Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Qatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatar: $1,909 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Canada
Qatar
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,310
/mo nomad
🇶🇦 Qatar
$1,909
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada 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 Canada and in Qatar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $1,909 in Qatar, rent included.

  • Canada $2,310
  • Qatar $1,909

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $3,082 in Qatar, rent included.

  • Canada $3,356
  • Qatar $3,082

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $4,256 in Qatar, rent included.

  • Canada $4,403
  • Qatar $4,256

Cost ranges are similar: Canada spans $889–$3,737, Qatar $232–$2,633. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Canada is about 21% higher than in Qatar on average.

Both Canada and Qatar are pricier than the global median – Canada by 70%, Qatar by 40%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Canada
Qatar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.16 CA$25.36
$8.27 QAR 30.10
119.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 CA$99.4
$67.4 QAR 245
5.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 CA$15.10
$8.41 QAR 30.63
28.54%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$13.24 QAR 48.20
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$13.46 QAR 48.98
-
Cappuccino
$3.78 CA$5.27
$5.47 QAR 19.93
-30.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 CA$2.95
$0.91 QAR 3.30
131.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 CA$2.32
$0.34 QAR 1.26
388.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.62 CA$7.84
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.72 CA$7.99
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Canada
Qatar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 CA$3.04
$2.16 QAR 7.85
0.46%
White Bread (500g)
$2.60 CA$3.64
$1.50 QAR 5.47
73.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.65 CA$5.10
$2.05 QAR 7.46
78.05%
Eggs
$3.63 CA$5.06
$3.05 QAR 11.08
19.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.76 CA$15.03
$9.50 QAR 34.57
13.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.90 CA$16.61
$7.61 QAR 27.70
56.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.42 CA$21.53
$10.03 QAR 36.50
53.74%
Apples (1kg)
$4.03 CA$5.62
$2.12 QAR 7.70
90.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 CA$1.93
$1.76 QAR 6.41
-21.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 CA$5.41
$1.63 QAR 5.94
138.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.08 CA$5.70
$1.26 QAR 4.57
223.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 CA$3.59
$0.93 QAR 3.37
176.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 CA$3.46
$0.94 QAR 3.41
163.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.65 CA$3.69
$1.20 QAR 4.36
120.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 CA$2.39
$0.58 QAR 2.12
194.83%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$10.39 QAR 37.82
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.04 QAR 7.44
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.03 QAR 11.03
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.32 CA$19.99
$6.47 QAR 23.56
121.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.49 CA$18.83
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.84 CA$3.97
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 CA$4.61
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Canada
Qatar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 CA$3.57
$0.53 QAR 1.93
381.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.9 CA$100
$32.56 QAR 119
120.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.18 CA$4.44
$2.17 QAR 7.90
46.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 CA$2.15
$1.90 QAR 6.92
-18.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.69 CA$37.26
$8.44 QAR 30.72
216.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 CA$1.74
$0.54 QAR 1.98
129.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$38.9K
$24.4K QAR 88.7K
14.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.4K
$21.5K QAR 78.3K
-2.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
Qatar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$147 CA$206
$90.0 QAR 328
63.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.80 CA$58.4
$44.05 QAR 160
-5.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2 CA$84.1
$85.5 QAR 311
-29.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Canada
Qatar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.01 CA$54.5
$167 QAR 607
-76.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.06 CA$26.61
$20.20 QAR 73.5
-5.64%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 CA$15.65
$12.13 QAR 44.15
-7.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Canada
Qatar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$721 CA$1,007
$733 QAR 2,669
-1.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K CA$20.7K
$9,778 QAR 35.6K
51.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Canada
Qatar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.3 CA$77.2
$55.8 QAR 203
-0.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.95 CA$54.4
$51.2 QAR 186
-23.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 CA$122
$95.3 QAR 347
-8.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 CA$141
$83.0 QAR 302
22.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Canada
Qatar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,290 CA$1,802
$1,580 QAR 5,753
-18.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,130 CA$1,578
$957 QAR 3,485
18.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,036 CA$2,843
$3,018 QAR 11.0K
-32.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,731 CA$2,416
$2,047 QAR 7,450
-15.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,769 CA$6,658
$4,338 QAR 15.8K
9.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,730 CA$5,207
$2,959 QAR 10.8K
26.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Canada
Qatar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,070 CA$4,285
$4,017 QAR 14.6K
-23.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
5.22
-6.70%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qatar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Canada
$1.1K
Qatar
$957 15.3% $173
Groceries & Markets
Canada
$371
Qatar
$204 45% $167
Eating Out
Canada
$278
Qatar
$162 41.6% $116
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
$249
Qatar
$220 12% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Canada
$127
Qatar
$128 0.8% $1.1
Getting Around
Canada
$93
Qatar
$46 50.2% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Canada
$61
Qatar
$191 211% $130

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $1,393 in Qatar. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $2,014 in Doha.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $4,162 in Qatar. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in Qatar.

Dining out costs 10% more in Canada.

Public transport is 128% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are 40% higher in Qatar, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Qatar.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Canada
🇶🇦 Qatar
🕒 Local time
22:10 10:10 PM
05:10 5:10 AM
7 h ahead of Canada
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,991,981
2,639,211
💱 Currency
Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق
Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.08 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Canada Qatar 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Canada
  • 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
Canada vs Qatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Canada more expensive than Qatar?
Qatar is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 17% lower on average.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Qatar – part of why living there is about 17% cheaper overall.
Should I move to Canada or to Qatar?
Qatar is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Canada vs other spots: cost of living compared

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