Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qatar and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Qatar: $1,909 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Qatar
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Qatar Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,909

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qatar and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,909 in Qatar versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Qatar $1,909
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,082 in Qatar versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Qatar $3,082
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,256 in Qatar versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Qatar $4,256
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $232–$2,633 in Qatar. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Qatar costs about 22% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Qatar 40% above, the United Kingdom 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.27 QAR 30.10

$21.48 £16.00

-61.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 QAR 245

$85.7 £63.9

-21.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 QAR 30.63

$10.61 £7.90

-20.74%

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

$5.47 QAR 19.93

$4.91 £3.66

11.41%

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

$0.91 QAR 3.30

$2.66 £1.98

-65.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 QAR 1.26

$1.87 £1.39

-81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 QAR 7.85

$1.68 £1.25

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 QAR 5.47

$1.72 £1.28

-12.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 QAR 7.46

$2.17 £1.62

-5.53%

Eggs

$3.05 QAR 11.08

$4.00 £2.98

-23.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 QAR 34.57

$9.42 £7.02

0.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.61 QAR 27.70

$9.19 £6.84

-17.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 QAR 36.50

$14.77 £11.00

-32.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 QAR 7.70

$2.97 £2.21

-28.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 QAR 6.41

$1.62 £1.21

8.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 QAR 5.94

$2.85 £2.13

-42.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 QAR 4.57

$3.52 £2.62

-64.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 QAR 3.37

$1.83 £1.36

-49.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 QAR 3.41

$1.61 £1.20

-41.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 QAR 4.36

$1.25 £0.93

-4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 QAR 2.12

$1.66 £1.23

-65.06%

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)

$6.47 QAR 23.56

$23.65 £17.61

-72.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.61

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 QAR 1.93

$3.98 £2.96

-86.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.56 QAR 119

$107 £80.0

-69.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 QAR 7.90

$5.18 £3.86

-58.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 QAR 6.92

$2.35 £1.75

-19.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.44 QAR 30.72

$26.84 £19.98

-68.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 QAR 1.98

$1.99 £1.48

-72.86%

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

$24.4K QAR 88.7K

$39.4K £29.4K

-38.26%

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

$21.5K QAR 78.3K

$40.5K £30.1K

-46.85%

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

$90.0 QAR 328

$327 £244

-72.50%

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

$44.05 QAR 160

$18.21 £13.56

141.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.5 QAR 311

$43.60 £32.47

96.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$167 QAR 607

$42.36 £31.54

293.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 QAR 73.5

$18.22 £13.57

10.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 QAR 44.15

$13.85 £10.31

-12.42%

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

$733 QAR 2,669

$1,868 £1,391

-60.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,778 QAR 35.6K

$22.6K £16.9K

-56.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 QAR 203

$92.9 £69.2

-39.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 QAR 186

$45.92 £34.19

11.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 QAR 347

$102 £75.7

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 QAR 302

$102 £76.1

-18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 QAR 5,753

$1,342 £1,000

17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 QAR 3,485

$1,073 £799

-10.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,018 QAR 11.0K

$2,231 £1,662

35.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 QAR 7,450

$1,742 £1,297

17.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,338 QAR 15.8K

$5,601 £4,171

-22.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,959 QAR 10.8K

$4,265 £3,176

-30.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,017 QAR 14.6K

$3,349 £2,494

19.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

5.32

-1.88%

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

Last update for Qatar: October 24, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qatar

$957 50.2%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 12.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qatar

$220 11.5%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 77.2% $169

Groceries & Markets

Qatar

$204 10.7%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 50.6% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Qatar

$191 10%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 63.4% $121

Eating Out

Qatar

$162 8.5%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 102% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Qatar

$128 6.7%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 20.1% $26

Getting Around

Qatar

$46 2.4%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 203% $94

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,393 in Qatar, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $2,014 in Doha vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $4,162 in Qatar, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 8% higher in Qatar.

Dining out costs 43% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 248% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 28% higher in Qatar, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Qatar.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Qatar

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

14:07 2:07 PM

3 h behind Qatar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,639,211

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.745 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.833 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qatar United Kingdom 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Qatar
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,909 per month in Qatar and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Qatar comes out about 22% 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 Qatar: 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.

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