Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Doha and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Riyadh: $1,738 a month against $2,149 in Doha, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
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Riyadh Living Index

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Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,149

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Doha and in Riyadh

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

A single person spends $2,149 per month in Doha vs $1,738 in Riyadh, rent included.

Doha $2,149
Riyadh $1,738

A couple spends around $3,429 per month in Doha vs $2,587 in Riyadh, rent included.

Doha $3,429
Riyadh $2,587

A family of three spends $4,709 per month in Doha vs $3,437 in Riyadh, rent included.

Doha $4,709
Riyadh $3,437

Doha costs about 24% more than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Doha and Riyadh sit above the global median – Doha by 58%, Riyadh by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 QAR 34.05

$8.09 SAR 30.37

15.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 QAR 251

$65.3 SAR 245

5.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 QAR 28.70

$8.18 SAR 30.69

-3.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.99 QAR 43.63

$2.16 SAR 8.12

455.09%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.81 QAR 50.3

$2.97 SAR 11.16

364.98%

Cappuccino

$5.69 QAR 20.72

$4.30 SAR 16.14

32.33%

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

$0.90 QAR 3.29

$0.85 SAR 3.18

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 QAR 1.48

$0.30 SAR 1.12

36.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 QAR 7.57

$1.83 SAR 6.85

13.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 QAR 4.96

$1.31 SAR 4.93

3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 QAR 6.99

$2.37 SAR 8.88

-18.99%

Eggs

$3.38 QAR 12.29

$3.04 SAR 11.41

11.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 QAR 41.34

$10.77 SAR 40.41

5.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 QAR 28.12

$9.38 SAR 35.18

-17.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 QAR 40.28

$14.98 SAR 56.2

-26.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 QAR 8.32

$2.85 SAR 10.70

-19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 QAR 6.75

$1.90 SAR 7.13

-2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 QAR 5.75

$2.47 SAR 9.26

-36.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 QAR 4.60

$1.71 SAR 6.44

-26.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 QAR 3.55

$1.18 SAR 4.43

-16.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 QAR 3.52

$1.28 SAR 4.82

-24.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 QAR 5.19

$1.78 SAR 6.70

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 QAR 1.84

$0.58 SAR 2.16

-13.79%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.69 QAR 35.27

$8.15 SAR 30.59

18.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 QAR 6.76

$1.82 SAR 6.83

2.20%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 QAR 8.33

$2.47 SAR 9.28

-7.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 QAR 23.04

$7.85 SAR 29.46

-19.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 QAR 2.04

$1.04 SAR 3.91

-46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.40 QAR 118

$38.07 SAR 143

-14.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 QAR 6.87

$3.13 SAR 11.75

-39.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 QAR 7.61

$1.91 SAR 7.16

9.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.50 QAR 49.14

$13.31 SAR 49.93

1.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 QAR 2.00

$0.60 SAR 2.26

-8.33%

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

$24.2K QAR 88.1K

$26.2K SAR 98.3K

-7.60%

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

$21.4K QAR 77.9K

$22.2K SAR 83.4K

-3.75%

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

$83.6 QAR 304

$108 SAR 404

-22.25%

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

$33.81 QAR 123

$29.62 SAR 111

14.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.0 QAR 320

$71.0 SAR 266

24.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$194 QAR 707

$83.0 SAR 312

133.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.58 QAR 67.6

$57.3 SAR 215

-67.56%

Cinema Ticket

$12.28 QAR 44.68

$13.31 SAR 49.95

-7.74%

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

$720 QAR 2,619

$554 SAR 2,077

29.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,469 QAR 34.5K

$10.1K SAR 37.9K

-6.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 QAR 217

$57.7 SAR 217

3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 QAR 197

$54.4 SAR 204

-0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 QAR 362

$104 SAR 391

-4.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 QAR 305

$105 SAR 393

-20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,014 QAR 7,332

$1,149 SAR 4,312

75.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 QAR 4,220

$833 SAR 3,128

39.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,486 QAR 12.7K

$2,166 SAR 8,127

60.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,403 QAR 8,748

$1,276 SAR 4,787

88.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,079 QAR 14.8K

$2,779 SAR 10.4K

46.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,416 QAR 8,796

$1,718 SAR 6,445

40.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,308 QAR 12.0K

$2,052 SAR 7,701

61.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.54

6.86%

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

Last update for Doha: October 26, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Doha

$1.2K 53.9%

Riyadh

$833 48% 28.1% $326

Sport & Entertainment

Doha

$219 10.2%

Riyadh

$110 6.3% 49.9% $109

Groceries & Markets

Doha

$213 9.9%

Riyadh

$241 13.9% 13.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Doha

$205 9.6%

Riyadh

$208 12% 1.3% $2.7

Eating Out

Doha

$172 8%

Riyadh

$145 8.4% 15.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Doha

$134 6.2%

Riyadh

$144 8.3% 8.2% $11

Getting Around

Doha

$47 2.2%

Riyadh

$55 3.2% 16.9% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,014 in Doha versus $1,149 in Riyadh. 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 61% higher in Doha. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Doha versus $65 in Riyadh. Groceries tell a different story – $213 in Doha vs $241 in Riyadh – so Doha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Doha

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

Same time as Doha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,312,947 Capital

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.247 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

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Doha Riyadh 490 km

From you

Doha
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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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Doha is pricier by about 24%, 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 $2,606 in Riyadh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Riyadh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,149 there versus $2,014 in Doha.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Doha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $720 per month in Doha and $554 in Riyadh. 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 $1,738 in Riyadh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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