Air quality comparison · Oman, 858 km apart
Muscat vs Şalālah Air quality index (AQI) today
Şalālah has cleaner air than Muscat right now: AQI 63 (Moderate) against 89 (Moderate).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Şalālah averaged AQI 68 against 82, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. Şalālah has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Muscat89Şalālah63
Head to head
Muscat vs Şalālah at a glance
Şalālah is ahead on 5 of 5 measures, and Muscat on 0. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Muscat | Şalālah | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 89 | 63 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 27.4 | 14.6 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 82 | 68 (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 2.9% | 13.6% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 85.1K | 51.5K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Muscat and Şalālah right now?
Şalālah has cleaner air than Muscat right now: AQI 63 (Moderate) against 89 (Moderate). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Muscat's PM2.5 is about 1.8× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either.
MuscatŞalālah
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Muscat: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
Şalālah: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Şalālah averaged AQI 68 against 82, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Muscat1Şalālah6
- Average AQI
- Muscat82Şalālah68
- Worst day, AQI
- Muscat92Şalālah79
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Muscat | Şalālah |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | 75 | 77 |
| Nov 5 | 77 | 61 |
| Nov 6 | 92 | 69 |
| Nov 7 | 80 | 79 |
| Nov 8 | 81 | 75 |
| Nov 9 | 83 | 55 |
| Nov 10 | 88 | 60 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Muscat and Şalālah today?
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Both are in the same EPA band today (Moderate), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Muscat and Şalālah compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Muscat's air is cleaner than 26% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Şalālah's is cleaner than 45%. Within Oman, that is 14% and 57% of its 8 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Muscat
- Beats 26%
- Şalālah
- Beats 45%
More tree cover than…
- Muscat
- Beats 6%
- Şalālah
- Beats 31%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Muscat
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Şalālah
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Muscat or Şalālah?
Şalālah has more tree cover: 13.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 2.9% around Muscat, or about 42,683 trees against 9,111.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Muscat | Şalālah | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 9.1K | 42.7K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 85.1K | 51.5K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 200K kg | 939K kg (better) |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Muscat vs Şalālah: your questions answered
Is Şalālah cleaner than Muscat?
On air quality, yes, right now: Şalālah reads AQI 63 against 89, a gap of 26 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Şalālah averaged AQI 68 against 82, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Muscat and Şalālah today?
The advice is the same for both today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Muscat reads AQI 89 and Şalālah reads AQI 63.
Which has more trees, Muscat or Şalālah?
Şalālah has more tree cover: 13.6% of the land within 2 km of its center against 2.9% around Muscat, or about 42,683 trees against 9,111. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Muscat and Şalālah need?
Muscat needs about 85,137 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Şalālah about 51,471 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Muscat and Şalālah measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Muscat vs Şalālah comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Sep 16, 2026 and Sep 16, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
Keep going
Compare them with somewhere else
Build your own
Compare Muscat with somewhere else
This place
Muscat