Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dakar and Doha

For one person, living is cheaper in Dakar: $1,415 a month against $2,114 in Doha, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Doha
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Doha Living Index

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Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,415

/mo nomad

Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dakar and in Doha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,415 in Dakar versus $2,102 in Doha.

Dakar $1,415
Doha $2,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,220 in Dakar versus $3,272 in Doha.

Dakar $2,220
Doha $3,272

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,026 in Dakar versus $4,443 in Doha.

Dakar $3,026
Doha $4,443

Living in Dakar costs roughly 33% less than in Doha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dakar 4% above, Doha 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 F CFA 3,051

$9.78 QAR 35.61

-46.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 F CFA 30.3K

$69.8 QAR 254

-25.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 F CFA 6,561

$7.72 QAR 28.11

45.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.12 QAR 44.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.78 QAR 50.2

Cappuccino

$3.43 F CFA 1,999

$5.88 QAR 21.42

-41.67%

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

$1.25 F CFA 728

$0.90 QAR 3.27

38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 F CFA 538

$0.41 QAR 1.48

124.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 F CFA 1,469

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 F CFA 2,473

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 F CFA 1,513

$2.07 QAR 7.54

25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 F CFA 445

$1.43 QAR 5.20

-46.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 F CFA 967

$1.90 QAR 6.91

-12.63%

Eggs

$2.52 F CFA 1,467

$3.47 QAR 12.65

-27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.67 F CFA 10.3K

$11.04 QAR 40.19

60.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 F CFA 5,268

$7.97 QAR 28.99

13.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 F CFA 6,349

$11.08 QAR 40.32

-1.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 F CFA 1,906

$2.30 QAR 8.38

42.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 F CFA 1,084

$1.87 QAR 6.81

-0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 F CFA 1,741

$1.53 QAR 5.57

95.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 F CFA 999

$1.20 QAR 4.38

42.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 776

$0.95 QAR 3.46

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 F CFA 566

$0.99 QAR 3.61

-2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 F CFA 661

$1.45 QAR 5.26

-22.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 F CFA 403

$0.51 QAR 1.86

35.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.43 QAR 34.34

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 QAR 6.75

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 QAR 8.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 F CFA 1,282

$6.55 QAR 23.86

-66.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.00 F CFA 9,912

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 F CFA 923

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 F CFA 1,923

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 F CFA 239

$0.53 QAR 1.93

-22.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 F CFA 44.9K

$27.74 QAR 101

177.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 F CFA 1,241

$1.90 QAR 6.92

12.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 F CFA 1,284

$2.01 QAR 7.30

9.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.16 F CFA 10.0K

$13.99 QAR 50.9

22.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 F CFA 956

$0.57 QAR 2.09

187.72%

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

$49.7K F CFA 29.0M

$24.8K QAR 90.3K

100.24%

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

$47.9K F CFA 27.9M

$21.6K QAR 78.6K

121.96%

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

$202 F CFA 117.7K

$86.0 QAR 313

134.71%

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

$11.68 F CFA 6,811

$34.74 QAR 126

-66.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.07 F CFA 26.9K

$87.5 QAR 318

-47.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.29 F CFA 25.8K

$128 QAR 465

-65.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.92 F CFA 13.4K

$18.64 QAR 67.8

22.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 F CFA 4,852

$12.43 QAR 45.25

-33.07%

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

$327 F CFA 190.5K

$675 QAR 2,458

-51.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

$9,718 QAR 35.4K

7.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 F CFA 34.2K

$60.7 QAR 221

-3.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.95 F CFA 26.2K

$53.8 QAR 196

-16.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 F CFA 50.8K

$101 QAR 368

-13.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 F CFA 56.6K

$84.4 QAR 307

14.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 F CFA 482.1K

$1,920 QAR 6,988

-56.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 F CFA 250.9K

$1,185 QAR 4,313

-63.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,724 F CFA 1.0M

$3,540 QAR 12.9K

-51.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$916 F CFA 534.2K

$2,367 QAR 8,617

-61.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,838 F CFA 2.8M

$4,126 QAR 15.0K

17.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,494 F CFA 871.1K

$2,456 QAR 8,939

-39.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 F CFA 198.7K

$3,303 QAR 12.0K

-89.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

5.92

47.80%

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

Last update for Dakar: October 19, 2026

Last update for Doha: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dakar

$430 30.4%

Doha

$1.2K 56.1% 175% $755

Groceries & Markets

Dakar

$296 21%

Doha

$214 10.1% 27.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dakar

$260 18.4%

Doha

$208 9.9% 19.8% $51

Eating Out

Dakar

$147 10.4%

Doha

$177 8.4% 21% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Dakar

$129 9.2%

Doha

$135 6.4% 4.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Dakar

$92 6.5%

Doha

$42 2% 54.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Dakar

$61 4.3%

Doha

$153 7.2% 151% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $827 in Dakar and $1,881 in Doha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Doha pays 868% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Dakar vs $69.0 in Doha. Groceries flip the comparison at $296 vs $216, with Doha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Dakar

🇶🇦 Doha

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

13:08 1:08 PM

3 h ahead of Dakar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,396,800 Capital

1,312,947 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dakar Doha 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dakar
Doha

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

Dakar vs Doha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dakar and Doha differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,415 vs $2,102 including rent). Dakar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 868% lower in Doha. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $827 in Dakar versus $1,881 in Doha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,415 per month in Dakar versus $2,102 in Doha – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dakar runs roughly 181% less than in Doha. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,415 in Dakar versus $2,102 in Doha, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dakar but tight or insufficient in Doha. The gap between the two cities makes Dakar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dakar and Doha are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dakar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Doha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.