Opal Residences, Muscat Hills, Oman

Opal Residences is a seven-storey apartment building in Muscat Hills, a family-oriented district of Muscat with schools and colleges around it. The district is already built and in use, and Opal is a single building within it.

Muscat International Airport is 14 minutes away by car. Apartments run from 431 sq ft studios to 1,668 sq ft residences with a study and maid’s room, with published pricing from $194,100 for a one-bedroom. The handover target is Q4 2028 per the developer, on a payment plan tied to ten construction milestones. This guide sets out sizes, prices, the milestone schedule, running costs, location and ownership rules — with the figures in tables.

Opal Residences at a Glance

Sizes and Prices

Two product lines carry prices on the published list. Studios start at 431 sq ft (40 m²), and the studio price list is available from the sales office.

The pricing is close to uniform per square foot. The one-bedroom is about $220 per square foot and the two-bedroom about $225, a difference of about 2%. Because the rate per foot is nearly the same at both published sizes, the choice between them can follow the space a buyer needs.

Unit-by-Unit Walkthrough

The studio starts at 431 sq ft (40 m²), and its price is given in the sales-office price list.

The one-bedroom starts at 883 sq ft (82 m²) and $194,100 (OMR 74,631 at the peg), which is about $220 per square foot or roughly OMR 910 per m². The two-bedroom starts at 1,206 sq ft (112 m²) and $270,900 (OMR 104,160), about $225 per square foot or roughly OMR 930 per m². The two-bedroom adds 323 sq ft (30 m²) and $76,800 to the one-bedroom figures.

The layouts with a study and a maid’s room reach 1,668 sq ft (155 m²), and their prices are given in the sales-office price list. Both prices on the published list are below OMR 200,000, the value used for the Golden Residency; the residency section below sets out the rule.

The Payment Plan: Ten Construction Milestones

The plan is tied to physical construction events that can be seen on site rather than to calendar dates. The buyer pays against each stage as it is reached.

Because each instalment is linked to a stage of the building, payment dates follow progress on site, and the sales office explains how each stage is certified.

In total, 90% is paid before completion across nine instalments, and the final 10% falls due on completion. Buyers plan their cash flow across the period to the Q4 2028 handover target per the developer.

What You Pay at Each Milestone, in Dollars

The first payment is $38,820 on signing for a one-bedroom. The later instalments are $19,410 or $9,705 each and are spread across the build.

A Worked Example in Rials

The same plan can be read in rials at the peg of OMR 1 = USD 2.6008. For a one-bedroom at OMR 74,631, the 20% payment on signing is OMR 14,926, each of the six 10% milestones is OMR 7,463, each of the two 5% milestones is OMR 3,732 and the final 10% on completion is OMR 7,463. The nine payments before completion add up to OMR 67,168 ($174,690).

For a two-bedroom at OMR 104,160, the same steps are OMR 20,832 on signing, OMR 10,416 at each 10% milestone, OMR 5,208 at each 5% milestone and OMR 10,416 on completion. These amounts are illustrative; the price of the specific unit sets the actual instalments.

Service Charges and Running Costs

The service charge is published at OMR 6.5 per m², which gives a figure for each layout that can be used to model holding costs.

On the one-bedroom the charge is roughly 0.71% of the purchase price (about OMR 533 against OMR 74,631). The sales office confirms the billing period and the services covered; the building’s shared facilities include pools, a gym, a sauna and steam room and a rooftop garden.

Oman levies no annual property tax and no personal income tax on rental income, so beyond the service charge and utilities the holding cost is minimal. Transaction costs are set out in our property tax in Oman guide, and our guide to service charges in Omani real estate covers the charge in more detail.

What the Service Charge Covers

A service charge pays for the upkeep of the parts of a building that residents share. In an Omani apartment building this normally includes common-area maintenance, pool and gym upkeep, security and insurance of shared parts. At Opal the shared parts include two pools, a gym, a sauna and steam room, a playroom, a rooftop and a car park.

The rate is quoted per square metre, so the amount follows the size of the apartment: OMR 260 for the 40 m² studio and OMR 728 for the 112 m² two-bedroom, for example, or about $676 and $1,893 at the peg. The service-charge schedule, with the billing period and the services covered, is confirmed before the sale and purchase agreement is signed.

Inside the Apartments

Apartments are handed over finished in a neutral palette with marble- and stone-effect materials. The specification is as follows:

Two details are worth noting. Every layout includes a dedicated laundry area, planned as its own space instead of sitting inside the kitchen or bathroom. And integrated appliances come with the European kitchen, so the kitchen is fitted at handover.

The fingerprint-and-passcode entry allows access to be granted without a physical key handover, which is convenient for owners who let the apartment.

Amenities: Rooftop, Pools and Wellness

The building’s shared facilities are set out below; the rooftop carries a landscaped garden and a jogging track.

The rooftop has a 400-metre jogging track, a landscaped garden with seating and dedicated BBQ zones. Alongside the separate adult and children’s pools and the dedicated playroom, the facilities cover exercise, swimming and family use within the building.

Architecture and the Lobby

The facade uses beige panels with a stone texture in a restrained contemporary style: clean geometry, an even rhythm, and vertical lines set against the depth of the balconies to give the volume definition. Decoration is kept limited, so that the building sits within the existing neighbourhood.

The lobby has high ceilings, a designer reception desk, waiting areas with soft seating overlooking a planted internal courtyard, stone- and marble-effect finishes and decorative lighting. It is the first space a resident, visitor or prospective tenant sees on entering the building.

Location: 14 Minutes to the Airport

Muscat Hills is an established district with schools and colleges around it, and the drive times from Opal to nearby destinations are listed below.

The list includes a university at five minutes, a technological college at nine, an international school at thirteen and a women’s college at sixteen — all existing institutions, operating now. A hypermarket is twelve minutes away and a beach fifteen.

The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, seven minutes away, hosts international conferences, which brings visitors to the area.

Muscat Hills and Getting Around

Muscat Hills includes Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club, an 18-hole, par-72 course designed by Paul Thomas that opened in 2009; Gulf News reported in April 2023 that the course would reopen as La Vie Club. Al Nama Real Estate is the developer of the Opal building.

The drive times fall into groups: education within 5 to 16 minutes, shopping and leisure within 7 to 17 minutes, and the airport and the convention centre at 14 and 7 minutes. Because these places are in operation now, a buyer can visit them and time the drives before reserving.

Airport Drive Times Across Our Oman Listings

Drive time to Muscat International Airport is one figure that can be set side by side for each of our Oman listings.

The drive times in the table range from 14 minutes for Opal to 55 minutes for The Great Escape. Jood sits about 24 km out, in the same broad band as the Sultan Haitham City projects.

For owners who plan short lets, the airport is 14 minutes from the building and the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is 7.

Price per Square Foot Across Our Oman Listings

The table sets out the published figures: $100 per square foot for Hay Al Wafa, $179 for Jood, $220 for Opal, $276 for TSCY and $325 for The Great Escape. The one-bedrooms at Opal and The Great Escape have entry prices of $194,100 and $195,000, at 883 sq ft and 600 sq ft respectively. The Great Escape is a gated resort setting with a sea view and a golf membership; Opal is an inland city building in an established district, 14 minutes from the airport.

Muscat Hills as an Established District

Muscat Hills is a district that is already built: the schools, the university, the hypermarket, the mall, the park, the beach and the golf course named on this page are open and operating.

Opal Residences is a single building within that neighbourhood, which shapes the purchase in three ways:

• One building to complete. The purchase depends on one building being completed, with the surrounding infrastructure already in place.
• A tenant pool nearby. University staff and students, professionals and conference visitors are among the groups living and working close to the building.
• Drive times that can be tested. Because the destinations in the table already operate, a buyer can time each drive before reserving.

The Developer: Al Nama Real Estate

Al Nama Real Estate is an Omani company founded in 2002, specialising in residential, commercial and hospitality property. Beyond development it is active in property management and marketing, working with private clients and investors across Oman.

Its portfolio comprises Opal Residences in Muscat and Arina Residences in Salalah. Per the developer, the company received the Most Trusted Brand award in the real estate sector in 2021, followed by recognition as Best Real Estate Developer in 2022.

Al Nama also provides property management and real estate marketing services, so its activities cover development, management and sales. The Al Nama Real Estate developer profile sets out the company, its projects and its sources, and the developers hub lists the other developer profiles on this site.

Other Al Nama Projects

Our site lists one Al Nama project, Opal Residences. The developer’s own projects page shows a second, Arina Residences in Salalah, described as 128 apartments, and its website also describes a collaboration with the Awqaf Al-Aqr Nizwa endowment on the Al-Aqur Village revival of an old quarter of Nizwa.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning lists a third scheme, the Al Namaa Neighbourhood in Izki, Al Dakhiliyah Governorate: an integrated residential neighbourhood of 182 homes, villas and apartments, on 109,010 square metres, with a mosque, commercial areas and green spaces. Muscat Daily reported in February 2025 an investment of OMR 11 million for the project.

Who Opal Residences Suits

Families have a school, a playroom and pools within a short drive or within the building. Owners who let have a university, a convention centre and the airport close by, and buyers who prefer to see progress before each payment can follow the construction milestones on site. Studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and larger layouts give a range of sizes within one building.

Freehold Ownership and Residency

Apartments at Opal Residences 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.

On residency, the rules differ by route. The Golden Residency needs a single property in an Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) worth at least OMR 200,000 and is decided by the Royal Oman Police; OMR 200,000 is about $520,160 at the peg. The Owner Visa has no minimum value. Opal’s prices on our list start at OMR 74,631 ($194,100) for the one-bedroom and OMR 104,160 ($270,900) for the two-bedroom, both below OMR 200,000. See Golden Residency versus the Owner Visa for the conditions of each route.

Residency Routes in More Detail

The Golden Residency condition applies to one property in an Integrated Tourism Complex worth at least OMR 200,000; separate purchases are not combined to reach the figure, and the Royal Oman Police decides each application. The Owner Visa is tied to ownership of a property and has no minimum value.

The prices on the published list are below OMR 200,000, and the prices of the larger layouts are in the sales-office price list. The reservation documents state which designation applies to the plot, and a buyer who plans a visa application confirms the route and its conditions in writing before reserving.

Why Muscat, and Why This Price Point

Muscat’s case rests on freehold title in designated zones, no annual property tax and no personal income tax on rental income, and the crime figures tracked by international crime indices. The rial is pegged to the US dollar at OMR 1 = USD 2.6008, so a dollar-based buyer sees the same rial amount from one day to the next. Government context comes from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, with national policy set by Oman Vision 2040 and investment policy by Invest Oman.

Within that market, the one-bedroom is priced at about $220 per square foot for a finished apartment with integrated appliances, underground parking and a rooftop jogging track, 14 minutes from an international airport. For a wider view see our guide to investment areas in Oman and our assessment of whether now is a good time to buy.

Rental Yields and Exit

Letting at Opal rests on the surrounding tenant pool. A university at five minutes, a technological college at nine, an international school at thirteen and a convention centre at seven are sources of demand from staff, students, professionals and conference visitors.

Studios and one-bedrooms are the smaller layouts in the building. Current Muscat-wide ranges are in our Oman rental yields guide, and the sales office and the building’s rules set out what letting is permitted.

Before completion, the usual route to sell is an assignment of the SPA, where the developer permits it and subject to its fee; the SPA states the assignment terms. Our guide to selling property in Oman sets out the costs and the order of steps.

Paying From Abroad: Currency and Transfers

Prices are quoted in US dollars and settled in Omani rials, and the rial is pegged to the dollar at OMR 1 = USD 2.6008, so for a dollar-based buyer each instalment is a fixed rial amount. Buyers paying from sterling, euro, złoty or another currency convert at the rate on each payment date. Our guide to the Omani rial peg explains the mechanics.

Payments go to the project’s escrow account named in the reservation documents. Buyers keep the SWIFT confirmation of each transfer, which forms part of the evidence of payment at registration. Rate and banking information is published by the Central Bank of Oman.

How to Buy: Step by Step

• 1. Request the price lists. The sales office shares the availability list, floor plans and price lists, including the studio and the larger layouts.
• 2. Shortlist from the 77 available units. Fix the floor, orientation and whether you want the study or maid’s-room layout.
• 3. Review the service-charge schedule. Rate, billing period, and what it covers across the pools, gym, spa and rooftop.
• 4. Sign the sale and purchase agreement. 20% falls due here. The agreement states the unit, size, price, finish schedule, escrow details and the Q4 2028 handover date per the developer.
• 5. Pay against milestones. Instalments follow the stages of construction, and the sales office explains how each stage is certified.
• 6. Final 10% on completion. Then snagging, handover, title registration in your name and any residency application.

From Reservation to Keys

A reservation form and a deposit hold the unit while the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) is prepared. The SPA states the unit, size, price, finish schedule, payment milestones and handover date. After the 20% payment on signing, the following payments fall due as each construction stage is completed. At handover the buyer inspects the apartment, lists any finishing points (snagging) and receives the keys, and the title is then registered in the buyer’s name with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.

Royal Decree 79/2025 was issued on 10 September 2025 and published in Official Gazette issue 1613 on 14 September 2025. According to the decree text, it takes effect 180 days after publication, which is mid-March 2026, and it replaces the escrow system for real estate development projects that Royal Decree 30/2018 had created with a unified Law Regulating Real Estate. Our explainer on Law 79/2025 for off-plan buyers describes the project-specific escrow accounts, the preliminary real estate registry and the licensing of sellers. The reservation documents normally name the bank and the escrow account into which each instalment is paid.

What to Prepare When Reserving

• Reservation form. Names the unit, the price and the deposit amount.
• Sale and purchase agreement. States the handover date (Q4 2028 per the developer), size, finish schedule and each milestone.
• Escrow account details. Bank name, account holder and the project account into which instalments are paid.
• Title and zone documents. Confirmation of the freehold designation of the plot and registration of title in the buyer’s name.
• Payment schedule. The ten milestones with the amount for the chosen unit.
• Service-charge schedule. The rate, the billing period and what it covers.
• Floor plan and unit list. Unit number, floor, orientation, exact area and layout type.
• Identity documents. Passport copy and the details of the paying account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is Opal Residences?
In Muscat Hills, an established residential district of Muscat — 14 minutes from Muscat International Airport and 15 from Azaiba Beach.

Can foreigners buy at Opal Residences?
Yes. Apartments are freehold and open to all nationalities, with title registered in the buyer’s name.

How much does an apartment cost?
The published list starts at $194,100 (OMR 74,631) for a one-bedroom from 883 sq ft, and $270,900 (OMR 104,160) for a two-bedroom from 1,206 sq ft. Studios start at 431 sq ft, and the studio price list is available from the sales office.

What is the payment plan?
Ten construction-linked milestones: 20% on signing, then payments at excavation, foundation, basement structure, 1st, 3rd and 6th floor structures, completion of all structural work, completion of finishing, and 10% on completion. Ninety per cent falls due before completion.

What are the service charges?
OMR 6.5 per m² — roughly OMR 533 (about $1,386) for an 883 sq ft one-bedroom. The billing period and the services covered are confirmed in the service-charge schedule before signing.

When does Opal Residences complete?
The handover target is Q4 2028, per the developer.

How far is the airport?
Fourteen minutes by car.

Are the apartments furnished?
No, but they are handed over finished in a neutral palette with marble- and stone-effect materials, European kitchen cabinetry with integrated appliances, integrated storage and keyless entry.

Is there parking?
Yes — underground parking, one space per apartment.

What is on the roof?
A landscaped garden with seating areas, dedicated BBQ zones and a 400-metre jogging track.

Who is the developer?
Al Nama Real Estate, an Omani company founded in 2002, which also developed Arina Residences in Salalah and, per the developer, received Most Trusted Brand in 2021 and Best Real Estate Developer in 2022.

Does buying here qualify for Oman residency?
It depends on the route. The Golden Residency needs a single ITC property worth at least OMR 200,000 (about $520,160), decided by the Royal Oman Police, and Opal prices on our list start at OMR 74,631 ($194,100). The Owner Visa has no minimum value. See our Golden Residency and Owner Visa guide.

What are the Opal prices in rials?
At the peg of OMR 1 = USD 2.6008, the one-bedroom from $194,100 is about OMR 74,631 and the two-bedroom from $270,900 is about OMR 104,160.

How much is the first payment?
The first payment is 20% on signing the sale and purchase agreement: $38,820 (about OMR 14,926) on the one-bedroom and $54,180 (about OMR 20,832) on the two-bedroom.

What does Royal Decree 79/2025 change for off-plan buyers?
It replaces the escrow system created by Royal Decree 30/2018 with a unified Law Regulating Real Estate, taking effect 180 days after its publication on 14 September 2025. The reservation documents name the escrow account for the project.

What other projects does Al Nama have?
Its website shows Arina Residences in Salalah, with 128 apartments, and a collaboration with the Awqaf Al-Aqr Nizwa endowment, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning lists the Al Namaa Neighbourhood in Izki, with 182 homes.

Speak to UInvest About Opal Residences

UInvest works directly with developers across Muscat, which means access to current pricing — including the studio price list — live availability across the 77 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 service charges, financing and residency thresholds.

Browse apartments for sale in Oman and studios for sale in Oman, see all Oman property with UInvest, or contact us for the current Opal Residences price list, the milestone payment schedule and the service charge breakdown.