For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $1,909 in Qatar, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Qatar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qatar and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,909 in Qatar versus $1,843 in Italy.
Qatar $1,909
Italy $1,843
Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,082 in Qatar versus $2,816 in Italy.
Qatar $3,082
Italy $2,816
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,256 in Qatar versus $3,788 in Italy.
Qatar $4,256
Italy $3,788
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Qatar: monthly costs span $232 to $2,633, compared to $1,038–$2,555 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in Qatar.
🌍
Living in Qatar is roughly 4% more expensive than in Italy on average.
📊
Both countries sit above the global median: Qatar 40% above, Italy 35% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Qatar
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.27QAR 30.10
$20.46€18.27
-59.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.4QAR 245
$79.5€71.0
-15.18%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$8.41QAR 30.63
$11.15€9.96
-24.57%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$13.24QAR 48.20
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$13.46QAR 48.98
-
-
Cappuccino
$5.47QAR 19.93
$2.04€1.82
168.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91QAR 3.30
$3.10€2.77
-70.65%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34QAR 1.26
$1.40€1.25
-75.71%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$5.51€4.92
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.74€5.13
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qatar
Italy
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.16QAR 7.85
$1.57€1.40
37.58%
White Bread(500g)
$1.50QAR 5.47
$2.38€2.13
-36.97%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.05QAR 7.46
$2.90€2.59
-29.31%
Eggs
$3.05QAR 11.08
$4.07€3.64
-25.06%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.50QAR 34.57
$17.44€15.57
-45.53%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$7.61QAR 27.70
$12.56€11.21
-39.41%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$10.03QAR 36.50
$20.17€18.01
-50.27%
Apples(1kg)
$2.12QAR 7.70
$2.58€2.31
-17.83%
Banana(1kg)
$1.76QAR 6.41
$2.19€1.95
-19.63%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.63QAR 5.94
$2.68€2.39
-39.18%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.26QAR 4.57
$3.27€2.92
-61.47%
Potato(1kg)
$0.93QAR 3.37
$1.90€1.70
-51.05%
Onion(1kg)
$0.94QAR 3.41
$1.82€1.62
-48.35%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.20QAR 4.36
$1.57€1.40
-23.57%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58QAR 2.12
$0.55€0.49
5.45%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
$10.39QAR 37.82
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04QAR 7.44
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03QAR 11.03
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$6.47QAR 23.56
$6.69€5.98
-3.29%
Wine(Bottle)
-
$7.99€7.13
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.77€1.58
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.35€2.10
-
🚌 Getting Around
Qatar
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.53QAR 1.93
$1.91€1.71
-72.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$32.56QAR 119
$43.44€38.79
-25.05%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$2.17QAR 7.90
$5.62€5.02
-61.39%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.90QAR 6.92
$1.71€1.53
11.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$8.44QAR 30.72
$33.64€30.04
-74.91%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.54QAR 1.98
$2.03€1.81
-73.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4KQAR 88.7K
$35.3K€31.5K
-31.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5KQAR 78.3K
$36.7K€32.8K
-41.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qatar
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$90.0QAR 328
$227€202
-60.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.05QAR 160
$11.59€10.35
280.07%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$85.5QAR 311
$30.38€27.13
181.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qatar
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$167QAR 607
$51.8€46.23
222.37%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.20QAR 73.5
$23.70€21.16
-14.77%
Cinema Ticket
$12.13QAR 44.15
$10.60€9.47
14.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qatar
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$733QAR 2,669
$568€507
29.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$9,778QAR 35.6K
$11.5K€10.3K
-15.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qatar
Italy
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.8QAR 203
$90.5€80.8
-38.35%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.2QAR 186
$38.55€34.43
32.76%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$95.3QAR 347
$103€91.7
-7.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.0QAR 302
$131€117
-36.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qatar
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,580QAR 5,753
$826€737
91.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$957QAR 3,485
$646€577
48.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$3,018QAR 11.0K
$1,400€1,250
115.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$2,047QAR 7,450
$1,054€942
94.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$4,338QAR 15.8K
$3,662€3,270
18.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$2,959QAR 10.8K
$2,301€2,055
28.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qatar
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$4,017QAR 14.6K
$1,886€1,684
112.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5.22
3.56
46.63%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Qatar: October 24, 2026
Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Qatar
$957 50.2%
Italy
$646 35.1% ↓ 32.5%$311
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qatar
$220 11.5%
Italy
$269 14.6% ↑ 22.3%$49
🛒Groceries & Markets
Qatar
$204 10.7%
Italy
$348 18.9% ↑ 70.5%$144
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Qatar
$191 10%
Italy
$73 4% ↓ 61.8%$118
🍽Eating Out
Qatar
$162 8.5%
Italy
$279 15.1% ↑ 71.9%$117
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Qatar
$128 6.7%
Italy
$163 8.9% ↑ 27.1%$35
🚌Getting Around
Qatar
$46 2.4%
Italy
$65 3.5% ↑ 40.8%$19
🏠Accommodation & Living
Qatar
$2K 48.1%
Italy
$1.1K 27.8% ↓ 48.5%$992
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qatar
$264 6.2%
Italy
$280 7.4% ↑ 6.3%$17
🛒Groceries & Markets
Qatar
$497 11.7%
Italy
$823 21.7% ↑ 65.4%$325
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Qatar
$403 9.5%
Italy
$170 4.5% ↓ 57.9%$233
🍽Eating Out
Qatar
$667 15.7%
Italy
$964 25.5% ↑ 44.6%$298
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Qatar
$285 6.7%
Italy
$363 9.6% ↑ 27.1%$77
🚌Getting Around
Qatar
$94 2.2%
Italy
$134 3.6% ↑ 43.3%$41
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $1,393 in Qatar, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $2,014 in Doha vs $1,297 in Rome.
💰National salary averages: $4,162 in Qatar, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 91% higher in Qatar.
⭐Dining out costs 26% more in Italy.
⭐Public transport is 48% more expensive in Italy.
⭐Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Qatar, and purchasing power comes out stronger in 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
Qatar vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Qatar?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,909 in Qatar, Italy comes out about 3% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,393 in Qatar and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Italy or to Qatar?
It depends on what you’re after: Italy wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.