Hay Al Wafa, Sultan Haitham City — Freehold Apartments, Townhouses & Villas in Muscat

Hay Al Wafa is a freehold residential district inside Sultan Haitham City, the 15 million m² new city Oman announced in 2023 and is building in Al Seeb for more than 100,000 residents. It is one of the few schemes in the district that offers all three formats — apartments, townhouses and villas — inside a single walkable neighbourhood with its own school, kindergarten, clinic, boulevard and square.

Apartments start from $170,600, townhouses from $263,200 and villas from $629,400, on a 20% down, 80% over 36 months plan. Two things set it apart from everything else in Sultan Haitham City: it is the earliest completion in the district at Q4 2027, and it is the only project here with a published service charge. This guide sets out sizes, prices, running costs, location and ownership rules, with the figures in tables.

Hay Al Wafa at a Glance

Apartment, Townhouse and Villa Prices

The published price list covers three product lines. These are entry points; the figure moves with floor, orientation, plot and phase, and only 52 units are currently released.

The apartments are the standout number. At roughly $100 per square foot they are among the cheapest new-build freehold homes anywhere in Muscat, and a 1,700 sq ft two-bedroom is a genuinely large apartment by regional standards — most Dubai two-bedrooms of that price are half the size.

Note also that a townhouse costs more per square foot than a villa. That is a function of plot efficiency rather than quality: the villas are much larger (from 4,627 sq ft), so the land and construction cost spreads across more area. If you are buying on a price-per-foot basis, the apartments win comfortably; if you want land and privacy, the villa is the better value of the two house products.

Smaller apartments exist — the community’s overall range starts at 588 sq ft — but one-bedroom units are not carried on the current published price list. Ask for the live availability sheet if that is the size you want.

The Three Home Formats

Every building at Hay Al Wafa is three storeys, which keeps the whole district low-rise and walkable:

• Apartments — 1 to 3 bedrooms across three-storey blocks, with panoramic windows and minimalist glass balconies. Two covered parking spaces per apartment.
• Townhouses — 3 to 4 bedrooms over ground, first and second floors, each with a private back garden. Two to four parking spaces each.
• Villas — 5-bedroom family houses from 4,627 sq ft, arranged over three floors with a private garden. Four parking spaces each.

The parking allocation deserves a mention. Two spaces for an apartment is generous — most Muscat and Gulf schemes give one — and four for a villa is unusually well provisioned. For a family with teenage drivers, or anyone planning to let to a family, that is a practical advantage that rarely shows up in a brochure comparison.

Payment Plan

The structure is simpler than most of the district: a 20% down payment, then the remaining 80% spread across 36 months. Unusually, the developer lets you choose the instalment rhythm — monthly, semi-annually or annually — which is worth negotiating around your own income pattern.

The EOI deposit is refundable in most Omani off-plan structures, but confirm that in writing — it is the first thing to check, not the last.

What You Pay, and When, in Dollars

Translating the plan into cash, for each entry-level home type. Monthly figures assume the 80% is spread evenly across 36 months; the semi-annual and annual options rebalance the same total.

Compare this honestly against a longer plan. Hay Al Wafa clears the full price in three years; Jood spreads it over four and a half. The monthly commitment here is therefore heavier — but you take handover in 2027 rather than 2030, so rent or occupancy starts almost three years sooner. Whether that trade favours you depends entirely on whether you need the cash flow now or the asset sooner.

Service Charges and Running Costs

This is the section most off-plan listings cannot write, because developers rarely publish the number before handover. Al Abrar has: the service charge at Hay Al Wafa runs from OMR 300 to OMR 500 per year, roughly $780 to $1,300 depending on unit type.

Put that in context. On a $170,600 apartment, the low end is about 0.46% of the purchase price per year. Gulf service charges commonly land between 1% and 2% of value annually, so this is genuinely low — and because it is published rather than estimated, you can underwrite it instead of guessing.

Beyond the service charge, budget for registration costs at purchase and for utilities. Oman levies no annual property tax and no personal income tax on rental income, so the recurring cost of holding the asset is close to the service charge alone. Transactional costs are set out in our property tax in Oman guide.

One further saving: homes are handed over with fully fitted kitchens — appliances and units installed — where most projects in the district hand over tiled but bare. On an apartment that alone is worth several thousand dollars you do not have to spend.

Location and Drive Times

Hay Al Wafa sits in Sultan Haitham City in the coastal wilayat of Al Seeb, about five minutes from the main Seeb highway and roughly half an hour from Muscat International Airport.

Drive times are the developer’s estimates and vary with traffic. The important structural point is that Hay Al Wafa does not depend on these journeys for daily life — the school, kindergarten, clinic, shops and mosques are inside the community, which is precisely what the next section covers.

Everything Inside the Community

Hay Al Wafa is planned so that the everyday week happens on foot. A boulevard runs from the homes to a central square, with the shopping centre and cultural centre beside it, and a central park and two mosques anchoring the green space.

A school, a kindergarten, a clinic and a hospital inside the community is a materially different proposition from a project that lists them as nearby amenities. It is the strongest argument for Hay Al Wafa as family rental stock rather than purely owner-occupier housing.

Architecture and Interior Specification

The three-storey buildings combine contemporary massing with Omani detail. Façades are light beige with pale stone tiling, a palette drawn from the region’s desert landscape, articulated with decorative gold-toned metal grilles and seamless glass balconies. Windows are panoramic with slim frames.

Interiors are handed over finished, in a light palette using natural materials:

• Light grey marble flooring
• White walls with decorative mouldings, wall panels and recessed lighting
• Stone-effect tiling in bathrooms, with white sanitary ware
• Wood-effect internal doors
• Fully fitted kitchens, with units and built-in appliances installed

The fitted kitchen is the specification detail with real money attached. Across Sultan Haitham City the norm is a tiled kitchen shell; here the cabinetry and appliances come with the home. Budget only for furniture and window dressing rather than a full fit-out.

The Developer: Al Abrar Real Estate

Al Abrar Real Estate is an Omani developer founded in 2008 and part of the Al Siyabi International Group. It specialises in apartment and mixed-use complexes and commercial property, combining contemporary architecture with functional planning and sustainable building principles.

Its portfolio runs to more than ten completed and ongoing developments, including Panorama Mall, Muscat Oasis Residence and Sohar Garden Residence. Hay Al Wafa is its flagship residential district and its largest project to date.

Al Abrar is a smaller and more local developer than the regional groups building elsewhere in the district — this is an Omani company with an Omani portfolio rather than an international name. That cuts both ways: less brand recognition for resale marketing, but a track record of delivered buildings in this specific market, and a completion date only a year out rather than three.

Sultan Haitham City: The Wider Context

Sultan Haitham City was announced by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq in May 2023 and is being developed under Oman Vision 2040 across 15 million m² in the coastal wilayat of Al Seeb. Planned as an effectively self-contained city for more than 100,000 residents, it emphasises renewable energy, water conservation and sustainable construction standards, with extensive green space and landscaped public areas throughout.

For the district’s phasing, infrastructure and investment case, see our complete Sultan Haitham City investor guide. Government context on Oman’s property and urban planning framework comes from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, and national investment policy from Invest Oman.

How Hay Al Wafa Compares Within the District

Read across the district, Hay Al Wafa’s case is time. It completes two years before Sarooj Oasis Villas and more than two before Jood, which means rental income, or a family moving in, starts materially sooner. It is also the only one of the four with a townhouse product, and the only one that publishes a service charge.

Where it does not lead is headline entry price — Sarooj Oasis Apartments open lower — and scale, since Jood’s 7,746 homes fund community facilities on a different order. Other freehold options in the district include Wadi Zaha and Yenaier Residences.

Who Hay Al Wafa Suits — and Who It Doesn’t

The short version: Hay Al Wafa trades payment comfort for speed. You pay it off faster, and you get the asset sooner.

Freehold Ownership and Residency

Homes at Hay Al Wafa are sold freehold and are open to buyers of all nationalities, with title registered in the buyer’s name. Our guide to freehold property in Oman explains how the designated zones work and what registration involves.

Purchases at this level clear Oman’s property-linked residency thresholds. The routes are distinct and frequently conflated — see Golden Residency versus the Owner Visa for which applies at which investment level.

Why Muscat, and Why This Price Point

Muscat’s case rests on freehold title in designated zones, no property or personal income tax, and a security record placing Oman among the safest countries in the world on international crime indices. The rial’s long-standing peg to the US dollar removes the currency risk that shapes other regional markets.

At $170,600 for a 1,700 sq ft two-bedroom with a fitted kitchen, two parking spaces and a sub-$1,300 annual service charge, the total cost of ownership is difficult to match anywhere in the Gulf. For a wider view see the best areas to invest in Oman and our assessment of whether now is a good time to buy.

Rental Yields and Exit

Sultan Haitham City has no rental track record yet, because nothing has completed. Hay Al Wafa’s Q4 2027 handover means it will be among the first stock in the district to actually let — which is an advantage in reaching tenants early, and a risk in that it will help set the district’s rental benchmark rather than being able to price against one. Current Muscat-wide ranges are in our Oman rental yields guide.

Two practical points. The realistic exit before completion is assignment, so confirm the developer’s assignment and resale policy and any fee before reserving. And the on-site school, kindergarten and clinic point firmly at family tenants on longer leases, not short-let — which suits the townhouses and villas particularly well.

Risks to Weigh Before You Commit

Timeline risk. Q4 2027 is close by off-plan standards, but large districts slip. Read the delay clause and understand what remedy applies.

Limited release. Only 52 units are currently available. That constrains choice of floor, orientation and plot, and the best-value sizes typically sell first.

Developer scale. Al Abrar is a mid-sized Omani developer, not a regional major. Its delivery record is real but smaller; verify the escrow arrangement carefully.

District maturity. Completing first means moving into a district still under construction around you. Expect building works nearby through the late 2020s.

Service charge range. OMR 300–500 is a range, not a fixed figure. Get the number for your specific unit type in writing.

None of these argues against buying. They argue for getting the escrow details, assignment policy, delay clause and unit-specific service charge in writing before the down payment.

Paying From Abroad: Currency and Transfers

Prices are quoted in US dollars and settled in Omani rials, and the rial has been pegged to the dollar for decades — so a dollar-based buyer carries effectively no currency risk across the three-year schedule. Buyers paying from sterling, euro, złoty or another currency do carry that exposure, and over 36 monthly instalments the cumulative effect can be material; fixing the rate on larger instalments through a forward contract is common practice.

Payments should go to the project’s escrow account, never a general company account. Verify the escrow details independently before the first transfer and keep the SWIFT confirmations — they form part of your evidence of payment at registration. Rate and banking-sector information is published by the Central Bank of Oman.

How to Buy: Step by Step

• 1. Shortlist and confirm availability. Fix the format, bedroom count and phase, then request the live price list — only 52 units are currently released.
• 2. Submit the expression of interest. OMR 500–1,000 holds the unit. Confirm in writing whether it is refundable.
• 3. Pay the down payment. 20% on booking, against a signed reservation.
• 4. Sign the sale and purchase agreement. Check escrow, the specification schedule, the completion date and the developer-delay penalty terms.
• 5. Choose your instalment rhythm. Monthly, semi-annual or annual across 36 months — pick the one that matches your income.
• 6. Handover and registration. Take delivery from Q4 2027, register title in your name, and file the residency application if relevant.

Buyer Due Diligence Checklist

• Confirm the unit or plot number, floor, orientation and exact area on the reservation form — not just the type.
• Get the escrow account details and verify payments are made into it.
• Confirm whether the OMR 500–1,000 EOI deposit is refundable, and on what terms.
• Get the service charge for your specific unit type in writing, within the OMR 300–500 band.
• Confirm exactly what the fitted kitchen includes — which appliances, which finishes.
• Confirm the assignment and resale policy, including any fee and the earliest permitted date.
• Check the delay-penalty clause and the remedy if Q4 2027 slips.
• Confirm the parking allocation for your specific unit in writing.
• If financing, obtain lender pre-approval for off-plan in Sultan Haitham City before booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is Hay Al Wafa?
In Sultan Haitham City, in the coastal wilayat of Al Seeb, Muscat — about five minutes from the main Seeb highway and roughly 30 minutes from Muscat International Airport.

Can foreigners buy at Hay Al Wafa?
Yes. Homes are freehold and open to all nationalities, with title registered in the buyer’s name.

How much does a home at Hay Al Wafa cost?
Apartments from $170,600, townhouses from $263,200 and villas from $629,400.

When does Hay Al Wafa complete?
Q4 2027 — the earliest handover of any project currently selling in Sultan Haitham City.

What is the payment plan?
20% on booking and 80% across 36 months, payable monthly, semi-annually or annually. An expression of interest of OMR 500–1,000 holds a unit beforehand.

What are the service charges?
OMR 300 to 500 per year, roughly $780 to $1,300 depending on unit type — published by the developer, unlike most projects in the district.

Is parking included?
Yes, and generously: two spaces per apartment, two to four per townhouse and four per villa.

Are the homes furnished?
They are handed over fully finished with fitted kitchens — marble flooring, moulded and panelled walls, recessed lighting, tiled bathrooms, white sanitary ware and wood-effect doors — but unfurnished otherwise.

How large are the homes?
The community ranges from 588 to 5,493 sq ft. Priced units start at 1,700 sq ft for a two-bedroom apartment, 1,722 sq ft for a townhouse and 4,627 sq ft for a villa.

Who is the developer?
Al Abrar Real Estate, an Omani company founded in 2008 and part of Al Siyabi International Group, with more than ten completed and ongoing developments including Panorama Mall and Muscat Oasis Residence.

Does buying at Hay Al Wafa qualify for Oman residency?
Purchases at this level clear the property-linked thresholds. See our Golden Residency and Owner Visa guide for which route applies.

Speak to UInvest About Hay Al Wafa

UInvest works directly with developers across Sultan Haitham City, which means access to current pricing, live availability from the 52 released units and the full floor plan set without approaching each sales office separately. We handle due diligence on escrow and title, coordinate the sale and purchase agreement and registration, and advise on financing and residency thresholds.

Browse apartments for sale in Oman, townhouses for sale in Oman and villas for sale in Oman, see all Oman property with UInvest, or contact us for the current Hay Al Wafa price list and available layouts.