the global scene.
Got Recommendations:
- r/Oman for those existential expat feels
- TripAdvisor Oman Forums for chaotic life hacks
- Yelp Oman for when you’re too tired to care if your hummus is off
you’ll do fine here, assuming you can survive heatstroke, bureaucracy, and men yelling 'hello my friend!' in the petrol station parking lot at 5am. trust me, muscat's not perfect, but the occasional sunset over the corniche, that incredibly illegal but also incredibly good karak chai*, and the surreal chance encounters with british expats who all seem to know each other from pensions in basra - it’s... okay. not great. just... fine.
also: wear sunscreen. seriously. this isn't a metaphor.
You might also be interested in:
- https://topiclo.com/post/chennai-where-the-heat-is-real-and-the-directions-are-somewhere
- https://topiclo.com/post/is-tasikmalaya-worth-moving-to-2026-messy-truth-bomb
- https://topiclo.com/post/kazan-in-winter-cold-chaotic-and-kinda-perfect
- https://topiclo.com/post/why-khulna-is-ranked-one-of-the-fastest-growing-cities-and-why-you-should-care
- https://topiclo.com/post/working-in-nezahualcyotl-the-messy-truth-from-a-budget-student