Oman, Muscat

Country Full Name: Sultanate of Oman.

Country Location: Oman is in the Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Arabian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE.

Country Climate: Dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south.

Country Terrain: Central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south.

Country Major Languages: Arabic.

Country Major Religions: Islam.

Location Population: 0.735 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Oman is based on oil, although in recent years, proven oil reserves have been holding approximately steady, although oil production has been decreasing. Oman has made active plans to diversify its economy and is placing a greater emphasis on other areas of industry, such as tourism and natural gas. Oman is known for its popular tourist attractions.

Country Currency: Omani Rial (OMR).

Country Inflation: 2.5% (2012 est.).

Muscat is the capital and largest city of Oman.

Muscat's economy is dominated by trade, petroleum and porting. The more traditional exports of the city included dates, mother of pearl, and fish.

The cost of living in Muscat is low compared to other places. This is based on a comparison of locally collected prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to USD. Sources include local service providers in each location, international service providers, official governmental statistics and global agency data. The data is quality assured and manually checked by Xpatulator Analysts. The prices of similar related items have been grouped together into 13 basket groups and the cost of living index calculated for each basket in each location. The 13 basket groups are the result of extensive research of actual spending habits ensuring the cost of living indexes reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern. The cost of living index for each basket for Muscat is only available using our online calculators.

The current overall cost of living rank (using all 13 baskets) for Muscat is 556 out of 780 international locations covering every country in the world (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The current cost of living rank for each basket is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are high compared to other places for items such as beer, spirits, wine and cigarettes. There are 262 places that are more expensive, and 517 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are average compared to other places for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. There are 322 places that are more expensive, and 457 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are high compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile tariff and data costs. There are 184 places that are more expensive, and 595 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 736 places that are more expensive, and 43 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are low compared to other places for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofa. There are 504 places that are more expensive, and 275 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are low compared to other places for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. There are 473 places that are more expensive, and 306 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for doctor visit, hospital stay, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. There are 644 places that are more expensive, and 135 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are high compared to other places for items such as apartment purchase, mortgage rate, rental, and utilities. There are 282 places that are more expensive, and 497 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are high compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. There are 270 places that are more expensive, and 509 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. There are 605 places that are more expensive, and 174 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. There are 454 places that are more expensive, and 325 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are high compared to other places for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in restaurants, and take away food and beverages. There are 241 places that are more expensive, and 538 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very low compared to other places for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. There are 746 places that are more expensive, and 33 places that are less expensive for transport.

Hardship
Hardship in the context of an expatriate and their family refers to the degree of hardship they are likely to experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle in a host location. The degree of hardship correlates to the degree of difference between the home and host location. Hardship pay is compensation for the hardship likely to be endured during an international assignment in order to encourage people to move, in particular to less desirable locations.

Hardship factors include-:
Economic Factors: Such as poverty levels and level of service provision
Political Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different points of view / lifestyle
Religious Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different religions
Public Service Factors: Such as provision of water, electricity, sanitation, work permits etc
Environment/Climate Factors: Such as extreme weather
Personal Safety Factors: Such as personal safety / level of crime
Health Factors: Such as prevalence of disease and health standards
Education Factors: Such as education standards, prevalence of international schools
Transportation Factors: Such as prevalence of public transport, fuel and road safety.

The ratings for hardship are classified into four main groups and can be described as follows:
1) Minimal Hardship (10% Hardship Premium)
2) Some Hardship (20% Hardship Premium)
3) High degree of Hardship (30% Hardship Premium)
4) Extreme Hardship (40% Hardship Premium).

Muscat is ranked as some hardship with a typical hardship premium of 20%.

Reference
The above information is updated quarterly using data collected over the previous 12 months. The international cost of living & hardship indexes are only available using our online expatriate calculators to enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 April 2013.

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