If you were looking for a place the average American could live a happy, peaceful life abroad, Oman might not be at the top of your list. It wasn’t at the top of Nicole Brewer’s either.
“Initially, when I was looking into moving into the Middle East, I was first considering Dubai because, you know, obviously everybody knows the [United Arab Emirates],” she says. “Oman wasn’t on my radar.”
In 2012, the Detroit native had been teaching English as a second language in South Korea for three years and was ready for a change of pace. When she came across a posting for a teaching gig at a university in Nizwa, an ancient city in Oman, she was struck by the beauty of the place. After doing some research on what life was like for expats there, she gave it a go.
Other than some brief travels for grad school, she’s lived there ever since.
“It’s been very great. I wouldn’t have stayed as long as I had if it wasn’t a good life here,” says Brewer, 43. “So I’m very, very grateful to be in Oman.”
The advantages of living simply and cheaply
At first blush, Brewer wouldn’t seem like the ideal fit in Oman. She isn’t Muslim and doesn’t speak Arabic, for instance. And by American standards, she says, the culture is conservative in terms of dress and what you can discuss and do in public.
“You have to have a certain mindset to be able to live comfortably in a region like this,” she says. “Honestly, it’s not for everybody. But for someone like me who is very flexible and a very laid back, go with the flow type of person, and as long as you respect the culture, it’s definitely a nice life. It’s a good way to live.”
For Brewer, a relaxed, unostentatious life is just fine. She pays $650 a month for a furnished two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment just a short walk from her classroom.
Brewer found work abroad after she was laid off during the 2008 financial crisis.
Kedar Sonigra for CNBC Make It
She maintains an active social life, going out for weekly dinners and coffees with a circle of friends, mostly other expats. They rotate who picks up the check, but it’s never all that much — she spent a total of $163 dining out in January. Once or twice a month, she ventures to the capital, Muscat, about 90 minutes by cab.
The opportunity to live simply and inexpensively affords Brewer two major lifestyle advantages. For one, she’s able to save up money to travel on her $44,000 annual income. She typically vacations during her school’s summer and winter breaks, including trips to Namibia, Seychelles and, most recently, Bali.
For another, not having to worry about overspending has removed a major source of anxiety from her life.
“Being in Oman, I’m very relaxed. I don’t have as much stress when it comes to the everyday expenses of living in this region and the atmosphere in general,” she says. “That’s probably drawn me to staying as long as I have.”
Enjoying ‘passport privilege’
Brewer doesn’t plan to ever move back to the U.S., partly because she dreams of retiring in Europe and partly because she’s found that living abroad doesn’t come with some of the same challenges as living as Black woman in America.
“I wouldn’t say that I deal with much or any racism, because I think it’s more so of like, you’re American — we take pride in having an American who loves living in Oman,” she says.
It’s a stark difference from what she felt back home. “Thinking back on my time in the States, I probably was way more uptight, way more angry,” she says. “The energy of being back home, it was very toxic in certain ways.”
In Oman, Brewer enjoys what she calls “passport privilege”: When people hear her accent or find out where she’s from, she’s treated with a certain warmth. “People here have respect for Americans,” she says.
What’s more, she says, once the locals find out that she’s a teacher, they’re generally delighted she’s there. “They welcome me. They say, ‘Oh, hello, sister,’ when I get in taxis. They call me sister like I’m one of them because I respect the culture.”
Still, Brewer says, no living situation is perfect.
“It’s definitely not without its challenges. I will say it’s not an easy life to be on the other side of the world from your family, especially when emergencies and family situations come up,” she says. “You have to take the good with the bad.”
One of the major roadblocks: casual dating, which the Brewer says is verboten in Omani culture. She’s had to limit her romantic circles to other expats.
But those are minor inconveniences for Brewer, whose lifestyle has let her see the world without feeling like a fish out of water. She says she has Oman and its people to thank for it.
“I feel very safe here. It’s not just a feeling. It’s a way of life,” she says.
Do you want a new career that’s higher-paying, more flexible or fulfilling? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Change Careers and Be Happier at Work. Expert instructors will teach you strategies to network successfully, revamp your resume and confidently transition into your dream career. Pre-register today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $67 (+taxes and fees) through May 13, 2025.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.
