Cost of living comparison

Oman

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Sohar Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 5.4% more expensive than Sohar.

Restaurants: pay 29.4% less in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 22.7% less in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 4.0% more in Shanghai
Housing: pay 31.6% more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 4.3 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 44.7% less in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 17.8% more in Shanghai

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

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Shanghai vs. Sohar Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 29.4% less for restaurants

	Sohar	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.50 OMR2.500	$4.47 CN¥29.86	-31.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.10 OMR3.500	$5.22 CN¥34.84	-42.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.67 OMR0.260	$0.60 CN¥4.00	-10.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.29 OMR0.110	$0.37 CN¥2.47	+29.3%
Average			-29.4%

Sohar vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

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pay 22.7% less for groceries

	Sohar	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$1.08 OMR0.420	$1.98 CN¥13.18	+82.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.76 OMR2.600	$8.60 CN¥57.38	+27.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.20 OMR3.150	$6.88 CN¥45.90	-16.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.76 OMR1.060	$1.70 CN¥11.33	-38.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$4.13 OMR1.590	$1.48 CN¥9.86	-64.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.49 OMR0.570	$0.99 CN¥6.63	-33.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.97 OMR0.370	$0.77 CN¥5.14	-20.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.14 OMR0.440	$0.90 CN¥6.03	-20.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.55 OMR0.210	$0.77 CN¥5.13	+41.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.81 OMR0.310	$0.36 CN¥2.39	-55.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.83 OMR0.320	$0.43 CN¥2.89	-47.5%
Average			-22.7%

Sohar vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

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pay 4.0% more for transportation

	Sohar	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.35 OMR0.900	$4.96 CN¥33.13	+111.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$52.02 OMR20.000	$29.83 CN¥199.09	-42.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$18,206.03 OMR7,000.220	$19,374.76 CN¥129K	+6.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$15.74 OMR6.050	$5.67 CN¥37.83	-64.0%
Average			+4.0%

Sohar vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

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pay 31.6% more for housing

	Sohar	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$89.08 OMR34.250	$10.55 CN¥70.41	-88.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$494.16 OMR190.010	$1,036.96 CN¥6,920.65	+109.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$383.63 OMR147.500	$588.71 CN¥3,929.04	+53.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$78.31 OMR30.110	$44.06 CN¥294.03	-43.7%
Average			+31.6%

Sohar vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

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pay 4.3 times more for childcare

	Sohar	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$299.10 OMR115.000	$1,413.50 CN¥9,433.67	+372.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,022.33 OMR2,700.080	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+294.3%
Average			+331.6%

Sohar vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

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pay 44.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Sohar	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.00 OMR5.000	$1.19 CN¥7.96	-90.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.86 OMR1.870	$3.35 CN¥22.36	-31.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.98 OMR2.300	$3.73 CN¥24.89	-37.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$48.77 OMR18.750	$65.69 CN¥438.41	+34.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.70 OMR4.500	$8.95 CN¥59.73	-23.5%
Average			-44.7%

Sohar vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 17.8% more for clothing

	Sohar	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$51.15 OMR19.670	$54.37 CN¥362.87	+6.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$44.21 OMR17.000	$37.09 CN¥247.57	-16.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$78.89 OMR30.330	$75.49 CN¥503.82	-4.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$46.82 OMR18.000	$105.70 CN¥705.47	+125.8%
Average			+17.8%

Sohar 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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