Oman Travel Budget: How Much Does It Cost To Travel Oman?

Oman is a beautiful country in the Middle East, overlooked by most travelers. I spent 2 weeks in Oman and can say from experience: Oman is stunning!

Perhaps one of the reasons not many people visit Oman is they are deterred by the Oman travel cost.

You may be wondering: is Oman expensive? The answer to this question isn't a simple yes or no, but an ‘it depends'.

In this Oman travel budget post, I'll share everything you need to know about traveling Oman on a budget.

Oman travel budget

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Why you should visit Oman

Oman is an amazing country with lots of beautiful places waiting to be explored. From its stunning beaches to its spectacular mountains, there is something for everyone.

The culture is vibrant and unique, and there are plenty of attractions, activities, and experiences to enjoy. Whether you're looking for an action-packed adventure or a peaceful getaway, Oman is sure to have something to offer.

Some of the best activities in Oman include:

• Exploring the stunning Wadis
• Snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean
• Taking a desert safari and admiring the sand dunes in the Wahiba Sands
• Visiting the beautiful mosques and palaces in the capital city of Muscat
• Hiking in the mountains of Jebel Akhdar

There's also a wide range of local activities like camel racing, sailing, and sand surfing. There are plenty more reasons to visit Oman and no matter what you choose, you're sure to have a great time exploring Oman!

How expensive is Oman?

Several people have asked me about the daily travel budget for Oman as there isn't much information on the internet about the cost to travel Oman.

Since I always (obsessively) keep track of every euro, dollar, dong, rupee, or in this case Omani Rial we spend, I am happy to share our expenses in Oman.

Oman daily travel budget (for a 2-week road trip)

In the infographic below you can find a detailed budget breakdown of our trip to Oman.

It includes all expenses for accommodation (campsites and hotels), transport (car rental and fuel), food, and visa charges for a 2-week road trip around Oman.

While this gives you an indication of how much money you can expect to spend, the exact amount depends on your travel style, the length of your trip, and the type of accommodation you choose.

Generally speaking, you can travel around Oman on a budget of €65/€123 per day as a couple, depending on the type of car you decide to rent (more about that below).

Oman travel budget: facts and figures

• I traveled to Oman with my husband and for this budget post also assume you are traveling with a partner. Therefore, all expenses mentioned are the sum of the costs for two people.
• I quote prices in €. The Omani currency is the Rial (OMR) and the exchange rate is approximately 1 OMR = €2,5. However, as the exchange rate varies please check the current rates here.
• I spent 3 weeks in Oman but only 2 of those weeks were spent on the road. The other days were spent exploring Muscat and Sohar (without a car).
• Therefore I excluded those costs from this budget breakdown as the purpose of this post is to give insight into the costs of a 2-week road trip in Oman.

During our trip to Oman, I collaborated with several companies which reduced our Oman travel costs. Nevertheless, I have done my utmost to calculate a realistic budget for a 2-week road trip in Oman.

I researched the prices of our sponsored hotel stays as well as car rental options and included everything in my calculations to properly answer the question: is Oman expensive to visit?

Oman road trip budget: 4WD or 2WD

I wrote down the costs for 2 road trip scenarios:

• Option 1: hire a 4WD car. I strongly recommend this option because off-road driving in Oman is the best!
• Option 2: hire a 2WD (saloon) car. A saloon car is considerably cheaper, so if you want to visit Oman but have a very strict budget a saloon car would be a very suitable alternative. However, and I want to stress this one more time, off-road driving in Oman is awesome so I highly recommend option 1!

Is Oman expensive to travel to?

For option number 1 (with the 4×4 car) you can manage an average daily budget of €123 for a couple.

For option number 2 (with the saloon car) you're looking at an average daily budget of €65 for a couple.

Oman travel budget: expenses per category

1. Accommodation costs in Oman – free campsites and hotels

Assuming you'll stay in budget hotels and camp for 3 nights in a row before checking into a hotel you’ll spend €150 on hotels in 14 days, which comes down to an average of €11 per night for accommodation.

Camping in Oman

A great way to cut the costs of your Oman trip is to go camping. Wild camping is legal and as long as you don’t camp near villages or in wadi beds (risk of flash floods), you can pitch your tent anywhere you want!

During our 2-week self-drive road trip we camped for 11 nights and stayed at hotels for only 3 nights.

You can find all the campsites we stayed at (including maps and directions) in this post. We camped for 3 nights, then checked into a hotel for a night to shower and charge our electronics.

Hotels in Oman

During our 3-week Oman trip, we stayed at five hotels in three different budget classes.

It’s definitely possible to find a suitable hotel for every budget in Oman. I usually check hotels on Agoda and Booking and book at the site which offers the best price.

In the table below you can find the five hotels we stayed at during our trip in Oman.

Hotel	Stars	Rating	Price	Agoda	Booking
Mutrah Hotel	☆☆	7.9	US$40	Click here	Click here
Bahla Hotel Apartments	☆☆☆	7.7	US$45	Click here	Click here
Al Ayjah Plaza Hotel	☆☆	7.3	US$51	Click here	Click here
Desert Nights Camp	☆☆☆☆☆	8.8	US$171	Click here	Click here
Radisson Blu Sohar	☆☆☆☆☆	7.9	US$143	Click here	Click here

Note: in Oman, hotel rates vary considerably throughout the year. During the high season, from November until the end of March, hotel prices are much higher than during the low (because scorching hot) season, which runs from April until October.

Therefore, the prices mentioned above are a rough indication of the price per night to help you compare the different options. Use ‘click here' to see the latest prices on Agoda and Booking and book ahead to get the best deal.

2. Car rental and fuel costs in Oman

Car rental in Oman

As mentioned above, you have two options:

1. Rent a 4×4 for approximately €80 per day
2. Rent a saloon car for approximately €22 per day

We received a complimentary car from Mark Tours, an award-winning and well-known tour operator in Oman (check the Lonely Planet of Oman). The car was a white Nissan Xterra, a kick-ass 4×4 jeep that took us everywhere!

I had not driven a 4WD before, but because it was an automatic transmission car, driving couldn’t have been easier.

The dirt roads in Oman are amazing, driving over these adventurous roads for hours without coming across other tourists is what made our trip unforgettable.

That being said, a 4×4 is much more expensive than a saloon car and there are many worthwhile destinations in Oman that can perfectly be reached without a 4×4.

Price of fuel in Oman

Fuel is cheap in Oman, as can be expected from a country that has oil (though not nearly as much as several of its neighbors).

We paid 200 baisas per liter, that's just €0,50! In the Netherlands, the price of fuel is at least 3 times higher so for us this was a pleasant surprise.

Obviously, the amount you'll spend on fuel depends on how many kilometers you'll drive but if you follow our itinerary you’re looking at €10 per day for fuel.

In 2 weeks, we drove approximately 2750 kilometers, so ~200 km per day.

3. Costs of food in Oman

Oman has some of the most delicious and unique cuisines in the world. Some of the most popular dishes include:

• Shuwa: a slow-cooked meat dish usually made with lamb or beef
• Machboos: a spiced rice dish with meat, vegetables, and spices
• Halwa: a traditional Omani sweet made from dates and nuts.
• Kebab: a grilled dish of various types of meat
• Masgouf: a grilled fish dish

No matter your preference, Oman is sure to have something to tantalize your taste buds!

How much did we spend on food and drinks in Oman?

Good news: Food is not expensive in Oman, in fact, it’s very cheap! Even the smallest villages usually have a coffee shop. And in Oman a coffee shop means food.

These little restaurants are mostly run by people from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and sell delicious dosas, curries, biryani, rice, and more.

Besides the great food in the coffee shops, there are also excellent supermarkets in Oman.

In the bigger cities, you’ll find LuLu and Carrefour hypermarkets, in smaller towns, there are local supermarkets which I found surprisingly well-stocked!

Average prices for food items in Oman

• Water (6*2 liter) ⇒900 baisa / €2,25
• Coffee ⇒ 200 baisa / €0,50
• Fruit juice ⇒ 500 baisa – 1 OMR / €1,25 – €2,50
• Lunch/dinner ⇒ 500 baisa – 1,5 OMR / €1,25 – €4
• 4-pack of flatbread in the supermarket ⇒ 100 baisa / €0,25

What helped to cut the costs for food even more, is that we often made our own breakfast.

Many days we camped in the middle of nowhere and there were no coffee shops around (or opened yet, as we usually woke up at the crack of dawn).

We had a compact stove, gas and a small pan to boil water. We used the hot water to make tea, coffee, porridge, and noodle soup, very convenient! On average, we spent €15 per day on food.

4. Visa costs for Oman

In my Hatta border post, you can read more about our border crossing experience but long story short: a 10-day visa for Oman costs 5 OMR / €12,50 and a 1-month visa for Oman costs 20 OMR / €50.

Assuming you’ll spend 14 days in the country and therefore need to buy a 1-month visa of 20 OMR per person your average daily visa costs are approximately €7.

5. Cost of activities in Oman

Oman offers plenty of fun, adventurous and cultural activities. That being said, our Oman road trip was our main activity and we spent most of our days driving and navigating dirt roads leading to a viewpoint, hike, or wadi.

We did many hikes during our trip (those were all completely free) and visited two historic forts (in Nakhal and Bahla). We also wanted to visit Nizwa Fort but unfortunately, we arrived too late in the afternoon.

The entrance fee for Nahkal Fort and Bahla Fort was 500 baisa / €1,25 per person. I left this out of the calculations as it was so little it didn't really have an influence on our daily budget in Oman.

We also visited other Oman highlights, such as Wadi Bani Khalid, Wadi Shab, Bimmah sinkhole, Ras al Jinz beach, the majestic Jebel Shams, and the imposing Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat.

All of these activities were free, which goes to show you can stretch your Oman budget by making smart choices when it comes to deciding what to pay for (and what not).

6. Travel insurance costs

I didn't include the cost of travel insurance in our Oman road trip budget breakdown because we use our travel insurance for all our trips, not just for our Oman itinerary.

However, that doesn't take away the fact that making sure you have proper travel insurance is super important.

It helps protect you and your belongings in the event of a mishap during your travels. Furthermore, it provides coverage for medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost or stolen items, and more.

Also, having good travel insurance will provide you peace of mind, knowing that if something goes wrong, you have a safety net in place.

With so much to consider when planning a trip, having the right travel insurance can help ensure a smooth and enjoyable journey without stressing out about things that can go wrong.

Plan your trip to Oman like a pro with these tools:
✈️ Find the best flight deals on Kiwi.com.
? Get the best 4×4 rental deal for your road trip on Rentalcars.com.
? Stay connected with an Oman SIM card.
? Plan your journey with the Oman Lonely Planet.
?️ Find your dream accommodation on Booking.com or Agoda.
? Book the best tours via Get Your Guide or Viator.
?️ Travel safely and get reliable travel insurance from Safety Wing.

How to save money when planning a trip to Oman

Now that you know the costs of an Oman road trip, here are some practical tips about how to stretch your travel budget.

When it comes to saving money in Oman, it's important to plan carefully, look for discounts, and be flexible with your itinerary to make the most of your travel budget for Oman.

Avoid peak season (travel during shoulder season instead)

Start by researching the best time of year to visit Oman as the cost of flights and hotels vary throughout the year.

The high season in Oman is from November until March. During these months accommodation prices are at their highest.

So if you have the option to be flexible with your travel dates and able to travel during shoulder season, this is a great way to save money on your Oman trip.

That being said, keep in mind that the summer months in Oman are scorching hot, and traveling during these months isn't comfortable. However, October and April can be good options.

Save money on flights

You can look for discounts on flights to Oman on websites like Kiwi.com. Try different travel dates and see how this affects the price of your flight.

Generally, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Airlines often offer discounted fares on these days, so it's worth checking the booking sites and comparing prices on different days of the week.

You’ll get a better deal by booking your flight in advance. For international flights, it’s best to book 2-8 months in advance.

Airlines offering flights to Oman are Oman Air, Lufthansa, and Emirates. Unfortunately, there aren't many direct flights to Muscat Airport and you'll probably make a stop in Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi.

Regarding flight times, you may be able to find cheap flights if you're willing to be flexible with your departure and arrival times.

Sure, it’s not ideal to arrive in the middle of the night, but if it saves you hundreds of dollars it’s worth losing one night of good sleep.

✈️ Click here to find the best ticket deals

Book your accommodation in advance

When it comes to accommodation, I always use Agoda and Booking to find the best value-for-money accommodation for our trips.

I recommend checking both platforms before you book to make sure you get the best deal on a hotel room.

Please note that Agoda includes taxes in their price whereas Booking doesn't always include this. Make sure to check this before finalizing your booking.

Also, if you're in a country with hefty ATM fees or a limit on how much cash you can withdraw per transaction it can be better to book with Agoda as you can often pay online with your credit card (thereby reducing your need for cash).

Luxury hotels in Oman (like the W Muscat and the famous Al Bustan Palace) are really expensive so if you're traveling Oman on a budget, these are out of the question.

However, there are nice mid-range hotels and good budget options available, such as Mutrah hotel (Muscat), Bahla Hotel Apartments (Bahla), and Al Ayjah Plaza Hotel (Sur).

Oman cost of travel: in conclusion

You've made it all the way to the end of the post! Now we've got all the information to answer the question ‘is Oman a cheap or (very)? expensive destination'?

Adding the costs for accommodation, car rental, fuel, food, and visa together brings the average daily travel budget for the 4×4 (option 1) to €123 and the average daily budget for the saloon car (option 2) to €65 (for a couple).

What do you think of this Oman budget? Is it more or less than you expected?

If you like, you can download the budget breakdown infographic below. Feel free to ask any questions by leaving a comment or sending me an email!

This post was updated in December 2022.