Last updated 14 November 2026
Oman property market 2026: prices, sales data and statistics
Official figures for 2026 show Oman's real estate market rising in price more than in activity. This page sets out the published numbers, who published them and what they do not show.
Key figures
Oman real estate: key figures for 2026
Ten numbers that describe the market, each with its period and source. Changes are against the same period a year earlier unless stated.
- Value of property sale contracts, up 14.5%
- OMR 952.1m
- Period: January to August 2026
- Source: Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning data published by NCSI; end-August totals as reported by Oman Daily, 2 October 2026
- Number of property sale contracts, up 1.5%
- 44,609
- Period: January to August 2026
- Source: Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning data published by NCSI
- Total traded value, which includes mortgage contracts, down 6.4%
- OMR 1,989m
- Period: January to August 2026
- Source: NCSI Monthly Statistical Bulletin, as reported by Oman Daily, 2 October 2026
- Residential real estate price index, year on year
- +24.6%
- Period: Q2 2026 (provisional)
- Source: NCSI Real Estate Price Index
- Residential land prices in Muscat governorate, year on year; down 2.0% on the quarter
- +40.6%
- Period: Q2 2026 (provisional)
- Source: NCSI Real Estate Price Index
- Mortgage contracts registered, up 21.8%
- 17,559
- Period: January to August 2026
- Source: Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning data published by NCSI
- Value of all real estate deals in the full year, down 0.4%
- OMR 3.368bn
- Period: 2025
- Source: Omnia research, 2026
- Vacant homes in Muscat, roughly 20% of supply
- About 87,000
- Period: As published April 2026
- Source: Omnia research, 2026
- Monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment at Al Mouj, up 3% year on year
- OMR 710
- Period: Q1 2026
- Source: Savills Oman Property Market Report Q1 2026
- Personal income tax on annual income above OMR 42,000
- 5%
- Period: From 1 January 2028
- Source: Royal Decree 56/2025; Oman Tax Authority
Returns are not guaranteed. Prices, rents and values can fall as well as rise, and off-plan projects can be delayed.
Market size
How big is Oman's property market? Transaction values in 2026
Oman's land registry recorded OMR 952.1 million of property sale contracts between January and August 2026, 14.5% more than a year earlier. The number of contracts rose only 1.5%, to 44,609 (Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning data published by the National Centre for Statistics and Information, NCSI). More money is changing hands for much the same number of deals.
The broader "total traded value" adds mortgage registrations, so it moves differently: OMR 1.43 billion in the first half of 2026, up 5.4% (Oman News Agency via Oman Observer, 29 July 2026), then OMR 1,989 million by the end of August, down 6.4% (NCSI bulletin as reported by Oman Daily, 2 October 2026). Sale contracts are the closer measure of what buyers pay.
Full-year deals were worth about OMR 3.38 billion in 2024, up roughly 29.5% (NCSI, as reported by Times of Oman), and OMR 3.368 billion in 2025, down 0.4% (Omnia research, 2026). Most of this is Omani buyers and residential plots: the average sale contract in the first eight months of 2026 was about OMR 21,300 (Omnia arithmetic from the NCSI totals).
Prices
Oman property prices: where they are rising and where they are not
The NCSI residential price index was 24.6% higher in the second quarter of 2026 than a year earlier. Most of that is land, which rose 28.0% and carries roughly four-fifths of the index's weight (Omnia arithmetic from the NCSI weights). Apartments rose 17.2% and villas 10.8%.
Muscat has moved most. Residential land there stood 40.6% above its level a year earlier, the steepest rise in the country, then slipped 2.0% between the first and second quarters (NCSI, Q2 2026; provisional).
Prices are not rising everywhere. About 87,000 homes in Muscat stand vacant, roughly 20% of supply, and in the worst-affected lower and mid-grade areas apartment prices have fallen by roughly 10 to 15% and villa prices by 15 to 25% (Omnia research, 2026). Rents have moved slowly: a two-bedroom apartment at Al Mouj let for OMR 710 a month in the first quarter of 2026, up 3% on the year (Savills).
Returns are not guaranteed. Prices, rents and values can fall as well as rise, and off-plan projects can be delayed.
Demand
Who is buying property in Oman: local and foreign demand
Oman publishes no breakdown of buyers by nationality and no official series for foreign or Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) sales, so any ranking of nationalities is an estimate. The national figures are overwhelmingly domestic.
The one cross-border line in the registry is title deeds issued to GCC citizens: 723 between January and August 2026, down 11.0% (NCSI). Separately, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning said buyers from the UAE made up about a third of transactions in March 2026, against a 2025 average of 12% (reported by AGBI, April 2026).
In the communities open to foreign buyers, agents report Indian and British buyers as the most active, alongside Gulf nationals (Omnia research, 2026; indicative, not registry data). Sultan Haitham City has sold about 1,700 homes to buyers of more than 35 nationalities (Omnia research, 2026).
Supply
New developments in Oman: supply and the pipeline
New supply for international buyers sits in a few masterplans. AIDA, a Dar Global and OMRAN project at Yiti, targets phase-one completion in the fourth quarter of 2028 and the full programme by 2034 (Dar Global half-year results, 24 September 2026). Al Mouj Muscat, the most established ITC, is planned at roughly 4,000 homes, and Sultan Haitham City at around 20,000 homes for about 100,000 residents (Omnia research, 2026).
Supply cuts both ways. Cavendish Maxwell has flagged a possible long-run shortage of homes against population growth, yet Muscat already holds a large stock of empty older units (Omnia research, 2026).
Live prices
Current starting prices by area
From developers' current price lists on this site. These are the lowest starting prices of new developments we list in each area. They are not a market average and they change with each release.
| Area | Developments | Lowest starting price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIDA and Yiti | 13 | OMR 86,818 | The Plaza at The Sustainable City - Yiti |
| Al Mouj | 2 | OMR 101,853 | ALMAR Residences by Aurelian |
| Sultan Haitham City | 4 | OMR 43,050 | Wadi Zaha |
| Muttrah | 1 | Price on request | - |
| Barka | 1 | Price on request | - |
Prices are converted to OMR where the developer quotes another currency. Confirm the price before you reserve.
Full Oman property price tableDrivers
What is driving the Oman real estate market
- Vision 2040 and diversification. Non-oil activity reached OMR 28.7 billion in 2025, around 72% of the economy (NCSI).
- Population. Oman had 5.4 million residents in 2025 and is projected to reach 7.7 million by 2040 (Omnia research, 2026).
- Tourism. Arrivals held near 3.9 million in 2025 against a Vision 2040 target of 11.7 million visitors (NCSI; Vision 2040). Tourism supports rents and hotels more than prices: its output grew 7.8% in 2025 while property deal values were flat.
- Transport. The Al Batinah Expressway opened in 2018. Hafeet Rail, a 303 km line from Sohar to Abu Dhabi, was about 40% complete in April 2026 with no confirmed opening date, and the Muscat Metro is at feasibility stage (Omnia research, 2026).
- International developers. Dar Global, Egypt's Al Ahly Sabbour and Diamond Developers have joined Majid Al Futtaim in Oman, bringing international sales networks. Dar Global's 2025 results describe more than 1,300 active brokers in over 60 countries.
- Credit. Mortgage contracts rose 21.8% by number in January to August 2026 (NCSI), although the Central Bank of Oman raised its repo rate to 4.50% from 4.25% on 17 September 2026.
Tax and ownership
Tax and foreign ownership of property in Oman
Foreign buyers can own in designated areas only: Integrated Tourism Complexes, Sultan Haitham City, Al Thuraya City, Al Jabal Al Aali and Surouh, as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning restated on 28 June 2026. The form of title differs between schemes, so confirm the exact title or usufruct instrument for the home you choose.
Oman has no annual property tax, no inheritance tax and, for individuals today, no capital gains tax (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, cited in Omnia research, 2026). Foreign buyers pay a 3% registration fee plus small fixed charges; budget roughly 5 to 8% of the price for all one-off costs (Omnia research, 2026). The first sale of a new home is generally subject to 5% VAT (Oman Tax Authority), and landlords pay a 3% municipality tax on rent.
From 1 January 2028 a 5% personal income tax applies to individuals whose annual income exceeds OMR 42,000 (Royal Decree 56/2025; Oman Tax Authority). Rental income is within scope, as are proceeds from selling investment property, with an exemption for a primary residence. The Tax Authority estimates that about 99% of residents fall below the threshold.
Residency is a separate application. The current property routes are:
- Golden Residency: from OMR 200,000, 10 years, renewable, for a completed unit in an ITC with a title deed.
- Off-plan buyers: a renewable 6–12-month property visa until the unit is registered (ROP Decision 87/2026).
- Owners of a registered unit can apply for Property Owner Residency.
Residency rules can change. Eligibility is confirmed by the authorities when you apply; the developer's team supports the application.
Risks
Risks to weigh before buying property in Oman
The sources that record the growth also record the cautions.
- Regional security. A regional war began on 28 February 2026. Guests at three- to five-star hotels fell 11.9% in the first seven months of the year and occupancy dropped to 45.8% from 52.9% (NCSI). Resort schemes that depend on visitors are the most exposed.
- Oversupply pockets. About 87,000 vacant homes in Muscat weigh on older and mid-grade property, where prices have fallen (Omnia research, 2026).
- Off-plan delay. Most new homes open to foreign buyers are sold off-plan, and completion dates can slip. Royal Decree 79/2025 provides for a project escrow account for each phase, but escrow does not guarantee a handover date.
- A thin resale market. Fewer comparable sales than in larger Gulf markets mean a sale can take longer, particularly above about OMR 400,000 (Omnia research, 2026).
- Limited data. There is no like-for-like rental yield series, which is why this page quotes rents and not yields. Index figures are provisional and are revised.
- Rates and oil. The rial is pegged to the US dollar, so borrowing costs follow US policy, and the economy is still partly tied to oil.
Outlook
Oman property market outlook
The 2026 data describes a market being repriced from a low base, led by Muscat land, not a speculative boom: the number of sales is barely moving, and title deeds issued fell 14.2% in the first eight months (NCSI).
Forecasts are modest. Savills' local agents expected capital values across the wider market to grow by about 1.3% in 2026 (Savills, cited in Omnia research, 2026). The IMF put 2026 economic growth at around 3.7% and the World Bank at 2.4%. None of these is a promise.
Watch the third-quarter price index, sale contracts for September to December, interest rates and the executive regulations for the 2028 income tax. For an individual buyer the specific home matters more than the national index: its title, running costs, achievable rent and the developer's delivery record.
Returns are not guaranteed. Prices, rents and values can fall as well as rise, and off-plan projects can be delayed.
For journalists and researchers
Cite this page
Suggested citation
Omnia Oman, "Oman Property Market 2026: Prices, Sales Data & Statistics", last updated 14 November 2026. https://www.omanpropertyinvestment.com/en/oman-property-market
You may quote the figures on this page with a link back to it. Each figure also names its original source, such as NCSI or Savills; please credit that source too.
Oman property market: common questions
Is Oman property a good investment in 2026?
It depends on the property and on what you want from it. Official data shows prices rising: the residential price index was 24.6% higher in Q2 2026 than a year earlier, led by land (NCSI). Against that, Muscat has about 87,000 vacant homes, tourism has been hit by the regional conflict, the resale market is thin and most new homes are sold off-plan. Judge a specific home on its title, costs, achievable rent and developer, not on the national index. Returns are not guaranteed. Prices, rents and values can fall as well as rise, and off-plan projects can be delayed.
Are property prices in Oman rising?
On the official index, yes. In Q2 2026 the residential index was up 24.6% on a year earlier: residential land 28.0%, apartments 17.2% and villas 10.8% (NCSI, provisional). Not everywhere, though: Muscat land slipped 2.0% on the quarter, and prices have fallen in oversupplied lower and mid-grade parts of Muscat.
Can foreigners buy property in Oman?
Yes, in designated areas: Integrated Tourism Complexes such as Al Mouj Muscat, AIDA, Muscat Bay, Muscat Hills and Jebel Sifah, plus Sultan Haitham City and the other areas on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning's list (restated 28 June 2026). The form of title differs between schemes, so confirm the title or usufruct instrument for the specific home.
How big is Oman's property market?
All real estate deals in Oman were worth OMR 3.368 billion in 2025 (Omnia research, 2026). In January to August 2026, sale contracts were worth OMR 952.1 million across 44,609 contracts (NCSI). These are national figures; the part open to foreign buyers is a small share and is not reported separately.
Where are property prices highest in Oman?
Muscat. Its residential land index stood at 170.2 in Q2 2026 (2018 = 100), the highest of any governorate (NCSI). Brokerage estimates put the top values at OMR 2,200 to 3,600 per square metre at Al Mouj and Shatti Al Qurum (Omnia research, 2026; indicative).
Is there tax on property in Oman?
There is no annual property tax, no inheritance tax and, for individuals today, no capital gains tax. Foreign buyers pay a 3% registration fee plus small fixed charges, and landlords pay a 3% municipality tax on rent. From 1 January 2028 a 5% personal income tax applies to annual income above OMR 42,000, with rental income in scope (Royal Decree 56/2025).
Does buying property in Oman give residency?
It can, but residency is a separate application. Golden Residency: from OMR 200,000, 10 years, renewable, for a completed unit in an ITC with a title deed. Off-plan buyers: a renewable 6–12-month property visa until the unit is registered (ROP Decision 87/2026). Residency rules can change. Eligibility is confirmed by the authorities when you apply; the developer's team supports the application.
Buying in Oman
Talk to us before you reserve
Tell us what you're looking for. We'll come back with a shortlist, the numbers and the next steps.
- Shortlist matched to your budget
- Price lists and payment plans
- Support from reservation to handover; the developer's team handles the purchase and residency paperwork