The verdict in three sentences
In Muscat, an interior design studio website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 ballpark, 2 500 to 9 000 OMR (about 6 500 to 23 400 USD), more when the agency produces a full Arabic version, video and custom animation. Kolonell delivers the project portfolio, the services page and a qualified project request form for a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD, in 3 to 4 weeks on Starter and Growth. What really decides the budget is the 3-year cost, who supplies the Arabic text and the photos, and whether the villa owners have agreed to have their interiors shown online.
What do Muscat agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?
The ranges below are cautious orders of magnitude, not official rates. They draw on public price pages of agencies in Oman and the wider Gulf, minimum project sizes shown on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates published by regional agencies (often 15 to 35 OMR an hour, about 40 to 90 USD) and rates visible on Upwork and Fiverr for Gulf-based developers. The rial is pegged at roughly 2.6 USD, so the conversions are stable.
| Item | Agency in Muscat | Local freelancer | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site build, 2026 ballpark | 2 500 to 9 000 OMR (about 6 500 to 23 400 USD) | 600 to 2 000 OMR (about 1 600 to 5 200 USD) | 2 900 / 4 900 / 8 900 USD, fixed price |
| Changes outside scope | Often 15 to 35 OMR an hour | Often 8 to 20 OMR an hour | Quoted before any work starts |
| Usual timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | 4 to 10 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Arabic version | Often included, RTL layout handled | Varies widely | Arabic text supplied by you or quoted separately |
| Project photography | Sometimes offered in-house | Rarely | Not included: your photos or a local photographer |
| Domain and access | Sometimes held by the agency | Varies | In your name, all access handed over |
| Meetings | In person in Qurum or Al Khuwair | In person or calls | Google Meet at your hour, weekly written update |
A local agency has one real advantage here: it can sit with you in your showroom, walk a villa in Al Mouj and handle Arabic copy end to end. If your clients judge you first in Arabic, weigh that seriously. If your enquiries come mainly from expatriate families, hotel groups and developers who read English, a remote studio covers the essentials for less. The details of each tier are on the international offer page.
What will the site really cost over 3 years?
The build price is only the first line. Below, the same assumptions are used on both sides: two projects photographed by a Muscat photographer, and maintenance after the support period treated as an identical assumption (Kolonell quotes maintenance separately).
| 3-year line | Local agency (mid-range) | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Site build | 5 000 OMR (about 13 000 USD) | 4 900 USD |
| Photography, 2 projects | 700 OMR (about 1 820 USD) | 700 OMR (about 1 820 USD) |
| Support after launch | Often 1 to 3 months | 3 months included |
| Maintenance, 30 months (assumption) | 1 200 OMR (about 3 120 USD) | 1 200 OMR (about 3 120 USD) |
| Hosting and domain, 3 years | Often bundled | About 300 to 600 USD |
| Estimated 3-year total | About 17 940 USD | About 10 140 to 10 440 USD |
The gap narrows if the agency writes the Arabic version and you would otherwise pay a translator. Ask each provider to quote the Arabic pages as a separate line so you compare like with like.
What does an interior design site in Muscat need?
Muscat clients split into a few clear groups: Omani families building or renovating villas in Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Shatti Al Qurum or Al Khoud; expatriate and foreign buyers in the integrated tourism complexes such as Al Mouj or Muscat Bay; hotel and resort operators along the coast and in the mountains around Jebel Akhdar; and office or retail fit-outs for banks, clinics and brands. Each group looks for something different on the site.
- Portfolio by project type: private villas, majlis and reception rooms, apartments in the tourism complexes, hospitality, offices. A developer wants to see show units; a family wants to see a majlis that respects how the room is used.
- Local design language: carved wood, arches, stone and courtyard references alongside contemporary work. Show how you blend them, with your own words.
- Services and fee models: full design, space planning, FF&E sourcing, site supervision with partner contractors. Explain whether you charge a fixed fee, a percentage of the project budget or an hourly rate, without promising a number online.
- A project request that filters: villa or apartment, area in square metres, budget band, timeline, photos of the space.
- Instagram and Pinterest: in Oman, many clients discover studios on Instagram first. Embed the feed without slowing the gallery, with images served in WebP or AVIF.
- English and Arabic: Premium covers a bilingual site; Arabic copy is supplied by you or quoted separately, and right-to-left layout needs testing on mobile.
On compliance, Oman's Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree 6/2022) applies to the personal data your forms collect. Photos of private homes can reveal an address, a family or valuables: get written consent from the owner, blur what identifies them, and keep the form to what you need. Check that your photographer's licence covers web use, not just print. Add alt text to every portfolio image, with WCAG 2.1 AA as the technical reference. This is not legal advice.
Which red flags should you watch for in a quote?
- No page or template list: ask how many projects are laid out and in which format.
- Arabic promised with no named translator or no RTL testing.
- Photos taken from a supplier's catalogue presented as your own work.
- No plan for owner consent before a villa appears online.
- A domain registered to the agency, or hosting you cannot move.
- A long mandatory maintenance contract with no exit clause.
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Ask every provider the same questions: who owns the domain, how you add a new project yourself, what is included after launch and how a change is priced.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Layla K. and Tom R. run a two-partner studio in Qurum, working mostly on villa renovations for Omani families and show apartments for a developer in a tourism complex. They receive two proposals. A Muscat agency offers a bilingual site at 6 800 OMR (about 17 700 USD), delivered in 12 weeks. Kolonell offers Growth at 4 900 USD in English, with an Arabic phase planned once their translator has adapted the texts.
With the same photography (700 OMR, about 1 820 USD) and the same 30-month maintenance assumption (1 200 OMR, about 3 120 USD), the 3-year cost is about 22 640 USD with the agency versus 9 840 USD with Kolonell, a gap of roughly 12 800 USD. The partners note that part of the gap will go into the Arabic phase, then choose based on how many of their enquiries arrive in Arabic.
FAQ
How much does an interior design studio website cost in Muscat in 2026?
With a local agency, expect a ballpark of 2 500 to 9 000 OMR (about 6 500 to 23 400 USD), and 600 to 2 000 OMR with a freelancer. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD.
Can Kolonell write my site in Arabic?
Kolonell writes native English or French. Arabic text is supplied by your translator or quoted separately, and a bilingual site starts at Premium, 8 900 USD.
Can Kolonell photograph my villas?
No, Kolonell does no shooting and no site visits. You supply your images or book a Muscat photographer, budgeted at 700 OMR for two projects in the example above.
What time difference should I expect?
The team works on GMT, 4 hours behind Muscat. Calls are set at your hour on Google Meet, with a written update every week.
How does payment work?
By bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery. On Starter, that means two payments of 1 450 USD.
Let's scope your project. Send us your best villas and fit-outs, your services and the clients you want to reach, and we come back with a fixed-price tier and a 3 to 4 week timeline. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.