Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Doha and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,647 a month against $2,149 in Doha, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Doha
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Doha Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,149

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Doha and in Monterrey

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 Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,149 per month in Doha vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Doha $2,149
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $3,429 per month in Doha vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Doha $3,429
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $4,709 per month in Doha vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Doha $4,709
Monterrey $3,536

Doha costs about 31% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Doha and Monterrey sit above the global median – Doha by 58%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 QAR 34.05

$13.45 MX$251

-30.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 QAR 251

$48.43 MX$905

42.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 QAR 28.70

$10.90 MX$204

-27.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.99 QAR 43.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.81 QAR 50.3

Cappuccino

$5.69 QAR 20.72

$3.82 MX$71.3

48.95%

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

$0.90 QAR 3.29

$1.67 MX$31.14

-46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 QAR 1.48

$0.98 MX$18.37

-58.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.4

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 QAR 7.57

$1.80 MX$33.66

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 QAR 4.96

$2.79 MX$52.2

-51.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 QAR 6.99

$1.82 MX$34.10

5.49%

Eggs

$3.38 QAR 12.29

$2.51 MX$46.95

34.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 QAR 41.34

$12.09 MX$226

-6.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 QAR 28.12

$9.41 MX$176

-17.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 QAR 40.28

$12.71 MX$237

-12.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 QAR 8.32

$3.21 MX$59.9

-28.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 QAR 6.75

$1.50 MX$27.99

23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 QAR 5.75

$2.14 MX$40.07

-26.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 QAR 4.60

$2.32 MX$43.38

-45.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 QAR 3.55

$2.20 MX$41.14

-55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 QAR 3.52

$2.60 MX$48.55

-62.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 QAR 5.19

$1.44 MX$26.92

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 QAR 1.84

$1.17 MX$21.93

-57.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.69 QAR 35.27

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 QAR 6.76

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 QAR 8.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 QAR 23.04

$4.79 MX$89.5

32.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$247

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.30

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 QAR 2.04

$0.87 MX$16.30

-35.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.40 QAR 118

$31.14 MX$582

4.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 QAR 6.87

$1.66 MX$30.96

13.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 QAR 7.61

$1.09 MX$20.44

91.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.50 QAR 49.14

$10.67 MX$199

26.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 QAR 2.00

$1.47 MX$27.53

-62.59%

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

$24.2K QAR 88.1K

$24.2K MX$453.0K

-0.19%

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

$21.4K QAR 77.9K

$23.6K MX$440.1K

-9.16%

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

$83.6 QAR 304

$118 MX$2,202

-29.06%

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

$33.81 QAR 123

$25.55 MX$477

32.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.0 QAR 320

$26.43 MX$494

233.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$194 QAR 707

$30.77 MX$575

530.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.58 QAR 67.6

$21.07 MX$394

-11.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.28 QAR 44.68

$5.09 MX$95.1

141.26%

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

$720 QAR 2,619

$694 MX$13.0K

3.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,469 QAR 34.5K

$11.3K MX$211.5K

-16.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 QAR 217

$72.5 MX$1,354

-17.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 QAR 197

$41.51 MX$776

30.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 QAR 362

$110 MX$2,050

-9.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 QAR 305

$115 MX$2,148

-27.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,014 QAR 7,332

$1,056 MX$19.7K

90.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 QAR 4,220

$721 MX$13.5K

60.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,486 QAR 12.7K

$1,999 MX$37.4K

74.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,403 QAR 8,748

$1,435 MX$26.8K

67.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,079 QAR 14.8K

$4,219 MX$78.8K

-3.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,416 QAR 8,796

$2,731 MX$51.0K

-11.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,308 QAR 12.0K

$1,149 MX$21.5K

188.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

11.79

-49.79%

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

Last update for Doha: October 26, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Doha

$1.2K 53.9%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 37.8% $438

Sport & Entertainment

Doha

$219 10.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 81.3% $178

Groceries & Markets

Doha

$213 9.9%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 42.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Doha

$205 9.6%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 17.3% $36

Eating Out

Doha

$172 8%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 26.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Doha

$134 6.2%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 14.1% $19

Getting Around

Doha

$47 2.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 11.1% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,014 in Doha versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Doha are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Doha versus $48 in Monterrey. Groceries tell a different story – $213 in Doha vs $303 in Monterrey – so Doha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Doha

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

04:20 4:20 AM

9 h behind Doha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,312,947 Capital

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.247 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.05 QAR (1 QAR = 0.247 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Doha Monterrey 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Doha
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Doha is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,224 per month in Doha and $2,470 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,056 there versus $2,014 in Doha.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $720 per month in Doha and $694 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,149 in Doha and $1,647 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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