Introduction: Pain in the shoulder is a common complaint for people in the western world. The remedy offered is typically surgery but patients are not always satisfied with the outcome. In contrast, patients with hip pain are often very satisfied with the outcome of surgery. The study aimed to compare mental health, quality of life and outcomes of Oxford Shoulder Score and Oxford Hip Score as reported by patients with shoulder pain and patients with hip pain. Method: Our cross-sectional study included 629 patients of which 401 had pain in the shoulder and 228 had hip pain. All patients completed the Common Mental Disorder Screening Questionnaire, Euroqol and the Oxford Shoulder Score or the Oxford Hip Score questionnaire in the outpatients department. Results: Significant differences between the two groups were found by all the mental health scales except alcohol abuse and anxiety even when these were adjusted for age, gender and body mass index. Conclusion: Compared to hip patients, patients with shoulder pain were significantly more burdened by problems regarding their quality of life, depression, anxiety, concern and somatoform disorders.