Cost of living comparison

Oman

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Muscat Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 6.5% cheaper than Muscat.

Restaurants: pay 19.7% less in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 12.5% less in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 18.6% less in Shanghai
Housing: pay 0.8% more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 3.6 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 47.2% less in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 4.3% less in Shanghai

The cost of childcare and housing in Shanghai are more expensive than in Muscat. Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, transportation, groceries, and clothing are lower in Shanghai. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Shanghai.

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Shanghai vs. Muscat Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Shanghai instead of Muscat, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 19.7% less for restaurants

	Muscat	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.20 OMR1.990	$4.47 CN¥29.94	-14.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.80 OMR2.980	$5.22 CN¥34.93	-33.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.88 OMR0.340	$0.60 CN¥4.01	-31.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.28 OMR0.110	$0.37 CN¥2.47	+31.3%
Average			-19.7%

Muscat vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

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pay 12.5% less for groceries

	Muscat	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$1.21 OMR0.460	$1.98 CN¥13.22	+62.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.66 OMR1.400	$8.60 CN¥57.52	+134.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.79 OMR3.360	$6.88 CN¥46.02	-21.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.98 OMR1.140	$1.70 CN¥11.36	-43.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.17 OMR1.210	$1.48 CN¥9.89	-53.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.63 OMR0.620	$0.99 CN¥6.65	-39.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.90 OMR0.340	$0.77 CN¥5.16	-14.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.08 OMR0.410	$0.90 CN¥6.05	-16.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.58 OMR0.220	$0.77 CN¥5.15	+31.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 OMR0.210	$0.36 CN¥2.40	-33.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.57 OMR0.220	$0.43 CN¥2.90	-24.3%
Average			-12.5%

Muscat vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

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pay 18.6% less for transportation

	Muscat	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.35 OMR0.900	$4.96 CN¥33.21	+111.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$78.03 OMR29.840	$29.83 CN¥199.59	-61.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,485.84 OMR9,746.120	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-24.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$24.06 OMR9.200	$5.67 CN¥37.92	-76.4%
Average			-18.6%

Muscat vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

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pay 0.8% more for housing

	Muscat	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$70.55 OMR26.980	$10.55 CN¥70.59	-85.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$680.91 OMR260.390	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	+52.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$453.13 OMR173.280	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	+29.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$136.85 OMR52.330	$44.06 CN¥294.77	-67.8%
Average			+0.8%

Muscat vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

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pay 3.6 times more for childcare

	Muscat	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$287.32 OMR109.880	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	+392.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,536.61 OMR4,029.340	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+162.8%
Average			+259.5%

Muscat vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

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pay 47.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Muscat	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.00 OMR4.970	$1.19 CN¥7.98	-90.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.07 OMR1.940	$3.35 CN¥22.41	-34.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.50 OMR2.480	$3.73 CN¥24.95	-42.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$62.02 OMR23.720	$65.69 CN¥439.52	+5.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$10.40 OMR3.980	$8.95 CN¥59.88	-14.0%
Average			-47.2%

Muscat vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 4.3% less for clothing

	Muscat	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$56.51 OMR21.610	$54.37 CN¥363.79	-3.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$43.24 OMR16.540	$37.09 CN¥248.19	-14.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$89.59 OMR34.260	$75.49 CN¥505.08	-15.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.56 OMR33.480	$105.70 CN¥707.25	+20.7%
Average			-4.3%

Muscat vs. Shanghai - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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