Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Qatar

Name: Qatar
Address: QA

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,909 in Qatar, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Qatar
Learn more

Qatar Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $1,909 in Qatar.

India $399
Qatar $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $3,082 in Qatar.

India $639
Qatar $3,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $4,256 in Qatar.

India $879
Qatar $4,256

Internal cost variation is higher in Qatar: monthly costs span $232 to $2,633, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in Qatar.

Living in India costs about 79% less than in Qatar on average.

India (71% below) and Qatar (40% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$8.27 QAR 30.10

-74.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹996

$67.4 QAR 245

-84.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹362

$8.41 QAR 30.63

-54.82%

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

$1.68 ₹160

$5.47 QAR 19.93

-69.29%

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

$0.38 ₹36.03

$0.91 QAR 3.30

-58.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.62

$0.34 QAR 1.26

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$2.16 QAR 7.85

-71.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.82

$1.50 QAR 5.47

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.4

$2.05 QAR 7.46

-69.27%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$3.05 QAR 11.08

-68.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹462

$9.50 QAR 34.57

-48.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$7.61 QAR 27.70

-62.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 QAR 36.50

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹191

$2.12 QAR 7.70

-5.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.5

$1.76 QAR 6.41

-63.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.4

$1.63 QAR 5.94

-40.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.35

$1.26 QAR 4.57

-62.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.91

$0.93 QAR 3.37

-63.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.77

$0.94 QAR 3.41

-55.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.44

$1.20 QAR 4.36

-60.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.71

$0.58 QAR 2.12

-46.55%

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)

$5.08 ₹483

$6.47 QAR 23.56

-21.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹696

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹263

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.88

$0.53 QAR 1.93

-50.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹817

$32.56 QAR 119

-73.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.8

$2.17 QAR 7.90

-53.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.77

$1.90 QAR 6.92

-85.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$8.44 QAR 30.72

-81.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.54 QAR 1.98

98.15%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$24.4K QAR 88.7K

-53.96%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$21.5K QAR 78.3K

-6.83%

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

$37.08 ₹3,531

$90.0 QAR 328

-58.79%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$44.05 QAR 160

-91.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹681

$85.5 QAR 311

-91.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,428

$167 QAR 607

-91.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹683

$20.20 QAR 73.5

-64.50%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$12.13 QAR 44.15

-73.62%

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

$58.8 ₹5,599

$733 QAR 2,669

-91.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.7K

$9,778 QAR 35.6K

-82.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,193

$55.8 QAR 203

-58.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,301

$51.2 QAR 186

-52.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,923

$95.3 QAR 347

-56.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,820

$83.0 QAR 302

-64.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$1,580 QAR 5,753

-90.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,175

$957 QAR 3,485

-89.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$3,018 QAR 11.0K

-88.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.3K

$2,047 QAR 7,450

-88.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹112.1K

$4,338 QAR 15.8K

-72.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.3K

$2,959 QAR 10.8K

-78.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$4,017 QAR 14.6K

-89.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

5.22

71.07%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Qatar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Qatar

$204 10.7% 99.6% $102

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Qatar

$957 50.2% 894% $861

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Qatar

$162 8.5% 144% $96

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Qatar

$128 6.7% 142% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Qatar

$220 11.5% 359% $172

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Qatar

$191 10% 794% $170

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Qatar

$46 2.4% 287% $34

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $1,393 in Qatar. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $2,014 in Doha.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $4,162 in Qatar. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1061% higher in Qatar.

Dining out costs 427% more in Qatar.

Public transport is 263% more expensive in Qatar.

Salaries are about 10 times higher in Qatar, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Qatar.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇶🇦 Qatar

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

2 h 30 min behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

2,639,211

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.07 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Qatar 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

India
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

India vs Qatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $1,909 in Qatar, India comes out about 79% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,393 in Qatar and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Qatar it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.