Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Doha and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Doha: $2,098 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Doha
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Doha Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,098

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Doha and in Dubai

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

A single person spends $2,098 per month in Doha vs $2,854 in Dubai, rent included.

Doha $2,098
Dubai $2,854

A couple spends around $3,281 per month in Doha vs $4,321 in Dubai, rent included.

Doha $3,281
Dubai $4,321

A family of three spends $4,463 per month in Doha vs $5,788 in Dubai, rent included.

Doha $4,463
Dubai $5,788

Doha is about 26% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Doha and Dubai sit above the global median – Doha by 57%, Dubai by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.72 QAR 35.36

$13.04 AED 47.89

-25.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 QAR 248

$81.4 AED 299

-16.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 QAR 30.80

$9.32 AED 34.25

-9.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.12 QAR 44.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.84 QAR 50.3

Cappuccino

$5.70 QAR 20.73

$5.97 AED 21.93

-4.52%

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

$0.97 QAR 3.52

$1.63 AED 5.98

-40.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 QAR 1.59

$0.81 AED 2.99

-45.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 QAR 7.79

$1.81 AED 6.64

18.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 QAR 4.94

$1.57 AED 5.78

-13.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 QAR 6.82

$2.49 AED 9.16

-24.50%

Eggs

$3.34 QAR 12.16

$3.28 AED 12.04

1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.39 QAR 41.42

$12.67 AED 46.53

-10.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.81 QAR 28.41

$9.75 AED 35.80

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 QAR 39.99

$13.18 AED 48.40

-16.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 QAR 8.19

$2.61 AED 9.57

-13.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 QAR 6.80

$1.93 AED 7.09

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 QAR 5.49

$1.92 AED 7.05

-21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 QAR 4.56

$1.36 AED 5.00

-8.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 QAR 3.64

$1.17 AED 4.29

-14.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 QAR 3.73

$1.01 AED 3.71

0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 QAR 5.02

$1.51 AED 5.56

-8.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 QAR 2.02

$0.62 AED 2.29

-11.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.58 QAR 34.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 QAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 QAR 8.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.32 QAR 22.99

$5.85 AED 21.50

8.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 QAR 1.90

$1.64 AED 6.03

-68.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 QAR 100.0

$73.6 AED 270

-62.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 QAR 6.82

$3.17 AED 11.66

-40.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 QAR 7.46

$0.71 AED 2.63

188.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.47 QAR 49.00

$7.96 AED 29.23

69.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 QAR 1.96

$0.99 AED 3.64

-45.45%

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

$28.4K QAR 103.4K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

3.83%

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

$22.2K QAR 80.9K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

-1.33%

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

$87.0 QAR 316

$250 AED 920

-65.26%

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

$34.20 QAR 124

$54.2 AED 199

-36.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 QAR 318

$91.8 AED 337

-4.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 QAR 455

$98.6 AED 362

26.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.54 QAR 67.4

$42.61 AED 156

-56.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 QAR 45.63

$16.03 AED 58.9

-21.71%

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

$673 QAR 2,448

$843 AED 3,098

-20.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,519 QAR 34.6K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-47.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 QAR 218

$68.0 AED 250

-11.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 QAR 197

$57.9 AED 213

-6.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 QAR 368

$101 AED 370

0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 QAR 316

$101 AED 371

-13.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 QAR 6,841

$2,380 AED 8,741

-20.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 QAR 4,248

$1,506 AED 5,531

-22.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,444 QAR 12.5K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-22.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 QAR 8,347

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-23.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,125 QAR 15.0K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-42.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,463 QAR 8,958

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-40.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,286 QAR 12.0K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-3.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

4.54

30.40%

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

Last update for Doha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Doha

$1.2K 55.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 28.9% $338

Groceries & Markets

Doha

$214 10.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 36.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Doha

$209 10%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 89.9% $188

Eating Out

Doha

$177 8.5%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 74.2% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Doha

$150 7.2%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 13% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Doha

$136 6.5%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 8.4% $11

Getting Around

Doha

$42 2%

Dubai

$87 3% 108% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,881 in Doha versus $2,380 in Dubai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Dubai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Doha versus $81.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $293 – making Doha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Doha

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h ahead of Doha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,312,947 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.245 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.08 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Doha Dubai 370 km

From you

Doha
Dubai

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

Doha vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,147 per month in Doha and $4,281 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Doha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 168% less in Doha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $673 per month in Doha and $843 in Dubai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,098 in Doha and $2,854 in Dubai. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Doha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Doha. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.