Oman property market in figures
Oman's property market in figures: how much changes hands, how fast prices move, what rent brings, where foreigners can buy and the economy behind it. Every number links to the official release or a named source at the bottom of the page.
Current as of 29 October 2026
How much property changes hands
NCSI counts three kinds of contracts: sales, mortgages and swaps. Their sum is the "total traded value". The total has held around RO 3.4 billion for two years, while sale contracts, the part that is actual buying and selling, grew 16% in 2025.
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| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | RO 2.77B | |
| 2020 | RO 2.46B | secondary source (Oman REIT Fund report) |
| 2021 | RO 2.55B | |
| 2022 | RO 2.71B | as first published; NCSI later revised to RO 2.46B |
| 2023 | RO 2.61B | |
| 2024 | RO 3.38B | |
| 2025 | RO 3.37B |
Sales + mortgages + swaps. 2022 is the first published figure; NCSI later revised it to RO 2.46B, so 2023 was +6% on the revised base. [1][2][3][4][5][6]
How fast prices are rising
NCSI's Real Estate Price Index compares each quarter with the same quarter a year earlier. Land is doing most of the work: residential land in Muscat rose 40.6% in a year, apartments 17.2%, villas 10.8%.
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| Quarter | Value |
|---|---|
| Q1 2025 | +7.3% |
| Q2 2025 | +11.8% |
| Q3 2025 | +18.7% |
| Q4 2025 | +14.6% |
| Q1 2026 | +17.6% |
| Q2 2026 | +24.6% |
The overall index (residential + commercial) was +10.8%, +17.3%, +13.9%, +15.9% and +22.7% for Q2 2025–Q2 2026. [9][10][11][12][13][14]
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| Segment | Value |
|---|---|
| Residential land, Muscat | +40.6% |
| Residential land, Oman | +28.0% |
| Residential index | +24.6% |
| Overall index | +22.7% |
| Apartments | +17.2% |
| Commercial index | +12.4% |
| Villas | +10.8% |
An index shows the pace of change, not a price level. A 40% rise in land does not mean a 40% dearer flat. [9]
What rent brings and what a square metre costs
Numbeo's crowd-sourced figures for Muscat as of today. They describe the city as a whole, not the resort communities, where prices per metre are higher. Gross yield is before service charges, letting fees and vacancies.
Some market pages quote 8–10% gross yields for Oman. We have not found a primary source for that range, so we do not use it. For a specific unit, check the rent of comparable flats in the same community.
Where a foreigner can own property
Foreign ownership in Oman is limited to designated areas. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning confirms the list did not change with the 2026 residence-law amendments. [16]
| Where | What a foreign buyer gets | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs): Al Mouj, Muscat Bay, Muscat Hills, AIDA, Jebel Sifah, Hawana Salalah and others | Freehold in your own name or your company's | ITC rules, title registered with the Ministry of Housing |
| Sultan Haitham City, Al Thuraya City, Al Jabal Al Aali, Surouh | Freehold in approved projects | Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning |
| Special economic zones and free zones | Freehold of units in qualifying projects only | RD 38/2025; rules: OPAZ Resolution 81/2026 (Sept 2026) |
| Approved multi-storey buildings elsewhere in Muscat | Usufruct (right of use) up to 99 years | Ministry decisions of 2020–2021 |
A new Real Estate Register Law (RD 56/2026, in force from 18 May 2026) lets non-Omanis register property under these existing rules; it does not open new areas. [16][17][18][19]
10-year Golden Residency
Launched on 31 August 2025. The property route covers completed units with a title deed in an ITC. [20]
Growth, debt and credit ratings
Oman's economy grew 2.4% in real terms in 2025, with the non-oil part growing faster. Public debt has roughly halved as a share of GDP since 2020, and all three rating agencies now rate Oman investment grade.
Who invests in Oman
Foreign direct investment stock reached RO 31.4 billion at the end of 2025, up 8.1% in a year. Most of it, about 81%, sits in oil and gas extraction; the UK and the US hold almost four-fifths of the total.
Show the data
| Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | RO 16.42B | 52.3% |
| United States | RO 8.45B | 26.9% |
| Kuwait | RO 1.36B | 4.3% |
| China | RO 0.89B | |
| Qatar | RO 0.76B | |
| UAE | RO 0.63B | |
| Bahrain | RO 0.53B |
Population and visitors
The population passed 5.36 million at the end of 2025. Muscat governorate is home to 1.53 million people, 61% of them expatriates, the tenants most rental flats are let to.
Safety, quality of life and cost of living
Numbeo is a crowd-sourced database that compares cities and countries. It is a useful yardstick for how Oman feels to live in next to its neighbours: safe, calm and noticeably cheaper than Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha.
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| City | Value |
|---|---|
| Muscat | 47.5 |
| Riyadh | 48.6 |
| Doha | 52.5 |
| Abu Dhabi | 54.3 |
| Dubai | 62.1 |
Show the data
| City | Value |
|---|---|
| Muscat | 14.0 |
| Riyadh | 24.0 |
| Doha | 41.4 |
| Abu Dhabi | 44.3 |
| Dubai | 55.1 |
Low rents mean cheap living for tenants. For a landlord, the yield matters more: see the rent section above. [42]
Questions about the Oman market
Are property prices in Oman rising?
+
Yes. NCSI's Real Estate Price Index was 22.7% higher in Q2 2026 than a year earlier, and the residential index 24.6%. Most of the rise is in land; apartments were up 17.2% and villas 10.8%.
What rental yield can I expect in Muscat?
+
Numbeo puts the average gross yield at about 5.3% in the city centre and 5.8% outside it. Net yield is lower after service charges, letting fees and empty months, and it varies by community and unit.
Can a foreigner buy property anywhere in Oman?
+
No. Freehold is available in Integrated Tourism Complexes, in approved projects in Sultan Haitham City and a few other new cities, and in qualifying projects in special economic and free zones. Elsewhere in Muscat, approved buildings offer a right of use for up to 99 years.
Where do these figures come from?
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Mostly from Oman's National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), as published by NCSI, the Oman News Agency and the local press, plus rating agencies and Numbeo. Each figure has a numbered link to its source at the bottom of the page. We update the page when new quarterly data comes out.
Talk the numbers through with us
Tell us your budget and goal. We will show which communities and projects fit, with the figures behind them.
Sources 44NCSI releases, rating agencies, Numbeo and the press that quotes them
- Real estate trading value in 2025 (NCSI data) — Oman News Agency, 16.02.2026
- Real estate trading value in 2024 — NCSI, 11.02.2025
- Real estate deals in Oman exceed OMR 2.6bn (2023) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 02.2024
- Real estate trading value in Oman exceeds OMR 2.7bn (2022 vs 2021) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 02.2023
- Real estate deals in Oman rise (2019) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2020
- Oman's real estate sector rebounds (Oman REIT Fund report, 2020–2021) — Zawya, 2022
- Oman's real estate market value hits OMR 1.71bn by July 2026 — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 08.2026
- Oman's real estate: shift from trading to development (sales to August 2026) — Oman Observer, citing NCSI, 09.2026
- Property price index rises by 22.7% in Q2 2026 — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Real estate price index grows by 15.9% (Q1 2026) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Real estate price index grows by 13.9% (Q4 2025) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Real estate price index rises by 17.3% (Q3 2025) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 12.2025
- Real estate prices in Oman rise 10.8% in Q2 2025 — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 09.2025
- Residential property prices in Oman rise by 7.3% (Q1 2025) — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 06.2025
- Property prices in Muscat (price per m², gross rental yield) — Numbeo, 29.10.2026
- Oman clarifies foreign property ownership remains restricted to designated areas — Gulf News, 2026
- Royal Decree 38/2025 — Law of Special Economic Zones and Free Zones — decree.om, 04.2025
- OPAZ issues executive regulations for the SEZ and Free Zones Law — Muscat Daily, 20.09.2026
- Oman's new Real Estate Register Law (RD 56/2026) — Trowers & Hamlins, 07.2026
- Oman launches 10-year Golden Residency — Gulf News, 08.2025
- Oman's non-oil GDP hits RO 28.7 billion in 2025 — Oman Observer, citing the Ministry of Economy, 03.2026
- Oman's non-oil GDP grows 3.1% in 2025 — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 25.03.2026
- Oman Economic Performance Bulletin, March 2026 — Ministry of Economy, 03.2026
- Oman FDI surpasses RO 31 billion in 2025 — Oman Observer, citing NCSI, 2026
- S&P raises Oman's credit rating to BBB- — Times of Oman, 27.09.2024
- Moody's upgrades Oman to Baa3 — Muscat Daily, 12.07.2025
- Fitch upgrades Oman to investment grade — Arab News, 12.2025
- Analysis of Oman State Budget 2026 — KPMG, 01.2026
- Oman budget surplus in 2022 — Union of Arab Chambers, citing ONA, 2023
- Oman budget surplus in 2023 — Union of Arab Chambers, citing ONA, 2024
- Oman posts RO 540m surplus — Oman Observer, 2025
- Oman's public revenues for 2025 (final account) — Times of Oman, citing the Ministry of Finance, 2026
- Omanis make up 56.7% of population as total reaches 5.36mn — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 20.01.2026
- Oman population increases 2% to 5.268mn in 2024 — Muscat Daily, citing NCSI, 26.01.2025
- Population of Oman at year-end 2021 — Oman Observer, citing NCSI, 2022
- Oman: end-of-year population by nationality (NCSI data) — Gulf Labour Markets and Migration, 2025
- Oman: population 2022 (NCSI data) — Gulf Labour Markets and Migration, 2023
- Oman attracts nearly 4 million visitors in 2025 — Zawya, citing NCSI, 2026
- Hotel revenues for 3–5 star category exceed OMR 297mn — Times of Oman, citing NCSI, 2026
- Safety Index by City 2026 Mid-Year — Numbeo, 2026
- Quality of Life Index by Country 2026 Mid-Year — Numbeo, 2026
- Cost of Living Index by City (current) — Numbeo, 29.10.2026
- Oman–UAE rail link to begin trial operations in late 2027 — Gulf News, 2026
- Oman ratifies UAE railway agreement as $2.5bn Hafeet Rail advances — Gulf News, 09.2026
Figures are the latest official releases and named sources at the date shown above and may be revised. This page is information, not investment advice.