Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shinas and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Shinas: $952 a month against $1,544 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Shinas
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Shinas Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
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Muscat Living Index

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Shinas

🇴🇲 Oman

$952

/mo nomad

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shinas and in Muscat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in Shinas versus $1,544 in Muscat.

Shinas $952
Muscat $1,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,430 in Shinas versus $2,271 in Muscat.

Shinas $1,430
Muscat $2,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,908 in Shinas versus $2,998 in Muscat.

Shinas $1,908
Muscat $2,998

Living in Shinas costs roughly 38% less than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shinas is 30% below, Muscat is 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 OMR 1.97

$5.26 OMR 2.02

-2.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.27 OMR 15.12

$39.02 OMR 15.02

0.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 OMR 2.92

$7.99 OMR 3.07

-5.01%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.01

$5.17 OMR 1.99

0.77%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$0.92 OMR 0.35

-8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.27 OMR 0.10

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.16 OMR 5.07

$13.10 OMR 5.04

0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 OMR 0.91

$2.36 OMR 0.91

-0.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 OMR 0.46

$1.24 OMR 0.48

-4.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 OMR 0.73

$1.92 OMR 0.74

-0.52%

Eggs

$3.01 OMR 1.16

$3.12 OMR 1.20

-3.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.24 OMR 2.79

$7.16 OMR 2.76

1.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 OMR 2.64

$6.88 OMR 2.65

-0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 OMR 3.90

$10.22 OMR 3.94

-0.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 OMR 1.36

$3.65 OMR 1.41

-3.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 OMR 0.75

$2.01 OMR 0.78

-3.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 OMR 0.92

$2.41 OMR 0.93

-0.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.25 OMR 0.48

1.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$1.21 OMR 0.47

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.24 OMR 0.48

2.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.86 OMR 0.72

0.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 OMR 0.25

$0.68 OMR 0.26

-4.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 OMR 2.55

$6.39 OMR 2.46

3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 OMR 5.91

$15.38 OMR 5.92

-0.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.99 OMR 2.31

$6.06 OMR 2.33

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.12 OMR 3.90

$10.29 OMR 3.96

-1.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 OMR 0.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 OMR 30.44

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 OMR 1.25

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 OMR 1.02

$2.62 OMR 1.01

0.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 OMR 3.06

$7.89 OMR 3.04

0.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 OMR 0.25

$0.60 OMR 0.23

8.33%

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

$24.6K OMR 9,472

$25.5K OMR 9,819

-3.53%

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

$20.6K OMR 7,915

$20.9K OMR 8,061

-1.82%

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

$179 OMR 68.7

$177 OMR 68.2

0.77%

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

$31.10 OMR 11.97

$30.23 OMR 11.64

2.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 OMR 26.65

$69.6 OMR 26.79

-0.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 OMR 26.29

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.66 OMR 11.42

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 OMR 4.05

$10.56 OMR 4.06

-0.47%

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

$490 OMR 189

$508 OMR 196

-3.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K OMR 3,982

$10.3K OMR 3,978

0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 OMR 21.63

$57.2 OMR 22.03

-1.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.52 OMR 16.76

$43.63 OMR 16.80

-0.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 OMR 34.51

$90.9 OMR 35.01

-1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 OMR 33.77

$86.3 OMR 33.23

1.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 OMR 277

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 OMR 168

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 OMR 457

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 OMR 287

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,815 OMR 1,084

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 OMR 623

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,086 OMR 1,188

$1,682 OMR 647

83.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

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

Last update for Shinas: October 24, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shinas

$289 30.4%

Muscat

$292 18.9% 1.2% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shinas

$279 29.3%

Muscat

$277 17.9% 0.7% $1.9

Eating Out

Shinas

$222 23.3%

Muscat

$224 14.5% 0.9% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Shinas

$125 13.1%

Muscat

$125 8.1% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Shinas

$21 * 2.2%

Muscat

$89 5.8% 326% $68

Getting Around

Shinas

$16 * 1.7%

Muscat

$101 6.5% 512% $84

Accommodation & Living

Shinas

- * 0%

Muscat

$436 28.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Shinas pays 84% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39 in Shinas vs $39 in Muscat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $292 per month, with Shinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Shinas

🇴🇲 Muscat

🕒 Local time

12:11 12:11 PM

Same time as Shinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,312

1,090,797 Capital

💱 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

Shinas Muscat 230 km

From you

Shinas
Muscat

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

Shinas vs Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $952 in Shinas and $1,544 in Muscat, so Shinas is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Shinas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $490 in Shinas versus $508 in Muscat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $952 per month in Shinas versus $1,544 in Muscat – Shinas is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Shinas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.