Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Qatar

Name: Qatar
Address: QA

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatar: $1,854 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Qatar
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Qatar Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Qatar

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $1,854 in Qatar, rent included.

Australia $2,539
Qatar $1,854

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $3,001 in Qatar, rent included.

Australia $3,716
Qatar $3,001

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $4,148 in Qatar, rent included.

Australia $4,892
Qatar $4,148

The regional cost range is wider in Qatar ($230–$2,638) than in Australia ($1,635–$3,245), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 37% higher than in Qatar on average.

Both Australia and Qatar are pricier than the global median – Australia by 87%, Qatar by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$8.39 QAR 30.55

106.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$67.7 QAR 246

24.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$8.35 QAR 30.40

31.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 QAR 49.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.94 QAR 50.7

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$5.35 QAR 19.49

-28.22%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$0.87 QAR 3.16

232.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$0.37 QAR 1.36

518.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$2.17 QAR 7.89

-19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.50 QAR 5.48

85.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$2.13 QAR 7.77

8.45%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$3.12 QAR 11.35

56.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$9.38 QAR 34.14

6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$7.67 QAR 27.91

18.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$10.38 QAR 37.77

43.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.08 QAR 7.59

75.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.78 QAR 6.48

70.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$1.55 QAR 5.65

109.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$1.21 QAR 4.40

287.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$0.94 QAR 3.42

203.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$0.90 QAR 3.27

157.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.22 QAR 4.43

99.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.56 QAR 2.04

196.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.36 QAR 37.70

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 QAR 7.40

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 QAR 11.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$6.46 QAR 23.50

495.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.58 QAR 2.10

367.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$27.38 QAR 99.7

243.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$2.24 QAR 8.14

59.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.89 QAR 6.89

-13.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$8.12 QAR 29.56

393.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$0.55 QAR 2.00

141.82%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$24.5K QAR 89.2K

18.81%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$20.9K QAR 76.0K

23.18%

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

$205 A$296

$90.1 QAR 328

127.96%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$42.92 QAR 156

-34.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$87.6 QAR 319

-35.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$120 QAR 437

-53.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$20.08 QAR 73.1

-3.09%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$12.47 QAR 45.38

20.77%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$717 QAR 2,611

192.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$9,583 QAR 34.9K

88.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$56.1 QAR 204

38.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$51.3 QAR 187

7.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$93.3 QAR 340

19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$82.0 QAR 298

48.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$1,555 QAR 5,660

0.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$954 QAR 3,472

27.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$2,911 QAR 10.6K

-16.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$2,041 QAR 7,430

-5.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$4,359 QAR 15.9K

87.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$2,993 QAR 10.9K

102.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$4,082 QAR 14.9K

-1.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

5.22

13.79%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Qatar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Qatar

$954 51.4% 21.5% $261

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Qatar

$205 11.1% 45% $167

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Qatar

$161 8.7% 45.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Qatar

$221 11.9% 24.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Qatar

$127 6.9% 23% $38

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Qatar

$41 2.2% 64.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Qatar

$145 7.8% 69.5% $59

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $878 in Qatar. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $1,920 in Doha.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $4,148 in Qatar. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 55% more in Australia.

Public transport is 650% more expensive in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇶🇦 Qatar

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

8 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

2,639,211

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Australia Qatar 12,250 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Qatar

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

Australia vs Qatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qatar is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 37% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $878 in Qatar.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Qatar, adding to the overall 37% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Qatar, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Qatar is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.