Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Shinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Shinas: $952 a month against $1,062 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Shinas
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Shinas Living Index

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Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,062

/mo nomad

Shinas

🇴🇲 Oman

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salalah 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 Salalah and in Shinas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Salalah vs $952 in Shinas, rent included.

Salalah $1,062
Shinas $952

A couple spends around $1,598 per month in Salalah vs $1,430 in Shinas, rent included.

Salalah $1,598
Shinas $1,430

A family of three spends $2,134 per month in Salalah vs $1,908 in Shinas, rent included.

Salalah $2,134
Shinas $1,908

Salalah costs about 12% more than Shinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Salalah and Shinas are more affordable than the global median – Salalah 22% lower, Shinas 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.17 OMR 1.99

$5.11 OMR 1.97

1.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.56 OMR 9.84

$39.27 OMR 15.12

-34.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 OMR 5.10

$7.59 OMR 2.92

74.44%

Cappuccino

$6.42 OMR 2.47

$5.21 OMR 2.01

23.22%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$0.84 OMR 0.32

1.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.29 OMR 0.11

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.88 OMR 3.42

$12.92 OMR 4.97

-31.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$13.16 OMR 5.07

-21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 OMR 0.74

$2.35 OMR 0.91

-17.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.19 OMR 0.46

2.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 OMR 1.01

$1.91 OMR 0.73

37.70%

Eggs

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$3.01 OMR 1.16

-37.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.78 OMR 1.84

$7.24 OMR 2.79

-33.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 OMR 1.76

$6.86 OMR 2.64

-33.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 OMR 2.45

$10.13 OMR 3.90

-37.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 OMR 0.73

$3.53 OMR 1.36

-46.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$1.94 OMR 0.75

-7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 OMR 0.80

$2.39 OMR 0.92

-13.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.27 OMR 0.49

47.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 OMR 0.55

$1.17 OMR 0.45

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 OMR 0.41

$1.27 OMR 0.49

-16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 OMR 0.41

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-43.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 OMR 0.19

$0.65 OMR 0.25

-26.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 OMR 2.26

$6.63 OMR 2.55

-11.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.95 OMR 7.68

$15.36 OMR 5.91

29.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.84 OMR 1.48

$5.99 OMR 2.31

-35.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 OMR 1.79

$10.12 OMR 3.90

-54.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 OMR 21.13

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 OMR 0.89

$3.24 OMR 1.25

-28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$2.64 OMR 1.02

-51.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.54 OMR 4.44

$7.96 OMR 3.06

44.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$0.65 OMR 0.25

-1.54%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K OMR 7,971

$24.6K OMR 9,472

-15.85%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.9K OMR 6,900

$20.6K OMR 7,915

-12.82%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$79.2 OMR 30.50

$179 OMR 68.7

-55.63%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$49.43 OMR 19.03

$31.10 OMR 11.97

58.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 OMR 28.45

$69.2 OMR 26.65

6.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 OMR 15.54

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.24 OMR 10.10

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 OMR 3.02

$10.51 OMR 4.05

-25.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$105 OMR 40.39

$490 OMR 189

-78.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,970 OMR 758

$10.3K OMR 3,982

-80.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.71 OMR 11.05

$56.2 OMR 21.63

-48.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.42 OMR 12.10

$43.52 OMR 16.76

-27.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.6 OMR 22.16

$89.6 OMR 34.51

-35.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.75 OMR 17.23

$87.7 OMR 33.77

-48.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 OMR 95.1

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 78.9

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 OMR 244

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 OMR 151

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 OMR 762

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,228 OMR 473

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,778 OMR 684

$3,086 OMR 1,188

-42.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

5.25

-12.76%

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

Last update for Salalah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shinas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$229 21.5%

Shinas

$289 30.4% 26.5% $60

Eating Out

Salalah

$228 21.5%

Shinas

$222 23.3% 2.7% $6.1

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.3%

Shinas

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$203 19.1%

Shinas

$279 29.3% 37.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$73 6.9%

Shinas

$125 13.1% 70.5% $52

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.5%

Shinas

$16 * 1.7% 76.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$56 5.3%

Shinas

$21 * 2.2% 62.5% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 74% higher in Shinas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Salalah versus $39 in Shinas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $289 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇴🇲 Shinas

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

Same time as Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

43,312

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salalah Shinas 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
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

Salalah vs Shinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salalah costs about 12% more than Shinas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Salalah and $1,427 in Shinas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,062 in Salalah and $952 in Shinas. That makes Shinas about 10% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $105 per month in Salalah and $490 in Shinas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,062 in Salalah and $952 in Shinas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Salalah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $952 in Shinas to $1,062 in Salalah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.