Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Al Wakrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,277 a month against $1,439 in Al Wakrah, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Al Wakrah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Kanazawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,277
/mo nomad
Al Wakrah
🇶🇦 Qatar
$1,439
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kanazawa and in Al Wakrah

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

A single person spends $1,277 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,439 in Al Wakrah, rent included.

  • Kanazawa $1,277
  • Al Wakrah $1,439

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,565 in Al Wakrah, rent included.

  • Kanazawa $2,031
  • Al Wakrah $2,565

A family of three spends $2,786 per month in Kanazawa vs $3,691 in Al Wakrah, rent included.

  • Kanazawa $2,786
  • Al Wakrah $3,691

Kanazawa is about 11% cheaper than Al Wakrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kanazawa sits 6% below the global median, while Al Wakrah is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.64 ¥1,206
$4.19 QAR 15.26
82.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.61 ¥4,994
$41.14 QAR 150
-23.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.73 ¥747
$5.74 QAR 20.91
-17.60%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$12.37 QAR 45.01
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$13.67 QAR 49.77
-
Cappuccino
$2.26 ¥358
$5.83 QAR 21.21
-61.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 ¥180
$0.74 QAR 2.70
54.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥91.2
$0.26 QAR 0.94
123.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 ¥320
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 ¥368
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ¥245
$2.13 QAR 7.75
-27.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 ¥208
$1.40 QAR 5.11
-5.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.30 ¥837
$1.87 QAR 6.79
183.42%
Eggs
$2.07 ¥327
$3.08 QAR 11.20
-32.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 ¥1,978
$5.86 QAR 21.35
113.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.41 ¥1,487
$7.61 QAR 27.70
23.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.96 ¥5,049
$7.42 QAR 27.00
330.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 ¥572
$2.30 QAR 8.38
57.39%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 ¥360
$1.84 QAR 6.70
23.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.48 ¥1,024
$1.53 QAR 5.57
323.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.14 ¥655
$1.21 QAR 4.41
242.15%
Potato (1kg)
$3.73 ¥589
$0.85 QAR 3.11
338.82%
Onion (1kg)
$3.42 ¥540
$0.80 QAR 2.92
327.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 ¥201
$1.13 QAR 4.12
13.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 ¥163
$0.50 QAR 1.84
106.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$9.48 QAR 34.49
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.84 QAR 6.71
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.25 QAR 8.21
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.55 ¥561
$4.19 QAR 15.24
-15.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.40 ¥1,327
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 ¥310
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 ¥239
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 ¥236
$0.54 QAR 1.96
175.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.4 ¥8,598
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ¥491
$1.89 QAR 6.87
64.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.22 ¥508
$2.02 QAR 7.35
59.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.21 ¥4,140
$13.66 QAR 49.71
91.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$0.58 QAR 2.11
91.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.3K ¥3.2M
$24.4K QAR 88.9K
-16.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.4K ¥2.6M
$21.4K QAR 78.0K
-23.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 ¥23.3K
$85.5 QAR 311
72.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.34 ¥3,845
$34.10 QAR 124
-28.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.30 ¥6,840
$87.8 QAR 320
-50.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.68 ¥6,743
$135 QAR 491
-68.33%
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 ¥1,812
$9.39 QAR 34.18
22.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$320 ¥50.6K
$680 QAR 2,474
-52.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,140 ¥970.0K
$9,671 QAR 35.2K
-36.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.59 ¥7,834
$26.47 QAR 96.3
87.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.27 ¥3,993
$20.56 QAR 74.8
22.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.94 ¥7,258
$97.9 QAR 356
-53.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.9 ¥10.3K
$81.5 QAR 297
-20.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 ¥85.1K
$1,085 QAR 3,948
-50.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$327 ¥51.6K
$655 QAR 2,383
-50.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,100 ¥173.7K
$2,121 QAR 7,719
-48.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$749 ¥118.3K
$1,985 QAR 7,227
-62.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,294 ¥678.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,742 ¥275.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kanazawa
Al Wakrah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,857 ¥293.4K
$4,248 QAR 15.5K
-56.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.28
5.92
-61.49%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Al Wakrah: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kanazawa
$382
Al Wakrah
$182 52.3% $200
Accommodation & Living
Kanazawa
$327
Al Wakrah
$655 101% $328
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kanazawa
$215
Al Wakrah
$207 3.7% $8
Eating Out
Kanazawa
$124
Al Wakrah
$125 0.5% $0.6
Clothing & Footwear
Kanazawa
$84
Al Wakrah
$102 22% $18
Getting Around
Kanazawa
$80
Al Wakrah
$14 * 82.2% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Kanazawa
$66
Al Wakrah
$154 134% $88

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Kanazawa versus $1,085 in Al Wakrah. 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 129% higher in Al Wakrah, 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 $32.00 in Kanazawa versus $41.00 in Al Wakrah. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Kanazawa vs $182 in Al Wakrah – so Al Wakrah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Kanazawa
🇶🇦 Al Wakrah
🕒 Local time
10:59 10:59 AM
04:59 4:59 AM
6 h behind Kanazawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
465,699
87,970
💱 Currency
Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق
Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kanazawa Al Wakrah 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kanazawa
  • Al Wakrah

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
Kanazawa vs Al Wakrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Al Wakrah cheaper than Kanazawa?
Yes – Al Wakrah is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,916 per month in Kanazawa and $2,158 in Al Wakrah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kanazawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Kanazawa or in Al Wakrah?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kanazawa and $41.00 in Al Wakrah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Kanazawa and in Al Wakrah?
Interestingly, groceries are about 110% cheaper in Al Wakrah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Kanazawa or in Al Wakrah?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Al Wakrah at $1,439. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al Wakrah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kanazawa or Al Wakrah more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kanazawa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Kanazawa or Al Wakrah?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kanazawa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al Wakrah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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