Electricity and Water Bills in Oman: What Owners Pay (2026)

Electricity and Water Bills in Oman: What Owners Pay (2026)

This guide sets out how electricity and water bills in Oman work for someone who owns, or is about to take handover of, a home there. It reflects the tariff decisions, utility pages and press notices available on 24 October 2026. You will see the residential electricity tariff published by the Authority for Public Services Regulation (APSR), the water and sewage charges on the Nama Water Services tariff page, the fees for opening an account, how apartments and villas are metered differently, where district cooling sits outside the electricity bill, and how rooftop solar fits in.

Every rate below carries its source and date, because tariffs in Oman have been revised several times since 2021 and a summer discount applied in 2026 only. The monthly bills for a two-bedroom apartment and a three-bedroom villa use kilowatt-hour and cubic-metre figures that are assumptions chosen for illustration, not measurements; replace them with the readings on a real bill. Prices come from our own listing pages, converted at the OMR peg of 2.6008 US dollars. Nothing here is advice to buy or a forecast of future tariffs.

Electricity and Water Bills in Oman: The Position at a Glance

The table gathers the figures that matter to a residential owner. Each row is explained in the sections that follow, with the document it comes from.

Two points frame everything else. First, these are the unit-level bills: the electricity and water used inside a flat or villa are metered and billed to the account holder, and they are separate from the annual service charge that pays for shared areas, as our service charges guide explains. Second, a bill depends on usage, and in a climate where cooling dominates, usage swings with the season far more than the tariff does.

Who Sets the Tariff and Who Sends the Bill

Three kinds of body are involved. The regulator, the Authority for Public Services Regulation, sets the residential electricity tariff by decision. Under Article 9 of Decision 44/2024, the Authority publishes the tariff on its website and the licensed company must publish it in the way the Authority specifies. The distribution company connects the property to the grid, the supply company reads meters and issues bills, and a separate water company handles water and sewage.

According to the Nama Electricity Supply FAQ, electricity bills come from Nama Supply, while the connection application goes to Nama Distribution. The Nama Water Services tariff page covers water, sewage and wastewater. As Sanad Service’s utilities guide summarizes the position, electricity and water are separate accounts with separate bills, and it describes water meters as read every 30 days. Because it is a secondary guide, treat it as a pointer and check the operator pages named in this article.

Water has a regional split. In reporting from September 2022, Oman Observer described Oman Water and Wastewater Services as covering the whole country except Dhofar, where Dhofar Integrated Services Company operates, and said about 650,000 customers were connected to the piped network of the first operator, roughly 70% of the residential population outside Dhofar, with the remainder served by water tankers. The same report said the regulator wanted a tariff strategy for the water sector that would unify the tariffs licensed operators apply and reduce the subsidy gradually. A water tariff is therefore the figure most worth re-checking at the date you rely on it.

Bills can be paid through the Nama Services, Khedma or ONEIC apps, the call-centre IVR on 1011, local bank apps, the oss.nama.om portal, cash-deposit machines, or prepaid recharge PINs, according to the Nama Supply FAQ. The FAQ says updated customer data shows on the following month’s bill and that bills can arrive by SMS or email.

The Residential Electricity Tariff: Where the Numbers Come From

The current residential tariff is in Article 3 of APSR Decision 44/2024, which issued the Approved Tariff Regulation for Electricity Connection and Supply. The decision is dated 23 December 2024 (21 Jumada al-Akhirah 1446 AH), was published in Official Gazette No. 1577 on 29 December 2024, and applies from 1 January 2025. We read its text on the Qanoon.om legal database, which states that it is not an official source; the Official Gazette is the authority for the exact wording. Oman Observer reported the rates when the decision was published on 29 December 2024.

The decision states the residential tariff per month, by account type and consumption band. A companion decision, 43/2024, issued the cost-reflective tariff regulation for non-residential subscribers using more than 100 megawatt-hours a year, according to Times of Oman. For other non-residential subscribers, Article 4 of Decision 44/2024 sets a flat 25 baisa per kWh in the first year and says the Authority announces the next year’s value before the end of December, after Council of Ministers approval.

Article 6 adds that accounts meeting the conditions of the National Subsidy System receive the discount set for them. Those conditions are set by the competent authorities and are not described in the decision.

The tariff has moved before. The table shows the three public steps that matter to a buyer thinking about bills years ahead.

The pattern is that the first band has been wide and cheap since 2022, while the upper bands now carry the higher rates. Compared with the 2021 structure, in which the first band ended at 500 kWh, a household using 3,000 kWh in a month now sits entirely inside the 14 baisa band. The 2022 report described a limit of 2 baisa a year on increases during the extended subsidy redirection; the 2025 decision did not change the first band, and nothing in the decision text promises how rates will look at the handover dates of the projects discussed below.

The standard residential tariff distinguishes account types, and Sanad Service’s summary says the split depends on the accounts linked to a Civil ID, not on nationality. The Nama Supply FAQ lists three residential tariff types: Basic for two accounts or fewer, Additional for more than two accounts, and Citizen with National Subsidy. Accounts are linked to a Civil ID, the two accounts with the highest consumption typically receive the Basic tariff, and the choice is fixed for 12 months unless the main property data is updated. An owner of a home plus a holiday unit therefore has to think about which accounts sit on which tariff.

How Electricity and Water Bills in Oman Are Built From Monthly Bands

The decision sets the rate for each band but does not print a worked bill. This article applies each rate to the kilowatt-hours that fall inside its band, in a stepped way: the first 4,000 kWh at 14 baisa, the next 2,000 kWh at 18 baisa, and anything above 6,000 kWh at 32 baisa. A real bill is the authority if a company applies the bands differently. One baisa is one-thousandth of a rial, so 14 baisa is OMR 0.014.

The arithmetic for a month of 5,000 kWh on a primary account shows the steps. The first 4,000 kWh cost 4,000 x 0.014 = OMR 56.00. The next 1,000 kWh cost 1,000 x 0.018 = OMR 18.00. The total is OMR 74.00. For 7,000 kWh, add the full middle band (2,000 x 0.018 = OMR 36.00, so OMR 92.00 for 6,000 kWh) and then 1,000 x 0.032 = OMR 32.00, giving OMR 124.00.

The difference between the account types stops growing above 6,000 kWh, because both tariffs charge 32 baisa there. The table is before any discount and before the water bill. It also shows why the upper bands matter: the last 2,000 kWh of the 8,000 kWh month cost OMR 64.00, more than the whole first 4,000 kWh (OMR 56.00). In practice that means a household that stays under 4,000 kWh pays a flat 14 baisa for every unit, and one that crosses 6,000 kWh pays more than double that rate on the excess.

The 2026 Summer Discount and the Rules on Disconnection

For summer 2026 the Authority announced reductions for residential use on a single basic account from May to August. Oman Observer and Times of Oman both reported the notice on 3 May 2026. The percentages come off the bill value for each band, as this article reads the notice.

The effective rates are our arithmetic: 14 x 0.80 = 11.2, 18 x 0.85 = 15.3 and 32 x 0.90 = 28.8 baisa. Applied to a 7,500 kWh villa month, the standard bill of OMR 140.00 falls to OMR 118.60 (44.80 + 30.60 + 43.20), a saving of OMR 21.40. For a 3,200 kWh apartment month, the saving is OMR 8.96, from OMR 44.80 to OMR 35.84.

The discount applied only to a single basic account and ended with August 2026. It is not part of the base tariff. A buyer planning for a year of bills should model the standard tariff and treat any future relief as a separate announcement. A similar summer reduction was reported for May to August 2025.

The notice also told licensed companies not to disconnect electricity during the period and to offer instalment payments to customers with outstanding balances. Separately, Gulf News reported in May 2025 that the Authority had barred electricity and water disconnections between 5pm and 7am, on the last working day before a weekend or official holiday, during General Education Diploma exams and throughout Ramadan. These are the rules reported in the two notices; the full disconnection procedure sits in the licensees’ terms.

Water, Sewage and Wastewater Charges

Water is priced by account type on the Nama Water Services tariff page, which carries a 2025 copyright line but no tariff date. The page lists residential tariffs and a fixed monthly sewage fee.

The page does not label the billing unit. The December 2020 announcement quoted water at 3 baisa per gallon, or 660 baisa per cubic metre, for resident and additional accounts, and 550 baisa per cubic metre for citizen accounts, effective 1 January 2021. Today’s 0.660 and 0.770 sit 110 baisa above those two 2020 figures, which is consistent with the per-cubic-metre reading used here. A foreign owner should expect the non-citizen line, OMR 0.770.

Worked example: a household drawing 20 cubic metres in a month pays 20 x 0.770 = OMR 15.40 for water. If the wastewater tariff is also charged on that volume, 20 x 0.154 = OMR 3.08, and the sewage fee is OMR 2.10, the water-side bill comes to OMR 20.58. The worked bills below include all three lines, which gives the fuller figure.

A fixed charge matters for second homes. The monthly sewage fee of OMR 2.10 is OMR 25.20 over a year before any water is used, so a closed property with an open account is not a zero bill.

Connection Fees, Meter Charges and Inspection

A buyer who takes handover of a finished unit usually inherits a connection that the developer arranged. A buyer of a plot or an independent house may pay the charges directly. The published fees are these.

The annex states that its tariff does not include the meter itself, the connection accessories, the service cable between the source and the property, or the labour needed. It adds that load-based charges follow the licensee’s own connection regulation, which the Authority approves. The Nama FAQ explains the load rule with an example: for a simple connection with a large load, the subscriber pays on the total load, not only the part above 60 kW, and an addition within 12 months of the last application is recalculated as one application, less what was already paid.

On meters, the FAQ says capacity is set by the total and type of energy needed, not by the customer’s request, that new meters must sit on the outer wall at the property boundary, and that prepaid and remote-reading meters are available. A prepaid meter changes how the bill is paid, since the FAQ describes recharge PINs for customers who receive no bill; it does not change the tariff bands.

Opening the Account: Documents for Owners and Tenants

The Nama pages list the documents by role. The same title-deed paperwork that proves ownership for registration, covered in our guide to property registration in Oman, is the base for an owner’s account. A tenant needs a tenancy agreement attested by the municipality, since a private contract alone does not meet the requirement.

For a building still under construction, the Nama Distribution FAQ describes a two-step route. The supply application is made after the municipal permit to start construction and is followed, once the supply works are finished, by the connection application. If the fixed charges were based on an approved map, no further payment is due when the building is completed as approved.

Off-plan buyers should read the account step alongside their contract. Our listing page for Luma Residence says electricity and water accounts are set up with the providers after handover, and the Telal Al Qurm listing page says buyers receive a list of inclusions and service connections at handover. The handover inspection is the moment to photograph the meter readings, as our snagging guide sets out, and a landlord who lets the unit can follow the move-in steps in the guide to renting out an Oman property from abroad. If the developer misses the handover date, the account start date moves with it, a situation covered in the article on developer delay and buyer rights.

Apartments vs Villas: Who Meters and Pays for Electricity and Water Bills in Oman

The difference between a flat and a house is less about the tariff, which is the same, than about what sits on whose meter and what drives the kilowatt-hours.

For the water side of an apartment block, Sanad Service’s summary of Nama Water’s connection rules says only one connection is allowed per property, premise or building. How an owners’ association or operator meters each flat behind that connection is set in the building’s own documents, so ask for the last 12 months of master-meter bills and the rules for reading and charging unit sub-meters before relying on a quoted figure.

The split between unit bills and common costs is where buyers most often double count. A service charge quoted per square metre already carries the shared electricity and water of lobbies, lifts, pools and irrigation, so adding an estimate for those on top counts them twice. Our villa vs apartment comparison sets out the fees on each side, and the cost of living guide gives household-level ranges that this article tests against the published tariff.

Villas bring extra load that is easy to underestimate: a swimming pool pump, garden irrigation and several air-conditioning units. Our listing page for Sarooj Oasis Villas gives 5 to 7 bedrooms, a villa built-up area of 2,307 sq ft (214.3 m2) and a handover target of Q4 2029, and lists air conditioning as a feature without naming the system. Those are the facts needed to size a bill: larger conditioned volume means more kilowatt-hours, and the upper tariff bands begin where a large house on split units tends to end up in August.

District Cooling: When Cooling Is Not on the Electricity Bill

In some Omani communities, chilled water for air conditioning comes from a central plant instead of from air-conditioning units run on the household’s own electricity. Al Mouj Muscat is a case with public documentation. According to Oman Observer on 23 January 2022, Al Mouj Muscat signed an agreement for Tabreed Oman to acquire, own and operate the district cooling plant, with an exclusive cooling concession of 30,000 refrigeration tons, more than 19,000 of them already connected. The report said the plant serves the integrated tourism complex, including over 6,000 homes, offices, a mall, hotels, a golf club and over 85 shops and restaurants. Gulf News reported the purchase price as AED 65.4 million.

What follows for a buyer is a question of billing. Chilled water comes from the plant operator and not from the electricity supplier, so the cooling cost does not appear in the 14, 18 and 32 baisa arithmetic. The figure to obtain is the operator’s current rate and how it is charged to an apartment owner or tenant. Compare a district-cooled unit’s electricity bill with a conventionally cooled unit’s only after adding that cooling charge to the first.

The project listing pages tell a buyer which projects sit inside such a community, though the cooling arrangement for an individual unit is a contract question. Our Al Mouj guide describes the community, and the marina communities comparison sets it beside the others. For the service-charge side of any community, the sale and purchase agreement schedule is the document that says what the charge covers.

Rooftop Solar and Net Metering

Oman has run a rooftop scheme called Sahim since May 2017, according to a February 2021 briefing by the law firm Addleshaw Goddard. Under the first phase, larger households and businesses install a small grid-connected system at their own cost, and exported electricity is paid at the bulk supply tariff, which the briefing describes as essentially a feed-in tariff. Under the second phase, a private developer builds, owns and operates small systems on many properties under a contract with the regulator, and the owner pays a one-time contribution based on expected bill savings and gets free use of the electricity generated from the fifth year. The briefing gave a target of 10% to 30% of residential premises.

The rules were described in 2021, and the regulator was then the Authority for Electricity Regulation, which became APSR. The current scheme terms are the document to read with the distribution company before any contract; this article’s bill arithmetic assumes no solar.

The tariff structure tells you where solar kilowatt-hours would count. Each kilowatt-hour displaced in the first band saves 14 baisa, so 1,000 kWh is worth OMR 14.00; each kilowatt-hour displaced above 6,000 kWh saves 32 baisa, so 1,000 kWh is worth OMR 32.00. A system that mainly trims a flat’s modest summer load sits in the cheap band, while one that offsets a villa’s peak sits in the dear band. On the community side, our listing page for The Sustainable City Yiti describes 100% renewable energy with solar generation across the community and a net-zero carbon target by 2040, as stated by the developer. Our Sustainable City Yiti guide covers the project.

Worked Monthly Electricity and Water Bills in Oman for an Apartment and a Villa

The assumptions are illustrations. For the apartment, a two-bedroom unit of roughly 90 to 113 m2 uses 900 kWh in a cool month (December to February), 1,800 kWh in a mild month (March, April, October, November), 2,600 kWh in a hot month (May, June, September) and 3,200 kWh in a peak month (July, August). Water use is 20 cubic metres a month all year. For the villa, a three-bedroom house of about 278 m2 uses 1,800, 3,500, 5,500 and 7,500 kWh in the same four seasons, with 40 cubic metres of water a month to cover a garden and a pool top-up. Both are on a primary account at the standard 2025 tariff, with the non-citizen water tariff of OMR 0.770 and all three water-side lines.

The apartment’s annual electricity is the sum of 3 x 12.60, 4 x 25.20, 3 x 36.40 and 2 x 44.80, which is OMR 337.40. On the 2026 summer discount, the four discounted months (May to August) would have cost OMR 30.66 less in total, bringing the year to OMR 306.74. If the same unit sat on an additional account, the annual electricity would be OMR 530.20, which is OMR 192.80 more.

The villa’s water-side line is 40 x 0.770 = 30.80, plus 40 x 0.154 = 6.16, plus the 2.10 sewage fee, which is OMR 39.06. Its peak month of 7,500 kWh crosses the 6,000 kWh line: 4,000 x 0.014 = 56.00, 2,000 x 0.018 = 36.00 and 1,500 x 0.032 = 48.00 give OMR 140.00. On the 2026 summer discount the annual electricity would have been OMR 731.45, which is OMR 69.15 lower, and on an additional account it would be OMR 1,183.80, which is OMR 383.20 higher than the primary-account figure.

Compare these with the household ranges in our cost of living guide. That guide gives July and August electricity-and-water bills for an apartment of about OMR 80 to 200. Take away the water-side OMR 20.58 and, at the published tariff, a combined bill of OMR 80 implies roughly 4,200 kWh of electricity in a month and a combined OMR 200 roughly 8,700 kWh, well above the 3,200 kWh peak used here. The ranges in that guide are household-level reports, and the figures here are tariff arithmetic from stated usage, so the difference is a usage difference and not a tariff one. Reading your own meter is the only way to settle which applies.

How Utilities Add to Service Charges: Running Costs From Our Listings

An owner pays both lines each year: the service charge for shared areas and the unit’s own utilities. The table adds the apartment utility bill from the previous section (OMR 584.36 a year at the standard tariff) to the service charge on each listing page, using the page’s own rate and a two-bedroom unit. The same kilowatt-hour and water assumptions are applied to every unit, so size differences are not modelled.

The Telal Al Qurm figure is 89 x 4.5 = OMR 400.50, rounded to OMR 401 on the page. The Luma figure is 113 x 8.27 = OMR 934.51 by the formula; the page prints about OMR 930, and we use the page. The Yiti listing page states that apartments carry no service charge for the first five years, so its line shows utilities only for that period. A total as a share of price is a cost ratio, not a return, and it moves with the assumptions; the lower ratio at Yiti reflects the waiver, not a lower cost to run the building.

For a villa, our Luma Residence listing page gives a 3-bedroom villa of 2,997 sq ft at $650,200 (OMR 250,000 at the peg) with a villa service charge of 6.27 per m2 per year, about OMR 1,746 on the page. Adding the villa utilities of OMR 800.60 and OMR 468.72 gives OMR 3,015.32 a year, or OMR 251.28 a month, which is 1.21% of the price. The Sarooj Oasis Villas listing page leaves its service charge to the sale and purchase agreement, so no figure is added.

Two sensitivities are worth running because the bill compounds with the tariff and with usage. If every band rose by 2 baisa, which is the yearly cap that Times of Oman reported for the extended subsidy period in 2022 and not a forecast, the apartment’s annual electricity would be OMR 385.60 (OMR 48.20 more) and the villa’s OMR 902.40 (OMR 101.80 more). If a landlord pays the utilities between tenancies, the water-side fixed charge of OMR 25.20 a year runs even when the unit is empty.

Utility costs also enter the arithmetic of renting. Oman’s personal income tax starts on 1 January 2028 at 5% above OMR 42,000 under Royal Decree 56/2025, with rental income included, and our property tax guide sets out the other charges. The bill arithmetic here is before any tax. The same running-cost lines feed the net-yield maths in the rental yields guide and the break-even comparison in the article on rent vs buy in Oman. For a project-level view of one community, see the guide to Muscat Bay, and for how a bill relates to an asking price, the article on property valuation in Oman.

A Short Checklist Before You Rely on a Quoted Bill

These are the questions that turn a general tariff into a number for one unit.

• Which account will the unit sit on, Basic or Additional, given the other accounts linked to your Civil ID?
• Is the figure you were given a tariff calculation, a summer month or a winter month, and which kilowatt-hours does it assume?
• Is the unit’s cooling on its own electricity meter or supplied by a district cooling operator, and at what rate?
• How are individual water sub-meters read and charged in the building?
• What does the sale agreement schedule say the service charge covers, and are common-area electricity and water inside it?
• When is the planned handover, and when will the accounts be opened?

The developers behind the projects named here are listed in our Oman developers directory, and the off-plan sequence that leads to the handover is explained in the guide to buying off-plan property in Oman.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much are electricity and water bills in Oman for an apartment?

It depends on usage. On the published tariff and the assumptions in this article, a two-bedroom apartment using 900 to 3,200 kWh a month and 20 cubic metres of water runs from about OMR 33 in a cool month to about OMR 65 in a peak month, and OMR 584.36 over a year at the standard rates. Those usage figures are illustrations, so electricity and water bills in Oman for your own unit should be checked against a real bill.

Do foreign owners pay a different electricity tariff?

The tariff is set by account type, not nationality, according to Sanad Service’s summary of the Nama rules; the Nama Supply FAQ lists Basic accounts for two accounts or fewer, Additional accounts above two, and a citizen-with-subsidy type. For water, the Nama Water Services tariff page lists a non-citizen rate of OMR 0.770 per cubic metre. A foreign owner of a single property is therefore on the standard residential electricity bands, which is the main point to know about electricity and water bills in Oman for non-citizens.

Does the summer discount still apply?

No. The discount announced in May 2026 applied to a single basic account from May to August 2026 and has ended. Any relief in future years would need a new announcement from the Authority for Public Services Regulation, so electricity and water bills in Oman should be planned at the standard tariff.

Are electricity and water bills included in the service charge?

Only the shared part. A service charge pays for the electricity and water of common areas such as lobbies, lifts, pools and irrigation, according to our service charges guide. The consumption inside the unit is metered and billed to the account holder, which is why electricity and water bills in Oman come on top of the service charge.

What does it cost to connect a new home?

The tariff annex sets OMR 10 for a single-phase meter connection and OMR 40 for a three-phase one, excluding the meter, accessories, cable and labour. Nama Distribution applies OMR 5 per kW of total load for loads above 60 kW, and Nama Water Services lists OMR 200 plus OMR 10 VAT for a new residential water connection and the same for wastewater.

Can the supply be disconnected for non-payment?

The reported rules limit when it can happen. Gulf News reported in May 2025 that disconnections are barred from 5pm to 7am, on the last working day before a weekend or holiday, during certain exams and throughout Ramadan. In summer 2026 the Authority also told companies not to disconnect and to offer instalment plans. Keeping the account current avoids the question, and the full procedure is in the supplier’s terms.

How does district cooling change the bill?

The chilled water comes from a plant operator, so the cooling cost is billed by the operator and sits outside the electricity bands. In Al Mouj Muscat the plant is owned and operated by Tabreed Oman under a 30,000 refrigeration ton concession, according to Oman Observer. When comparing electricity and water bills in Oman between two homes, add the operator’s cooling charge to the district-cooled unit before comparing.

Can rooftop solar lower the bill?

A system lowers the kilowatt-hours bought from the grid, and its value per unit depends on the band it displaces: 14 baisa in the first band and 32 baisa above 6,000 kWh. The Sahim scheme, described in a 2021 law-firm briefing, pays exports under the first phase at the bulk supply tariff. Check the current scheme terms before treating solar as a way to reduce electricity and water bills in Oman.

Do utility accounts affect residency?

No. Opening and paying for utility accounts is separate from residency. The Golden Residency requires a single Integrated Tourism Complex property worth at least OMR 200,000, decided by the Royal Oman Police, and the Owner Visa under Royal Oman Police Decision 87/2026 has no minimum value, needs no sponsor and is tied to ownership. Our guide to Golden Residency vs the Owner Visa covers both.

Last checked: 24 October 2026. Sources: APSR Decision 44/2024, Qanoon.om; Authority for Public Services Regulation; Oman Observer, new tariffs, 29 Dec 2024; Times of Oman, APSR tariff regulations; Oman Observer, summer cuts, 3 May 2026; Times of Oman, summer tariffs, 3 May 2026; Oman Observer, bill cuts and payment plans; Nama Water Services tariffs and fees; Nama Supply FAQ; Nama Distribution FAQ; Oman Observer, tariffs from 2021; Times of Oman, 2022 tariff; Gulf News, disconnection rules; Oman Observer, water tariff strategy; Oman Observer, Al Mouj district cooling; Gulf News, Tabreed and Al Mouj; Addleshaw Goddard, rooftop solar; Sanad Service, utilities guide.