Your employer may provide a house or apartment for you, but if they provide you with an allowance instead, you will be able to choose what type of accommodation is suitable. The following options are available:

 

Apartment/Villa Sharing


You can cut your accommodation costs in half by sharing an apartment or villa with colleagues or friends. It’s also a great way to avoid those long, lonely nights of feeling homesick and wondering what all your mates back home are up to – especially if you’ve only made the move to Muscat fairly recently. 

Some villas are so big that, even if you’ve got numerous house mates, you should still be able to find a quiet corner. To look for shared accommodation or find a suitable housemate, check the notice boards outside supermarkets.

 

Standard Apartment


Apartments can be found all over the Muscat area and vary from tiny studio apartments to vast penthouses. Muscat’s hilly terrain means that people living on the top floors usually have a great view. Rents are usually between RO 350 and RO 1,350 per month.

Villa

Whether your budget stretches to a luxurious four-bedroom palace overlooking the beach in Qurm, or a more modest villa in outlying areas such as Azaibah or Seeb, you should find something to fit your budget. If your villa has a swimming pool, central air conditioning, covered parking, electric gates, a big garden or outside maid’s quarters, the price will be higher.

A garden court is a group of small, semi-detached villas built around a communal garden (often with a swimming pool). There are quite a few of these found in the Madinat Sultan Qaboos area. Villas currently rent from RO 600 to RO 6,000 per month, depending on size and location.

 

Serviced Apartments


Serviced apartments are fairly expensive and, therefore, more suited to shorter stays. Some people live in serviced apartments for a month or two until they find the house they want, or while they await the arrival of their family members or furniture shipment. 

Apartments can be rented on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis and are fully furnished right down to the last detail, with a cleaning and laundry service included. The main contacts for serviced apartments are ASAS Oman (24 571 509), Al Noorah Gardens Guest House (24 697 203), and Safeer Hotel Suites.