Jeddah vs Muscat
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Muscat edges it, 52 to 50, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Jeddah is stronger on nothing outright; Muscat on internet, safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port and its most relaxed city
Full Jeddah profile →Plan a trip to Jeddah →Where they differ
- Internet. Muscat leads on internet, 69 to 48, against Jeddah. Measured download: 10.9 Mbps vs 33.4 Mbps.
- Safety. Muscat leads on safety, 87 to 73, against Jeddah. Homicides per 100,000: 0.8 vs 0.14.
- Getting there & around. Jeddah leads on getting there & around, 31 to 22, against Muscat. Non-stop airport destinations: 147 vs 84.
Where they are close. Within five points on healthcare, quality of life, visa ease, air quality.
Pick Jeddah if you want
- to spend about $275 less a month
Pick Muscat if you want
- faster internet (33.4 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Jeddah | Muscat |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 42 ✓ | 36 |
| Safety | 73 | 87 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 83 ✓ | 79 |
| Internet | 48 | 69 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 31 ✓ | 22 |
| Climate | 33 | 42 ✓ |
| Air quality | 39 | 39 |
| Quality of life | 65 | 66 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Jeddah | Muscat |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,927 ✓ | $2,202 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Jeddah | Muscat |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.8 | 0.14 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 65.9 | 76 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 ✓ | 73 |
| Life expectancy | 78.9 yrs | 80.2 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Jeddah | Muscat |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 10.9 Mbps | 33.4 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 6.5 Mbps | 19.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Jeddah | Muscat |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Jeddah | Muscat |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 147 ✓ | 84 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Jeddah | Muscat |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 32.4 µg/m³ | 32.4 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Jeddah or Muscat?
- Jeddah is cheaper: about $1,927 per month versus $2,202 for one person.
- Is Jeddah or Muscat safer?
- Muscat scores higher on safety (87 vs 73), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Jeddah or Muscat?
- Muscat: a measured median of 33.4 Mbps versus 10.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.