Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Shinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Shinas: $958 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Shinas
🇴🇲 Oman
$958
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Shinas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Shinas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $958 in Shinas.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Shinas $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,438 in Shinas.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Shinas $1,438

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,919 in Shinas.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Shinas $1,919

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 73% more expensive than in Shinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Shinas is 29% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$5.17 OMR 1.99
269.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$39.77 OMR 15.31
65.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$7.59 OMR 2.92
73.91%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$5.18 OMR 2.00
-25.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.85 OMR 0.33
134.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.29 OMR 0.11
451.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
$13.23 OMR 5.09
-70.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
$13.12 OMR 5.05
-64.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$2.26 OMR 0.87
-33.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$1.22 OMR 0.47
107.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$1.81 OMR 0.70
-11.05%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$3.05 OMR 1.17
-6.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$7.14 OMR 2.75
44.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$7.01 OMR 2.70
42.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$10.72 OMR 4.13
24.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$3.58 OMR 1.38
-19.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$2.04 OMR 0.78
7.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$2.32 OMR 0.89
-39.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$1.31 OMR 0.50
51.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.20 OMR 0.46
0.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$1.24 OMR 0.48
1.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.78 OMR 0.68
-3.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.66 OMR 0.25
160.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$6.68 OMR 2.57
-35.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
$15.78 OMR 6.08
-63.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
$5.81 OMR 2.24
-62.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
$10.26 OMR 3.95
-73.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$3.17 OMR 1.22
-50.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$2.53 OMR 0.98
-59.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$8.01 OMR 3.08
-1.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$0.64 OMR 0.25
121.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$25.7K OMR 9,882
8.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$22.3K OMR 8,573
57.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$182 OMR 70.0
7.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$31.15 OMR 11.99
-19.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$70.0 OMR 26.93
-54.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$10.47 OMR 4.03
-1.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$291 OMR 112
59.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$10.5K OMR 4,050
-16.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$55.6 OMR 21.42
115.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$43.53 OMR 16.76
119.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$88.7 OMR 34.15
28.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$86.2 OMR 33.20
61.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Shinas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$3,108 OMR 1,196
-69.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
5.25
990.48%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shinas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Shinas
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Shinas
$291 2.8% $7.9
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Shinas
$223 20.7% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Shinas
$283 12.3% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Shinas
$123 41.5% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Shinas
$21 * 70.8% $51
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Shinas
$16 * 57.2% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Shinas pays 231% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $40.00 in Shinas. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $291, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇴🇲 Shinas
🕒 Local time
14:32 2:32 PM
21:32 9:32 PM
7 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
43,312
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Shinas 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Shinas

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Buenos Aires vs Shinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Shinas?
Buenos Aires and Shinas differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $958 including rent). Shinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 231% lower in Shinas. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Shinas?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $291 in Shinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Shinas – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $958 in Shinas versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shinas but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Shinas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Shinas?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Buenos Aires or Shinas safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Shinas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Shinas?
Expats usually find Shinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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